Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Walker.
Hi Nathan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Mission
KC Retro started as a Swap Meet for Collectibles and Retro Video Games. At its core, a grassroots movement to unite the collectors and sellers of the rare hard to find merchandise, and grow Kansas City’s retro gaming market. An event to keep the retro gaming culture alive, and at the same time mix in modern art and modern gaming. To bridge the gap between generations of gamers and collectors alike.
The goal was to develop a way to help our friends, the retro gamers of Kansas City, connect with one another. We hoped these swaps would help us find ways to sustain the pathways of local vending for valuable retro collectibles.
We want collecting in Kansas City as a place people can see a future. That they see their collection as an investment. An investment in joy and happiness, and an investment in financial value and independence. The reason many of us got into collecting was to recapture fond memories of playing video games with buds, watching old VHS tapes with your family, memories and feelings of nostalgia that stay with you and comfort you in hard times.
We have several shows under our belt, several small shows. Our beginnings, a small group of like-minded nerds in a parking lot at a KC retro video gaming landmark, A-game in Independence, Missouri. (Sadly, it is no longer in Missouri.) Before that, a field in Kansas.
March of 2021, kickstarted a series of parking lot swap events that have quickly grown to be well attended and fun retro video game, comic book, and toy swap meets. There were now places to trade, buy, and swap retro video games and collectibles in KC. These swaps were the testing grounds for our theory, that if there was a way to sell and market our games and collections to local collectors and gaming enthusiasts we could help our retro communities grow and keep the hobby alive and thriving.
The creators and team members who plan and operate the show aim to provide a space for fans of all ages who enjoy these multitudes of nerdiness to grow and connect.
The full weekend experience will include opportunities to dress in your favorite cosplay, finding that collectible or rare video game you remember playing as a kid, connecting with fellow collectors and friends, and finding your inner competitive side by competing in a video game tournament.
Come join the producers of the event and hundreds of video game players, collectors, and nerds alike as we take over Kansas City. Let’s build the community in KC and celebrate retro video games.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? No. But we have found a balance between entertainment and sales floor. Meaning we wanted to design an event that would allow for a day of activity for folks when they came to KC RETRO. Sales floor designed to be diverse yet still have what folks want to see and purchase, and entertainment designed to allow for more variety of activities to come and enjoy during the event.
Some other challenges included the fact that we have switched locations and grown the event into a convention hall space. Which means there’s a lot of risk involved in gauging our audience.
Starting grass roots means having the audience required for a successful event. The last thing we want is for a show to be designed for a large audience and then have attendance be lower than expected.
I think that was the result of our last event. We designed it for an audience that was larger than what we saw attend in this year’s financial economy.
But we are still excited to create more events down the road.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are an event planning team that brings retro video game and retro ascetic events to Kansas City and surrounding areas.
We are known for events with amazing retro games vendors, artists, comic book vendors, toys, and so much more. We also host fun tournaments and a live arcade free included in your GA ticket. We partner with hyper-local people and vendors to provide a great experience for those that attend.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
As a whole I think event planners and events here in KC are over saturated. We get a huge influx of regional and national shows that are outside of our local network. Which means the money generated from our local audience goes outside the local market and local business community.
A lot of our wealth goes directly towards corporate ran events and local business and local entrepreneurs lose.
I see a lot of businesses and events with potential to grow die or step on each other’s toes (I.e. booking shows the same day as another local event solely because they’re aren’t other options). For example there’s a card show every weekend in KC, and sometimes there are multiple shows on the same day.
We are suffocating our market and I see a major decline in the ability of shows to make a profit or a least be fiscally responsible.
Pricing:
- Day passes are close to $25 to $30 depending on event space
- Weekend passes around $40-$50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Kansascityretro.com
- Instagram: KC.retro
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kansascityretro
