Hey, so, uh … if you haven’t booked a hotel for PAX Aus in October yet, now might be a good time to do that.
Why, you ask? Well, having only recently hosted one international pop sensation on a world tour, Australia is about to host another. Viral pop star Olivia Rodrigo is heading to Melbourne in October on the Australian leg of her Guts tour. She’s playing two nights at Rod Laver Arena in October, the first on the 9th and the second on the 11th.
For those playing along at home, this is smack-bang in the middle of Melbourne International Games Week. Indeed, the night of Rodrigo’s first concert falls on the final day of the annual developer conference GCAP and the evening of the Australian Game Developers Awards. Her second concert falls on Day 1 of PAX Aus 2024. Thankfully, PAX and Rodrigo’s concerts are held in very different precincts, which should limit foot traffic. However, it will mean that competition for a place to stay might be about to get a bit punchy.
Melbourne International Games Week is no stranger to competing for hotels. For the first several years of PAX Aus’ life, the show was held right up against Melbourne’s Spring Carnival. This created both a real clash of personality types and a dire shortage of hotel rooms every year. The whole week moved to avoid this exact scenario, and yet here we are again.
Good luck, hotel hunters. May Olivia Rodrigo not make hotels in Melbourne a challenge come October. Last year, it was possible that train strikes threatened to derail the show (no pun intended). This year, it’s pop stars.
If there’s one thing Games Week attendees can agree on, it’s this: we’ve dealt with worse. We can deal with this too, I’m sure. But it’s always good to be prepared.
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