So last Wednesday we had the early Expo planning meeting, where we plan
what we’re up to this year and what we’re up to next year, I’ve had a few
things on in the last week, so I haven’t had chance to write it all up, and
given what we’re up to, it’d be a shame not to let everyone in on it.
This year is going to be the last year that we’re only in the one
venue, we’ve grown too much in the last few years to be able to accommodate all
the trade enquiries that we’re getting, and if we turn over all the space to
trade, we won’t have space for all the things that make the Expo, the Expo...
And that would never do...
The only way that Expo gets better is by listening to the comments we
get from everyone, both good and bad. One
of the major problems that we had last year was the food, not only the fact
that people had to wait for the food, but also that there was so much food
needed that the Subway in the NEC ran out
of food halfway through Saturday, even with all the other depots bringing all
their food in, so we’ve put additional food on this time, including food vans
outside where reasonable priced food will be available at all times with more types
of food available than any year previous.
The other thing is that we’ve got more of everything this year, from
RPG’s to boardgames and tournaments, we’re running four trade halls and we’re
opening for three days, making it the biggest convention to hit these shores in
some years, so much so that we’ve had to build more space outside the Hilton to
accommodate all the new things that we’re doing.
And that brings us to next year...
Well, to put it in perspective...
For those who don’t recognise it, this is the NEC, Hall one, which we’re
planning on making into the main trade hall whilst still keeping hold of the
Hilton to use for the tournaments and organised play. It’s difficult to tell
the size of things from pictures sometimes, so I’ll put it in perspective by
saying that the entire of the current
Expo can fit in there and have space left over for spectators, so you can
understand just how much of a move upwards we’re planning in terms of space.
I can’t talk about the guests we’re getting at Expo this year yet, not
until we’ve got them flights sorted and appearances confirmed, but one of them
has been the driving force behind a whole lot of award winning board games, and
another has been at the forefront of promoting gaming in general for a good
number of years (I really wish I could say who at the moment, but we’ll have to
come to that in a short while...), with a number of others just waiting to be
confirmed...
So that’s the short update, there’s going to be more coming soon
including details of what we’re looking for in the years to come and where we’re
going to be taking it...