GameCon Warsaw: from a community meetup to $7M in direct ticket sales

A gaming convention grew 970% over four years by selling every ticket on its own domain and bringing the crowd back with its app.

Direct ticket sales: $7M
Growth over four years: +970%
Sold-out days: 11

Illustrative example. This story shows how Expola is used and what it reports back to an organizer. The organization, the figures and the quote are composed for demonstration and are not those of a named customer.

Shoppers browsing a stand at a fan convention

Photo: Ashley Levinson / Unsplash

The challenge

GameCon started as a weekend meetup and outgrew every tool it adopted. Ticket demand crashed marketplace checkouts on release days, the exhibitor floor was managed in a shared document, and the organizers had no way to reach previous attendees except social media.

What changed

Ticket releases moved onto Expola with timed waves, a waitlist and a checkout built for spikes. The branded app became the convention's schedule, map and loyalty program, with points for check-ins and referrals. Exhibitors book on the floor plan, and badge scanning at the gates feeds a live occupancy view for the safety team.

“Expola gives organizers superpowers. We've done millions in direct ticket sales on the platform.”
Kasia Nowak, Co-founder, Pixel Fairs

The results

Over five editions on Expola the convention has sold $7M in tickets directly, growing 970% from its first edition on the platform. Eleven show days have sold out, and app users are twice as likely to buy the following year's ticket in the first release wave.

“Repeat attendance used to be our weak spot. Now last year's crowd is our cheapest ticket sold next year.”

Kasia Nowak, Co-founder, Pixel Fairs

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