Nearly 1,000 exhibitors from over 50 countries will be presenting their new games to a broad audience, with attendees invited to try them out at the Spiel Essen show.
The gates of the Essen exhibition centre will open between 5th-8th October, when Spiel Essen returns for its 40th iteration.
Offering more than 60,000 m² of exhibition space in six halls, the event is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and the fair’s organiser Friedhelm Merz Verlag – a subsidiary of Spielwarenmesse eG – is planning a number of new innovations.
Seasoned Spiel visitors will notice that games and publishers are now allocated to different halls according to subject category. While role-playing, trading card games and miniature games are accommodated in Hall 1, games for connoisseurs and experts can be found in Hall 3. In Halls 2, 4, 5 and 6, family games – from simple children’s games to more complex games for experienced players – will be waiting to be tried out. In Hall 6, at the re-designed main entrance to the fair, visitors will be welcomed by industry giants such as Amigo, Asmodee, Days of Wonder, Ravensburger and Schmidt-Spiele.
Across the four days of Spiel, over 1,500 new products will be on display. The winners of ‘innoSpiel’ will be announced, as well as the winners of the German Games Prize – awarded one day before the start of the fair.
Carol Rapp, managing director of Merz Verlag, commented: “We have such a broad range to offer – there is something for every games fan.”
The full lists of exhibitors is available on the Spiel website and in the official app, which have both been updated. The extended and improved app is available to download now; key features include interactive hall plans with indoor navigation and a full overview of the programme.
On Thursday from 11.30 am onwards, the Rheinland Hall will host presentations, discussion forums and panels comprising German and international guests, on the topic of ‘The changing world of board games – 40 years of Spiel’. Entry is free of charge. All contributions will be streamed by the Friedhelm Merz Verlag on its YouTube channel.
On the Friday, the popular Educators’ Day takes place, offering lively demonstrations of how board games can be deployed in teaching. On the Saturday, it’s time to ‘Meet your favourite content creators’. Between 2-6pm, a large number of YouTubers, bloggers and podcasters from the gaming scene will be in the Europa Hall, ready to take part in discussions of various kinds.
The organiser is expecting some 180,000 board game fans to attend over the course of the fair. Day tickets and full tickets are available from the online shop. Spiel is open from 10am to 7pm Thursday to Saturday, and until 6 pm on the Sunday.
“We are looking forward to four exciting days, which for games fans all over the world are an absolute highlight on the gaming calendar,” says Florian Hess, board member at Spielwarenmesse eG and managing director of Merz Verlag. “Only in Essen can they try out all the new ideas to their heart’s content.”
