Essen Spiel 2024 Review
by Ian. Thu, 10 Oct (Updated at Thu, 10 Oct)Well, it’s not really a review and more a rambling of words from me about what I thought about our whole trip.
I went to Essen several years ago and that trip was done by going on the plane to Dusseldorf and then a train to Essen. A few of us all stayed in the same hotel which was the “Hotel Ibis Essen”. Myself and Andy W stayed an extra day on either side to “take in the sights”.
From what I remember we had a great laugh playing a few games in the hotel after the event. The sightseeing was very limited as Essen is a very industrial town. Overall it was tiring but a great experience.
So when the opportunity arose to do this again in 2024 I was more than happy to do so.
This year we decided to do a few things differently.
Day 1
An early start (5:30) with Paul picking up me and Anthony from MK. Yes this year Paul is driving us there and we are doing a road trip and meeting up with Dan and Ces at Maidstone Services.
By Mid morning we were at Le Chunnel ready to depart.
The experience of going on Le Chunnel was very positive. Quickly and efficiently through controls and on the train. We were in France by early afternoon.
Back on the road and heading to our first stop which is Gent in Belgium.
This was the next major change. Instead of going straight to Germany, we decided to break the journey up. I know Gent quite well and I am glad we stopped off here. This is a great place to have a variety of beers and food.
After a few beers and a very hearty Flemish beef stew, it was an early-to-bed rise the next day.
Day 2
We are off to another early start as we are heading straight to Essen. We were scheduled to get in about 10 am and aimed to get to one of the car parks nearby. They are generally labelled P6, P7 ..etc.
The only one that had space when we arrived was P10 which was on the outskirts of Essen and we had to get a Shuttlebus in. This was well run and easy to follow however it did mean the trip back when fully laden was a bit awkward. It also meant we could not drop off games nearby.
So into the Messe Essen we go and my god was it busy. We did not know this at the time but Thursday was a public holiday in Germany and it seemed everyone decided to spend their vacation at Spiel !.
Great for the community but it was very warm and crowded in one of the main halls (Hall 3).
We soon noticed some stalls selling out already of releases so Day 1 of Essen was essentially a busy run around the stalls with new releases. This meant carting bags of games around with us which was no fun. So an early-ish finish with a view to getting to our hotel and playing some games.
Shuttle bus back to P10 and then drive to our hotel.
Essen hotel prices are through the roof. This time we stayed in Ibis Budget in Duisburg. This was probably the biggest negative of the trip this year.
The hotel was very budget-friendly with no space to play games (you could use a breakfast-style area until 10 pm). The hotel also was very basic in its room. Tiny shower and toilet which could have come from an aeroplane. The local options for eating were also very limited.
Day 3.
Another early start.
After a tip-off from Elsa we headed to the P9 parking early doors and then to a Café for a drink. This was a great idea as P9 is within walking distance from the convention centre.
The cafés were busy, as expected, but we found a place.
This time we joined the opening queue however the plan for today was to have a wander around the halls properly.
Even though the event was sold out for every day today was a little quieter. This gave us a chance to jump on a couple of demos (Me and Paul tried Chartered – Amsterdam) and to look around some of the halls.
By the end of the day, a few more games picked up and most of the halls were done. Another tiring day.
Day 4
Yet another early start to get the parking.
This time, however, it was a much more relaxed day. We had got the hotness and visited all the halls. Today was more laid back and jumping in on lots more demos and speaking to vendors. Much smaller publishers and unheard-of games were on the cards today.
In the evening we were eating out with Elsa, Pedro and many others from the Leira Com scene. This is great for those of us going to Leiria Con next year as we will see many of them again.
Watch this space as we are speaking to some designers to have our club test any games they want and help with translation and English grammar (although I am definitely not in for that second part).
The evening was a great night and one of the highlights.
Day 5
A lie in – Yey.
We decided to skip the last day at Essen in favour of getting the Gent again (stopping off on the way back) early.
A mid afternoon arrival allowed some time for buying chocolates and again sampling the beer.
Day 6
Returning Home.
A sad day as it has come to an end but we all agreed it was a great experience.
What I liked.
Essen Spiel itself is huge and whilst it is busy, hot and stressful its also the reason we went. The whole experience, the number of games and vendors as well as hidden gems makes this a great experience.
The stopovers in Belgium are great. They break up the journey and allow us to relax before and after the big event.
Driving is a plus (maybe not for the driver) and it allows for a larger number of games to be purchased and brought back. The other option to consider is getting a train which will still allow for a good number of games.
The meal out on Saturday was great and a fantastic way to meet new people and designers.
What I did not like.
The hotel was very basic and not exactly cheap. I would prefer to pay more and get something a little better.
Lack of gaming in both the hotel and the convention. Whilst we can not do anything about the convention we can look at accommodation options. One thing we are seriously conserving for next time is an AirBnB.
So when are we going again?
Essen is every year but doing this every year is probably a bit much. We are planning to go every 3 or 4 years in future. If interested let Ian or Paul know.