The recently concluded PAX Prime 2010 was the largest ever Penny Arcade Expo, registering a total of 67,600 attendees. The record from last year of 60,750 was broken in part because the show's exhibit hall area at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center was expanded, with main theater presentations moved off-site.
When asked about moving various presentations to Benaroya Hall in order to open up more exhibit space, Penny Arcade's business head Robert Khoo said to Big Download, "It was definitely a logistical challenge, as that venue wasn't built for events like ours. No matter how hard you look at floor plans or how many dry-runs you do, there's nothing that will replicate the actual day-of experience. There were a few hiccups here and there, but by Saturday we felt that the methods we used were key for 2011. From the attendee side, there were pre-show grumblings that the fixed seats would hurt the concert experience, but based on post-show feedback the acoustics and ambiance to the Benaroya outweighed those cons by a longshot."
When asked if PAX Prime is looking to expand, Khoo responded, "We're always looking to see what can work, but I personally feel we're closing in on our limit to the show in regard to physical space. There are a few more venues we're looking at, but at the end of the day we just want to improve the PAX experience in any way we can. If it helps, we'll consider it. If it hurts, we won't."
