POKEMON TCG SUCCESS AT THE 2013 PAX AUS GAMING SHOW
The highly anticipated PAX Aus gaming show at the Melbourne Show Grounds saw over 33,000 sold-out tickets with a host of major exhibitors including Nintendo, Hasbro, Madman and, of course, Banter Toys just to name a few!
From Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July 2013, the Melbourne Show Ground expo hall, theatres, and big top grounds were packed with gamers and table-top enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds, all very excited to experience games ranging from the newly released Wii-U from Nintendo, to the table-top classic Munchkin, and many more.
Banter Toys & Collectibles were proud to offer PAX attendees the chance to learn to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, providing an area in the designated table-top hall to demonstrate the popular card game to beginners and for current players to join in for some casual gameplay. Much of the time we saw passer-bys watching in on the Pokémon TCG demos, with many of them staying on the stand thereafter to learn the game themselves.
With a team of avid Pokémon TCG demonstrators that were basically kept on their feet from 10am to 6pm, the Banter Toys stand was extremely well-received with all beginners providing some great feedback on the Pokémon TCG:
“The game is simple but still interesting, it was pretty easy to pick up”
“I didn’t realize that the game is still so popular, I use to play this when I was 10 years old”
As the demos were running, Banter Toys also offered PAX attendees the chance to win 1 of 3 trading card game hampers simply by signing up to a mailing list, with each prize bundle packed with goodies from the Pokémon TCG. By the end of the event the mailing list received a total of 1,242 names and email addresses from Pokémon TCG fans and game enthusiasts. Not only was these hampers on offer, but everyone who signed up and/or participated in a Pokémon TCG demo received some Pokémon goodies consisting of pins, stickers, promo cards and 9-pocket pages.
Banter Toys also handed out flyers promoting the upcoming Black & White Plasma Blast expansion, with additional flyers supporting partners and fan communities of the Pokémon brand:
- Madman – all-new Pokémon manga release for September 2013
- PokéCollection – online community sponsored by Banter Toys
- PokemonAustralia.com – online website dedicated to Pokémon news and events in Australia
In addition to the Pokémon TCG demos, free gameplay and prize give away, Banter Toys also hosted a number of official PAX Pokémon TCG tournaments held in the card-game tournament area of the show. With a prize of a very sought-after PAX Aus medal for the winner, the response to the tournaments were extremely positive and players with a prepared Pokémon TCG deck were all very keen to participate in not one but all three tournaments held over the course of the 3 days.
A good number of retailers such as Good Games Melbourne, Retro Morley and Red Griffin Games stocking the Pokémon TCG also received some interest from PAX attendees as Banter Toys directed new and current players to these stores to purchase more of the Pokémon TCG.
The Pokémon Video Game Nationals hosted by Nintendo saw an overwhelming number of PAX attendees participating in the event. With around 200 participants, the Pokémon VGC was the hot topic on the Saturday.
Overall, PAX Aus was a great success for Banter Toys and the Pokémon TCG. With new players on board and current players hyped up for the next Black & White Plasma Blast release, Banter Toys is certain that further activity will be secured for upcoming shows including the EB Expo and Armageddon in October 2013 and certainly for the next PAX Aus show that has been confirmed for 2014.
2013 PAX Aus = GREAT FUN!!!
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