It was SPIEL 2021 Day four, the last day for our beloved board game convention. We did take a break on our last day, only meeting our old and new friends, fist-bumping and bidding farewell. I didn’t take many pictures in this last day and only uploaded a few on our social media.
The previous three entries reported mostly about the publishers and the games showcased during the event. I would like to conclude this series with some facts of this year’s SPIEL Messe.
Overview of spiel 2021
To bring an international-scale event during the pandemic was pretty hard, I could imagine. Especially with the fact that SPIEL Messe always revolves around close contacts with strangers, either by sharing the same table to try games or waiting on the queue to buy some hot items. Nevertheless, Friedhelm Merz Verlag has successfully held a safe and fun exhibition once more after a year hiatus.
MANDATORY TO WEAR A MASK & THE 3G-REGELN
Besides the mask mandatory within the premises, SPIEL Messe also implemented the 3G rules. All visitors and exhibitors had to show the proof of vaccination (geimpft), negative test (getestet), or recovery (genesen). Wearing a mask for nine hours straight was tough, but it was necessary to protect the community.
NUMBERS & FACTS
There were more than 93,000 visitors checked in up to the closing of SPIEL 2021 Day four. They had the chance to try more than a thousand new releases from 620 publishers. These publishers came from 41 different countries. If you read our previous entries, we have written some reports on the hot items and notable findings this year.
VERDICT
I enjoyed every minute in SPIEL Messe, and despite some changes in 2021, the feeling was still there. It has been an annual event I am always waiting for. The next year’s exhibition will be held from 06.10.2022 to 09.10.2022 (DD/MM/YYYY). See you again next year!
I am a full-time food technologist during weekdays. However, when the calendar hits weekends, I transform into an avid board gamer. I am a hardcore Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) LCG player from Fantasy Flight Games (FFG). Current hobby: buying board games. My shelf of shame’s list is getting longer, thanks to you, Kickstarter.