GamerCon Dublin 2017 was probably one of the most exciting events on our calendar this year. We’ve just attended Dublin Tech Summit in Dublin’s Convention Centre which, in its first year, was a roaring success. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for year one of GamerCon – also in Dublin’s Convention Centre.
What’s gone wrong at GamerCon Dublin 2017
GamerCon was set to be run across two days. Visitors buy a day ticket to pop in on either Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, the organisers would appear to have grossly oversold the venue. With huge headline sponsors such as Xbox, PlayStation, Alienware and GameStop, the event has turned into a PR nightmare. With thousands, gathering outside, the doors to GamerCon have been closed with punters outside.
#gamerconDublin @GamerCon_Europe complete FARCE!! 2 hour Q in rain to be told doors closed by security as too many people inside. JOKERS pic.twitter.com/XO30TkMk7i
— Andrew Dalton (@mr_13b) March 18, 2017
Now that’s disappointing if you live in Dublin. It’s a waste of a walk and you’re now pretty cold and miserable. But, don’t forget, there are parents with children who can’t get in and people who’ve travelled considerable distances too.
The shambles that is #gamerconDublin . Travelled 5 hrs on bus with son, prepaid tickets to be turned away. Never again.
— Matt Clifton (@thePolyPusher) March 18, 2017
There have even been reports that the fire brigade have had to step in for safety reasons.
#gamerconDublin Dublin fire brigade sending officers down due to safety fears because of over crowding inside absolutely disgraceful
— davidknox (@daveyknox) March 18, 2017
So, that’s a pretty bad start, right? Well, it gets worse.
Magically changing terms and conditions
In an extremely ill-advised move, the organisers have reportedly panicked, updating their terms and conditions.
Ah #gamerconDublin @GamerCon_Europe when exactly did you change this? When you realized you massively oversold tickets today? pic.twitter.com/fLW0bMx7ym
— Daithi (@daithigorman) March 18, 2017
Now, this is a whole different kettle of fish. People have made their purchases under one set of terms, which have been changed because of the mayhem at the Convention Centre. This could possibly be illegal, but is at the very least just terrible form from the organisers.
How could this happen?
GamerCon, like all conferences, would have people coming and going all day. For that reason, you can expect organisers to oversell the venue slightly as everyone won’t be there at once. In this instance, everyone came at once and the organisers clearly went over the top in the overselling department. This is leaving attendees absolutely irate.
Current scenes pic.twitter.com/aC22MppCdA
— Craig Jocelyn (@CraigOJocelyn) March 18, 2017
How can I get a refund for my GamerCon ticket?
Imagine you’ve travelled for hours with children only to find out you couldn’t get into GamerCon. While irate you think you better sort out your refund. The GamerCon site is unlikely to cheer you up much:
There is another way to get your GamerCon tickets refunded. If you ordered your tickets through the GamerCon site, you have used Eventbrite. If you pop on over to the Eventbrite website, you’ll be able to open a “dispute” to reclaim your cash. This is also the case if you paid with PayPal. Some disappointed attendees are saying they’ve done both to speed up the process.
just requested my refund on @eventbrite @GamerCon_Europe …
— Carmine Calicchio (@freakypunker) March 18, 2017
There you have it. Day one has been a bit of a disaster. It’s actually been impossible to find any positive news coming from the event because of the havoc. Here’s hoping things pick up for day two.
