The generally congested Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the show were joined by a noticeably busier Sunday this year after Spiel made the decision to get rid of four-day tickets - reasoning that many people were buying the whole-show pass but skipping out on the final day.
The record could finally fall this year after Spiel made the decision to expand into a seventh vast hall at the Messe Essen exhibition centre, boosting the show floor to 77,500 sq m - up 13% year-on-year, and almost 30% compared to 2023.
Spiel Essen, the world’s biggest board game fair, is set for another record-breaking year after a surge of interest saw it completely sell out its floor space for exhibitors - despite a big expansion in available capacity this year.
Spiel Essen, the world's biggest board game fair, has stopped using AI generated images to market the event, citing criticism from industry professionals and consumers about last year's campaign and ongoing uncertainties about the legality of the technology.
Carol Rapp, a long-time Asmodee and Kosmos senior marketing executive, only joined the Essen Spiel team in November last year - and quickly found herself in charge of managing its biggest event yet.
