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The international game days SPIEL in the Essen exhibition halls
Photo:
Friedhelm Merz Verlag
2020 was one of the best economically for many game publishers.
In particular, the big houses with classics and many well-known games in the program reported record sales during the lockdowns.
In its wake, sales for the entire industry grew by 21 percent.
Apparently, many players remained true to their hobby in the second Corona year despite alternative leisure opportunities. As announced by the Spieleverlage eV trade association, sales this year increased by a whopping 14 percent. In 2021 the industry should turn over 750 million euros. Sales of 60 to 70 million games and puzzles are targeted.
The world's largest trade fair for parlor games, the SPIEL International Game Days in Essen's exhibition halls, is particularly important for the international gaming scene.
The fair opens its doors from Thursday to Sunday.
After a year of forced Corona break, when the event was only held online as Spiel.digital, 600 exhibitors from over 40 nations will be presenting well over 1000 new games this year.
That’s fewer exhibitors than in 2019, when around twice as many were present, but still more than one could have expected at the beginning of the year.
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A sophisticated hygiene concept makes it possible. There are only personalized tickets that have to be pre-ordered online. The aisles between the stands are wider than before, and it is mandatory to wear a mask everywhere. The organizers have announced that they will allow a maximum of 30,000 visitors into the halls every day, although the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has no guidelines in this regard. In addition, the 3G rule applies to all exhibitors and visitors, including children from the age of six. This will probably not break the trade fair visitor record of 2019, when almost 210,000 people visited SPIEL, but at least one is on the right path towards normalcy.
A Spiel.digital will also take place parallel to the presence fair this year.
Also from Thursday, those interested can find out about the new games virtually - of course, free of charge, without registration or a hygiene concept.
In our photo series we present 10 promising new board game innovations from SPIEL:
