As the world’s largest trade fair for board games, the “Spiel” in Essen is a major attraction for international and German visitors. From October 14th to 17th, the fair took place in Essen for the first time even during Corona-pandemie.
After a long Corona break, the game fair in Essen is coming back onto the boards of the world: 600 exhibitors from 43 nations are showing more than 1,000 new products from October 14th to 17th.
It is the tables that make the exibition a special fair. Different people come together and play the games together. Whether young couples, families or board game experts, they have one thing in common: the fun of throwing the dice, laying cards and moving game figurs.
Under Corona requirements – 3G and full masking requirements, manufacturers can present their latest games and visitors can try them directly. Up to 30,000 people are expected every day. “It feels so nice that it makes you cry sometimes,” says Dominique Metzler, organizer of SPIEL ’21. “People associate so much emotion with their hobby and are so happy to be here again now.”
All of our employees were at the fair and tried out a lot of games (not just children’s games). We were really happy when it became clear that SPIEL ’21 would again take place as usual in the exhibition halls in Essen.
An event with real people at real gaming tables, game material you can touch, holding real game boxes in your hand and having great conversations with like-minded people, that’s something completely different. In consideration of special circumstances, the SPIEL ’21 was very well received by the exhibitors and visitors.
These are some impressions of the fair captured in photos. Unfortunately, we had to wear the masks all the time. But under the mask we smiled a lot because we were all looking forward to a better future.
Nobody can yet estimate what the trade fair will look like in 2022 and whether or how the pandemic-related restrictions will have an impact by then. At the moment everyone is assuming that there will be a physical fair again next year.
And there is already a date: SPIEL’22 will take place from October 6th – October 9th, 2022 in the halls of Messe Essen.
Will we see you at SPIEL’22?