I clicked on the game mechanisms and I found...
If you're at Gencon, an Area Control game means controlling the odors and smells in your game area.
Here's the BGG definition of Area Control / Area Influence:
Area Control mechanic typically awards control of an area to the player that has the majority of units or influence in that area. As such, it can be viewed as a sub-category of Auction/Bidding in that players can up their "bids" for specific areas through the placement of units or meeples. InEl Grande, for instance, players earn their score in a region by having the most caballeros in that region.