If you want to read about my experiences, you can do that right here:

• 2021 UKGE convention report
• 2022 UKGE convention report
• 2023 UKGE convention report

Is it really busy?

The first thing you need to know about is the crowds. The UKGE is busy. Crazy busy. In 2022 there were approximately 23,000 people there for the three days. In 2023 that grew to 31,000. What does that look like in real life?

That photo was taken at lunchtime on Saturday last year and is a view down from the top of the stairs into one of the three halls that the convention occupies. While you can get outside whenever you want, or spend time in the quieter Hall 3 where the open gaming area is, if you want to get around and see the stalls, demo some games, and do some shopping, you’ll have to contend with a lot of people around you.

For some people that’s a deal-breaker, and I absolutely understand. There are times when I’m desperate for a bit of peace and quiet, and I love the hustle and bustle, so if it’s outside your comfort zone, it can definitely feel like too much.

If you’re apprehensive about the crowds but still want to experience it, my best advice is to turn up at least an hour after the doors open, so from 10am onwards. Before that there will be literally thousands of people queueing outside the main doors for each hall. It’s also quieter towards the end of the day, after 3pm.

What can I actually do there?

Buying games

UKGE is definitely tailored towards people who want to go and spend some money. There’s generally nothing there that you couldn’t buy online any other time, but there’s something special about doing it in person. Staring at the shelves of games, picking them up, looking for bargains or something a bit different.

Some people go with the bring-and-buy in mind, an area where you can check your used games in to sell them and to browse and buy the games that other people have brought to sell. You can get some real bargains in there, for sure, but I wouldn’t recommend going just for the bring-and-buy. There’s so much more to do.

Playing games

We go to the UKGE because we love playing games, so it makes sense that you can actually play games while you’re there. There’s a huge open gaming area which takes up most of Hall 3. It’s made up of rows upon rows of tables and chairs where you can just sit down and start playing something. Maybe a game you brought with, maybe something you’ve bought at the show, or maybe a game you borrowed from the well-stocked library that’s there.

For people like me who don’t get to go to too many conventions each year, it’s a great chance to catch up with old friends, many of whom I only know because I met them at previous conventions. Being able to sit down and play something together is great, and the seating and relative quiet of open gaming is a blessing at times.

There are also plenty of games being demonstrated on the show floor. At any given moment you shouldn’t have to walk more than 30ft to find someone wanting to show you their new game. I really encourage you to do it too, you’ll meet some wonderful people and discover games you otherwise never would.

Events

You can sign up for a ton of different events at the show. From tournaments for games like Lorcana and Catan, through to workshops on how to create and run an RPG. There are live podcast recordings, megagames, nerdy music performances, celebrities, and talks. You can sign up to take part in RPGs, paint a miniature and take it home with you, or even learn how to fight with a light saber. There is a plethora of different things to organise and have on your schedule before you even go. Take a look at the UKGE Events page and see if something grabs your fancy.

Things I wish I’d known before I went for the first time

Forewarned is forearemed, so here are my top tips for your first visit to UKGE.

• Take good shoes! If you aren’t in a wheelchair or small enough to be carried by someone else, you will spend a lot of time on your feet. The halls of the NEC are huge, as is the walk in from the car park. Most days I struggle to do the recommended 10,000 steps per day. My average steps on a day at the UKGE is +22,000. Make sure you have comfy, supportive footwear. Your feet will thank you.
• Food and drink. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to finding something to eat and drink in the NEC, but it’s not cheap, and around mealtimes the stalls and shops can get very busy. My advice is to go armed with a decent size water bottle, which you can refill from the free water stations around the building. It’s a hot, busy, air-conditioned building, and it’s easy to get dehydrated if you’re too caught up in games. If you don’t want to spend a small fortune on lunch, take some sandwiches or a packed lunch.
• Shop and drop. My first stop every year when the show opens is the Shop and drop booth. For £3 you get a ticket and a cardboard box in the back of the booth. As you shop during the day, you can drop off any purchases in your allocated box, and take them whenever you want. They have to be collected before the end of the day, but as long as you remember that then there’s no reason for you to be lugging boxes around all day. Buy your games, drop them off at your box, and then go and get them at the end of the day.
• Be conscientious and kind. This is a huge one for me. There are a lot of people at the show, and in some areas things are really cramped. If you take a huge backpack and you’re wearing it, remember when you turn 90 degrees to look at a stall, you’re spinning a battering ram. I’ve seen kids and wheelchair users hit in the face by careless bags. Everyone is excited, everyone wants to see everything, just remember the other humans around you so that they can enjoy it too.

Over to you

Are you a frequent convention visitor? Do you go to UKGE. What are your top tips to make your visit a great one?

If you’ve got any questions at all, please drop a comment and I’ll answer.

The post So you’re going to the UK Games Expo and don’t know what to expect? appeared first on Punchboard.

Enjoy.

Jump to:

The Expo Review

My time at UKGE

UKGE: The Convention

I suspected this year would be a big one, and I was right. Unique attendees went up to 32K this year from 25K last year. That’s an insane number of people, all descending on three halls to buy, sell, talk about, and play games. If it sounds like that number of people would make things very busy, then you’re right. At times certain areas of the halls were absolutely rammed with people. I’m thinking of places like the main thoroughfare between halls one and two, just past the top of the stairs. A combination of a lot of people, retailers with a lot of browsers taking up aisle space, and people walking around with enormous board game backpacks didn’t help.

Seriously folks, If you’re wearing one of these, remember that when you turn side-on to traffic to dig through bargains, you turn into a heavy, swinging saloon door. For the second year in a row, I saw a kid obliterated by a bag. Not good times for them.

Other than those minor gripes, the rest of the show was pretty awesome. There was such a good buzz around the place all of the time, right from the time the doors opened at 9am on Friday. I visited my friend at the Ravensburger stand and asked about the big queue that had already formed, only to find out it was for Lorcana, the new Disney CCG. Mark my words, Lorcana is going to be HUGE. To put that statement into context, I understand that the queue was hours long at times, and this was a queue just to play the game. You couldn’t buy it, it hasn’t been released yet. Disney, in true Disney fashion, is going to make an absolute killing with Lorcana.

Welcoming

One of the things I love to see at board game conventions is how welcoming a hobby it is. UKGE, despite its size, still manages to keep that feeling alive. I saw people of all ages, genders, races, and abilities all over the halls the entire time, and all having a good time. People in wheelchairs were given space to move through the aisles, even when it was crowded.

My favourite moment from the weekend was on the first morning of the expo. I stayed near the airport, which is a short monorail ride away, followed by a walk over the concourse between the railway station and the NEC. For the whole of my journey, I was surrounded by people from all walks of life who were chatting and visibly excited. Seeing grown men dressed in all manner of geeky clothes as excited as kids on Christmas morning was a timely reminder of just how important events like these are. Opportunities to be this way dwindle as the years go by when we become responsible adults. Being able to relax, let down your receding hairline, and just be yourself is heaven-sent.

I was especially pleased to see this on the display boards on the walk over from the train station. It’s exactly the sort of message we should all support. Well done, NEC.

The expected…

All of the things the UKGE is known for were present. The Bring and Buy was huge again, and so were the queues, both to check games in and to get in and browse. I know some people go to conventions especially for the bring and buys, and that’s great, just make sure you take the time to see the rest of the show.

The open gaming area was kitted out in its usual yellow livery courtesy of Game Toppers play mats, and once again there was plenty of space to just sit and play games, whether that’s with old friends or new ones. I like the way the food trucks are in the corner of hall three, where open gaming is. It means you can grab a bite to eat and a drink while you take some respite from the craziness of the main show floor. One word of advice I’d give to everyone attending is to make sure you take a water bottle with you. It gets very hot in there, and the NEC has free refill stations. Just don’t be a dummy and leave your bottle – which you brought especially – in your car in the car park. I’d hate to be that person, right?

There was a huge range of vendors, from the wall-of-games retailers like Chaos Cards, Games Lore, Firestorm Cards, and others, right down to the one-man bands making jewellery and accessories. As tempting as it is to just blow all your money on the latest hotness, I urge you to walk around and look. Really look. Talk to the people behind their stands, because there’s some great stuff waiting to be discovered. I found a stand selling prints of gorgeous hand-drawn anime-inspired posters which made for a great gift for my son.

UKGE runs tons of events during the days and evenings, but I can’t really comment on them, as I don’t go to them. My time is divided between meetings with publishers, catching up with friends, and playing games. I only wish I had more of it.

…and the unexpected

I was caught by surprise by a few things this year. Firstly by Dungeons & Dragons, who I don’t even remember having a presence before. They had a huge area with really impressive displays and umpteen tables where people could have taster sessions in the RPG phenomenon. I didn’t play myself, but I spoke to others who did, and the feedback was really positive. Friendly, welcoming DMs who knew their audience and helped make RPGs more accessible for newcomers. Kudos, D&D.

Another thing that not only surprised me but also sent waves of nostalgia crashing over me, was Tomy’s stand. We had a Screwball Scramble game when I was a kid, and Tomy were running a Screwball Scramble championship over the weekend.

The biggest surprise of all was one particular serendipitous moment. I was meeting with Mighty Boards, talking about one of their games. The designer of that game just happened to be sitting next to us. While we were talking, somebody I work with – who had made the trip to Birmingham without me knowing – walked past and said hello. The designer of the game who had flown in from Malta, who was sitting next to us, just happened to be an old friend of my work colleague, and they used to work together!

It’s a small world indeed.

My UK Games Expo

It was another whirlwind for me. After picking-up Paul (Grogan, of Gaming Rules!) from his house on the way, I got to my hotel late in the afternoon, and barely had time for a quick freshen-up before I was out the door again. Thursday evenings at UKGE are when the Press get a preview show, when we can go in and talk to the various publishers and designers before the madness of the convention starts the following morning. It was great to catch up with people I hadn’t seen for a year, including Joe and Maddie from Cogito Ergo Meeple, whose Solar 175 I covered here some time back. The rest of the night involved a few overpriced beers and some games with my friends from the Gaming Rules! Slack server, also joined by Branislav and his friend, from the Nithrania Youtube channel.

Friday for me was a mixture of meetings and browsing. I met up with Pandasaurus who were back at the Expo after a long Hiatus, Mighty Boards, Dave from Paverson Games (I covered their game, Distilled, here), Wise Wizard Games, and finally I met with OIa again, from Board&Dice. I really enjoy these meetings. Sometimes it’s just good to put a name to a face, and other times you learn things about really exciting projects and games for the coming year or two. If you run a board game channel, podcast, or blog, I highly recommend making these meetings. It gives you some really valuable insight into the other side of the industry.

I was pretty restrained when it came to shopping this year. I’m lucky in that I got to take a few review copies of games home with me, but even so, I’d normally spend whatever money I take with me. This time though, I didn’t. I treated myself to a copy of Pax Pamir 2nd Edition (I was hoping to bump into Cole Wehrle, the designer, but missed him) and a copy of Next Station: London, but that’s it. I know – check me out. The very model of restraint.

Look mum, I’m famous

On a personal level, I’m very proud of the fact I had a pitch for an article in the expo’s programme accepted, and it was great to see it in print at the show. If you went, and if you have a copy of the programme, you can turn to pages 24 & 25 to read my piece about worker-placement in games.

I’m not a fan of people with egos, or show-offs, but in the same breath, I’m told that there’s nothing wrong in having pride in something you’ve made. Here’s the something I made.

Thank yous

Massive thanks to so many people who make the UKGE what it is. From all of the staff at the NEC, the organisers and volunteers of UKGE itself, through to the friendly staff at the hotel. This is especially true of the people who helped make memories with me. Paul for the company in the car on the way up and the game on Saturday evening. My new friends Branislav and Peter from Slovakia. J P, Becky and the rest of the crew from Who’s Turn Is It Anyway podcast (go listen to it, it’s good, I promise). A very special thanks to my extended Gaming Rules! Slack family – John, John, Mak, Peter, Clare, Ben, Jonny, Graham, Leanne, Mark, and the ever-shy-and-retiring Jill. If I missed you on the list, it’s nothing personal, I just have a memory like a sieve.

I’ll see you all next year, if not before at Gridcon in November.

The post UK Games Expo 2023 – Convention Report appeared first on Punchboard.

Don’t worry, I’m not suddenly a masochist, it’s just the fallout after a wonderful trip away to the UK Games Expo. If you’re wondering what the UKGE is, it’s a huge show at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, devoted to tabletop games of all kinds. Set over three days and three huge halls, it’s something you have to experience for yourself, but I’ll do my best to let you know how it was from my point of view.

Thursday – travel and the Press Preview

Armed with too many games, I set off on the 4.5 hour drive on Thursday morning, making a small detour in Devon to pick up my friend, and the man behind Gaming Rules!, Paul Grogan. As good as Spotify and Audible are, there’s no substitute for games conversation, so the remaining hours flew by, and I found myself at my base of operations, the Premier Inn on-site.

Forewarned is forearmed, so this year I made sure I have comfy shoes, plenty of spare clothes, and painkillers! If you’re like me and want to see and do everything, be prepared to put in a lot of miles on your feet. My phone reckons I clocked up over 38,000 steps over the two days total I spent on the show floor. My feet think it was twice that, and the hotel shower got used a lot. The NEC is huge.

On the Thursday evening before each UKGE, they put on a Press Preview event, where media folks like yours truly can meet the exhibitors and get a sneak peek at what’s going to be on show. It was much busier than last year’s, understandably, and it was great to catch up with old friends, and meet some I’ve never met before. I chatted to Ayden on the Dranda Games table and had a look at their two new games – Isle of Trains and Pioneer Rails. Both look great, and I’ll have a preview written for the former, soon.

It was great to meet Tom of Trolls ‘n’ Rerolls, the folks behind Amulet of Thrayax, Andy of Savania Games, who made a storming success of his game Cosmic Voyage, Chris from Unfringed who created Zuuli, and the guys behind The Old King’s Crown, which I look forward to covering later in the year. I saw so many interesting new games, talked to loads of people, and then sat down to play some games with my friends from the Gaming Rules! community, including the excellent Gutenberg (review coming soon).

Friday – many meetings, many miles

Friday is the first day that the UKGE is open to the public, so after making the most of the Premier Inn buffet breakfast (one of my favourite things) I took a wander down to the halls and was greeted by a sea of fellow games enthusiasts. The whole of the concourse around halls 1, 2, and 3 were absolutely heaving with people. It’s safe to say people were ready for a proper convention.

Friday consisted of a lot of meetings. Many of the publishers exhibiting at the show send out emails to the registered Press, inviting them to book meetings. I did exactly that, and spent the majority of the day pinging around the halls like a ball bearing in a Pachinko machine, meeting people from different publishers. The highlights for me were:

• Floodgate Games. I had a great chat with Ian, and we talked a lot about their recent hit, Decorum, which looks great. Co-op, hidden information house decorating.
• Asmodee. I was lucky enough to grab some time with Asmodee’s PR company, where we chatted about all things board game in the UK, and got introduced to a series of family games from a new designer. More on that in the not-too-distant future.
• Portal Games. I took the monorail out to a hotel near the airport to meet with Joanna from Portal, who, on seeing how hot and tired I was, bought me a pint! Thanks Joanna! We spent an hour playing Eleven, their new mixture of football manager and mid-heavy euro. I really liked this one, I hope I get a chance to share a review soon.
• Board&Dice. Board&Dice are one of my favourite publishers, so it was so lovely to finally meet Ola in person, after talking by email for so long. I took a look at two new games, Terracotta Army, and Power Core: Call of Cthulhu. I’ve not got too much to say about them yet, other than Terracotta Army looks very at home in the same stable as the T-series of games like Tawantinsuyu, and that Power Core will almost certainly be a hit with duelling card game fans,
• Lucky Duck Games. I’ve chatted to Bree from Lucky Duck plenty in the past, so meeting face-to-face was great. We had a look at their upcoming Sherlock game, which ties in with the BBC series. I was really pleased to see that they’re also now selling the X-Trayz board game organisers, from GameTrayz. GameTrayz make seriously good inserts for games like PARKS and Euphoria, and these little holders are just as good.

Finally, I sat down and played a demo game of Old London Bridge, from Queen Games. I hope to be able to review this one before too long, because it fills a nice niche. It’s fast enough and easy enough to learn to be considered ‘filler’, but it’s got so much more game in it than most fillers. I really enjoyed it.

I was really pleased to bump into another Andy too, this time from Cloudrunner Games, the studio behind Book Of Skulls – Slayers Of Eragoth, a game I recently previewed. We had a good chat and he bought me another beer! You might be noticing a trend here…

After that, the evening was mine. I found some friends and sat down with games like Long Shot: The Dice Game, Yogi, Moonrakers, and then a really good game of Iki too. The siren’s call of sleep was too strong though, so I sloped off back to the hotel to let my aching feet rest, and have a hot shower to wash the day’s grime away.

Saturday – catching-up, spending money, heading home

I wanted to get home by Saturday night, so as to have a day of normality at home before getting back to work on Monday. On Saturday morning I headed for my last two meetings of the show. The first was with Simon at Dranda Games. We talked more about the design of their two new train games (mentioned above), and both are honestly looking great. Both Kickstarters will launch before the year is out.

After that, I headed over to the CGE stand to meet with Eleni. As well as content creation for CGE, she’s also the face of Cardboard Rhino, a great YouTube channel that you ought to check out. We talked about lots of things, and she showed me Starship Captains, a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi game that owes a lot to Star Trek. I think it’s going to be a big hit. You heard it here first.

Then there was just time left to spend the rest of my spending money, and catch up with a few people I hadn’t been able to. It’s always great to see Ellie from The Dark Imp, and while I sat and chatted to her in the Playtest Zone, I was able to say hello to one of my favourite designers, Matt Dunstan. He has a hand in so many games at the moment, it’s impossible to ignore his contribution. If you want to see what I mean, head to the home of Postmark Games and spend a couple of quid on their game, Voyages. A cracking print-at-home, roll-and-write that he and Rory Muldoon created.

Finally, it was time for a last coffee with friends, before hitting the road for the four-and-a-half hour drive home.

The wrap-up

I’m home now, and already missing being at the convention. Spending three days on a constant high of being surrounded by board game love, leads to a serious comedown. Is it busy? Yes. Is it tiring? Very. Is it expensive? Probably, depending on where you stay and how much you buy. The most important question, however, should be “Is it worth it?”, and the answer is a resounding yes.

People from every demographic you can imagine are everywhere. It doesn’t matter what your gender, ability, age, race, religion is – everyone is welcome and included. Everywhere you looked, people were smiling and laughing, and just enjoying being back around people with the same interests. I saw older people catching up after years apart, families with very young children playing together, and everything in-between. It was wonderful.

It is busy, it is noisy, and it is overwhelming if you’ve never been to anything like it. But for those willing to step outside of their comfort zone, the rewards can be enormous. I’ve read loads of posts from people who attended for one day as a test, who are adamant they want to go back for the full three days. Universally it seems, people felt happy, welcomed, supported where needed, and safe.

The next UK Games Expo is from Friday 2nd June until Sunday 4th June 2023. I hope I’ll see you there.

Thanks

I want to thank everyone who took the time to meet me and talk to me. I want to thank the designers and publishers I’ve worked with over the last couple of years, for their support, friendship, and kind words. It’s been a pleasure watching people come from prototype to successful final game, and having them tell you that you helped that happen, is very moving.

I especially want to thank Paul for his company on the drive, and the friends I was able to play and talk with. In no particular order, thank you Mark P, Bob, Jill, Peter, Leanne, Neil, Gavin, Hilmar, Mark C, and all the people I’ve undoubtedly forgotten (I’m really tired!).

This hobby, and the people in it, are fricking awesome.

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