Insomnia Gaming Festival #i72
Hi folks, well that’s a wrap! I am buzzing to say that Frame-A-Game just featured at its first exhibition event over the weekend at the NEC, Birmingham, and I thought why not share about my time at Insomnia Gaming Festival #i72.
For those of you that don’t know, Insomnia Gaming Festival focuses on bringing the gamer community together for a weekend to celebrate everything that we love about video games and popular culture. Which is a perfect fit for the Frame-A-Game brand. 😎
The reason why Frame-A-Game exists is because as gamer myself, I wanted to showcase my love of gaming at home in a way that was personal. I couldn’t find anything out there that gave an elegant and classy look, so I decided to design and create my own niche and unique framed games, which enabled me to establish a gap in the market.
I’ve been so excited to exhibit Frame-A-Game in person, as I believe gaming is an art and I believe you should show off the art you treasure the most. So I felt this was the perfect platform for my first event to be able to showcase my distinctive made-to-order products, talk with fellow gamers about their favourite games and build new relationships with creators and developers.
Day 1: Friday 29 March.
The day has finally arrived. As Miss Frames and I walked from our hotel to Insomnia, I had mixed feelings about what was to come, I was both excited to show off my company and share my passion to a new audience but also nervous as I’ve never put my business under a spotlight where I could receive feedback in real time.
Now looking back, I don’t even know why I was feeling nervous, as within the first 20 minutes I made my first sale. Thank you to whoever you are, you honestly put a huge smile on my face and made me feel completely at ease. This sale was quickly followed by two more, including a fellow exhibitor from another stand who came over to purchase the only Gears Of War trilogy frame I had bought with me.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day, speaking to so many people, raising brand awareness and explaining how I started my business a couple of years ago. It was lovely to hear directly from the public and how they were excited to see my frames as they had never seen anything like this before. The amount of people complimenting my original idea and never seeing it before really hit home how unique my product is.
Even though the show had a lot going on, I am grateful to those familiar and new faces who I interactive with on Twitter who stopped by the stand to talk including (but not limited to) @ts_villa, @DonPedroX and @miabyte.
I never take any interaction for granted and I know I wouldn’t be here without this amazing community. And if you’ve been following me for a while you know that I like to give back to the community, and so I gladly donated a couple of frames to @GodivaGuideDogs and @BritArmyesports. I hope the winners love their new framed games.
By the end of the day, I decided that the stand needed a little revamp. Constantly innovating, even at events. So Miss Frames and I got to work.
Day 2: Saturday 30 March.
Feeling refreshed Miss Frames and I headed to the stand and I instantly loved how impactful it was just by rearranging some of the frames.
We were told that Saturday was going to be the busiest day with visitors, so to keep the day interesting Miss Frames and I had a friendly competition to see who could get the most sales. I hate to admit it, but she won hands down, no recounts needed 👏🏼 the only thing I will say, is that I was having more in-depth conversations with potential clients 😉
The day itself seemed to zoom by as we spoke to a lot of people from all age ranges. A lot of comments where from people who had seen the frames on display and said how it brought back nostalgia and memories they had from their childhood, and what a fantastic idea my business was. It was also amazing to hear people recognise my brand and say they’ve seen me on TikTok, YouTube etc. and think the idea is “sick” - these youngsters and their slang!
By the end of day 2, Miss Frames and I was all talked out, and headed for a quiet dinner and a cheeky beer or two at the hotel.
Day 3: Sunday 31 March.
The final day and to end the weekend on a high and not wanting to take frames home (as I have no space 😂), I decided to run a 15% sale on the frames I had left! The morning in the MarketPlace was slightly quieter than the day before, but it was expected and needed, as Miss Frames and I had started to lose our voices. By lunch time it had picked up, and we were back to it.
6pm brought the announcement that the event was over and it was time to say goodbye to the other exhibitors I had talked to across the three days and our lovely friendly neighbours @justmattysprints
Miss Frames and I packed the van and we headed home - ngl, it was a LOOOOONG 2 hours from Birmingham back to Southampton and the weather wasn’t on our side as it appeared we entered a storm as we approached home. Grabbing things out of the van when it’s pissing down with rain wasn’t ideal but we got to it and everything was eventually safe and sound in the small one-bedroom flat. Woeful trip home aside, now the fun begins of fulfilling orders and further building on the connections I’ve made!
Finally now sat with a glass of wine, I’m reflecting the weekend and I just want to say how appreciative I am to everyone who stopped by the Frame-A-Game stand over the last three days. Whether it was to learn more about the company, to buy their own frame to take home or simple just to chat. It was honestly a pleasure to meet each and every one of you, and it makes me incredibly proud that I can share my love of gaming with you all.
Until the next one 🫡