Do I need a ticket and can I buy one on the door?
Tickets must be purchased in advance from www.gridcon.co.uk. There will not be any tickets available for purchase on the door.
Does the venue sell food and drink? Can I bring my own food and drink?
As the venue has a bar and restaurant, only food and drink purchased from the venue can be consumed on site. We ask that you please respect this rule of the venue, as it is part of the conditions of our use of the convention space.
The hotel will cater for dietary requirements, but please ensure you inform them of these when ordering.
What are the opening times?
The convention starts at 9am on Friday and ends at 6pm on Sunday.
The convention rooms are open from 9am to 11pm each day, except for Sunday when the rooms close at 6pm, and the restaurant area is available for gaming from 11am each day. As the rooms are cleaned over night please ensure you pack away your games at the end of the evening. The bar area is open 24 hours, so you can stay up gaming as late as you like!
And if that isn’t enough gaming time for you, a lot of people choose to arrive on the Thursday (or even earlier!) and stay the Sunday night, and make use of the bar area for games.
I see that there is a games organiser, do I have to plan my games in advance?
Not at all! Some people feel more comfortable planning some, or part of their day, and so we created the games organiser. But there is no requirement to use it, if you prefer to turn up and find a game, that is fine too.
Do I need to bring my own games?
There will be an extensive games library available for attendees to borrow, so if you don’t want to bring your own games you can borrow some from the library. But if you prefer to bring your own games then that is fine too.
Is there somewhere to store my games?
Out of respect for your fellow gamers, and to keep table space free for games, please limit the number of games you bring into the gaming rooms at any time. We do not allow trolleys of games or large bags, as we find that these get in the way of the space to move around. We kindly ask that you keep any excess games in your car or hotel room and fetch them as needed.
I’ve never been to a games convention before, what do I do when I get there?
Firstly head to the GridCon registration desk in the main gaming room, there you will register and get your lanyard for the weekend. Once registered you can start gaming! Either start up a game using your own games, borrow one from the library, or join a table of people showing a ‘looking for players’ sign. If you need any help while at GridCon, head on over to the registration desk and one of the volunteers will point you in the right direction.
Are the Games Library and the Bring and Buy free to use?
Yes! We just ask that when borrowing a game from the library you register it out and back in at the registration desk, and you take care to return it in good condition with no pieces missing.
The Bring and Buy is unmanned, and we do not take part in the sales themselves. We also do not allow the sale of games still in shrink, as we have a separate retailer at the event.
Where is the venue and is there accommodation and parking?
GridCon takes place at the Holiday Inn Taunton (Deane Gate Avenue, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2UA). There are hotel rooms available at the venue but they do get booked up quickly. There is plenty of free parking at the venue, but in the unlikely event that the car park fills up, there is some road side parking available on nearby roads.
Can I use the hotel facilities?
If you have booked a hotel room at the venue then breakfast is included in the cost of your room. You can also make use the hotel’s gym and swimming pool.
How do I get to the venue by car / train / plane?
Arriving by car: The hotel is at Junction 25 of the M5, there is free parking available on site.
Arriving by train: The closest train station is Taunton train station. If taking a taxi from the train station to the hotel it is advisable to book this in advance.
Arriving by plane: If you are flying into Bristol Airport then the Stagecoach Falcon coach runs from Bristol Airport along the M5, and stops in Taunton just a short walk from the Holiday Inn. Tickets can be booked online in advance. If you are flying into London Heathrow you can take the train to Paddington then a train to Taunton.
I’ve booked a ticket but I can’t find an email confirmation?
Unfortunately we have noticed that some email confirmations are going into people’s spam mail, however on booking you will have received a Paypal receipt, and we request that you bring this Paypal receipt when registering at the event. As long as you have this Paypal receipt you will have a ticket, but if you are unsure please contact us (a message via the facebook group is the preferred method).
If I come alone will I find people to play with?
GridCon is a friendly convention and you won’t be the only person attending by themselves. We have ‘Looking for Players’ signs for people to borrow, so you can either set up a game yourself, or join someone else looking for a player. If you’re nervous about getting stuck in, we’d recommend pre-arranging some games via the Games Organiser, so that you know you have some games arranged, and to give you the opportunity you meet other games players.