Spiel#Spiel '06
{{short description|Boardgame trade fair in Essen, Germany}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| logo = SPIEL logo.svg
| logo_caption =
| image = Essen 2008 50120.jpg
| caption = Spiel 2008
| genre = Board game trade fair
| frequency = Annual
| venue = Messe Essen
| country = Germany
| first = {{start date|1983}}
| attendance = 204,000 (2024)
| URL = {{official url}}
}}
Internationale Spieltage SPIEL, often called the Essen Game Fair after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day public boardgame trade fair held in October{{cite web
|url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21669930-table-top-games-are-booming-video-game-age-not-twilight-sunrise
|title=Not twilight, but sunrise. Table-top games are booming in the video-game age
|work=The Economist
|date=2015-10-03
|accessdate=2015-10-29}} (Thursday to the following Sunday) at the Messe Essen exhibition centre in Essen, Germany. It began in 1983.{{cite book
|author=Stewart Woods
|title=Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GPdRVOl8fU0C&pg=PA64
|date=2012-08-16
|publisher=McFarland
|isbn=978-0-7864-6797-6
|page=64}} With 1,021 exhibitors from 50 nations in 2016, SPIEL is the biggest fair for board games in the world.{{Cite news
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/31/board-gamers-germany-essen-spiel-exhibition
|title=For board gamers, heaven is a place on earth – located in Germany
|last=Duffy
|first=Owen
|date=2015-10-31
|newspaper=The Guardian
|language=en-GB
|issn=0261-3077
|access-date=2016-11-11}} Many new games are released at the fair each year, especially (but not exclusively) European-style board games.
File:Messe-Essen-Eingang-Sued-2016.jpgAt SPIEL, board games that are often hard to find in retail are offered by international and small exhibitors. While the prices for buying these games at the fair do not tend to be significantly lower than in retail, games are typically available sooner than in regular board game shops and may come with promotional materials (mostly extra cards or tokens with a few more game mechanics, but also T-shirts and similar merchandise). SPIEL also provides an environment for board gamers to meet and chat with game designers, illustrators, and game reviewers.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}
Years and attendance
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!style="text-align:right;"|Attendance !Source |
|---|
| 2011
|style="text-align:right;"|147 000 |title=147 000 Besucher bei der Spielemesse in Essen |url=https://www.waz.de/staedte/essen/147-000-besucher-bei-der-spielemesse-in-essen-id5190519.html |work=WAZ |date=2011-10-23 |accessdate=2019-06-04}} |
| 2012
|style="text-align:right;"|149 000 |title=149 000 Besucher kamen zur Spielemesse Spiel 12 nach Essen |url=https://www.derwesten.de/staedte/essen/149-000-besucher-kamen-zur-spielemesse-spiel-12-nach-essen-id7215090.html |work=WAZ |date=2012-10-21 |accessdate=2013-09-18}} |
| 2013
|style="text-align:right;"|156 000 |title=Spiel '13: Con Report |url=http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/56462/spiel-2013-con-report/ |work=Big Shiny Robot |date=2013-11-01 |accessdate=2015-10-29}} |
| 2014
|style="text-align:right;"|158 000 |title=Exhibitor information |url=http://www.merz-verlag-en.com/exhibitors.html |last1=Friedhelm |first1=Merz Verlag |access-date=2015-07-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708114633/http://www.merz-verlag-en.com/exhibitors.html |archive-date=2015-07-08}} |
| 2015
|style="text-align:right;"|162 000 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/spiel15-in-essen-neuheiten-von-der-spielemesse-a-1056720.html |title=Spiel 15: Das sind die Neuheiten der Spielemesse |last1=Markus |first1=Böhm |work=Spiegel online |language=de |accessdate=2015-10-29}} |
| 2016
|style="text-align:right;"|174 000 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/best-board-games-of-essen-2016/ |title=Essen 2016: Best board games from the biggest board game convention |last=Mendelsohn |first=Tom |date=2016-10-22 |newspaper=Ars Technica |access-date=2016-11-11}} |
| 2017
|style="text-align:right;"|182 000 |url=https://www.waz.de/staedte/essen/spielemesse-spiel-17-endet-mit-besucherrekord-id212384747.html |title=Spielemesse Spiel’17 endet mit Besucherrekord |date=2017-10-29 |newspaper=WAZ |access-date=2017-10-30}} |
| 2018
|style="text-align:right;"|190 000 |url=https://www.kreiszeitung.de/laeuft/190000-besucher-spiel-2018-messe-essen-neuheiten-kulturgut-debatte-rekorde-10381895.html |title=„Spiel 2018“ bricht Besucherrekord: 190.000 Gäste kommen nach Essen |newspaper=WAZ |access-date=2018-10-29}} |
| 2019
|style="text-align:right;"|209 000 |url=https://www.rtl.de/cms/spielemesse-in-essen-endet-mit-mehr-als-200-000-besuchern-4427372.html |title=Spielemesse in Essen endet mit mehr als 200 000 Besuchern |newspaper=RTL |access-date=2019-10-28}} |
| 2020
|style="text-align:right;"|{{efn|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced by a digital convention.}}0 |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/essen-spiel/news/spiel-digital-announced |title=Cancelled Essen Spiel 2020 board game convention replaced by online event Spiel.Digital |last1=Jarvis |first1=Matt |date=2020-05-19 |work=Dicebreaker |publisher=Gamer Network Limited, ReedPop |language=English |accessdate=2021-10-09}} |
| 2021
|style="text-align:right;"|93 600 |url=https://www.toynews-online.biz/2021/07/12/face-masks-will-be-mandatory-at-essen-spiel-21-along-with-vaccination-or-negative-covid-tests/ |title=Face masks will be mandatory at Essen Spiel ’21 along with vaccination or negative Covid tests |last1=Hutchins |first1=Robert |date=2021-07-12 |work=ToyNews |language=English |accessdate=2021-10-09}} |
| 2022
|style="text-align:right;"|147 000 |url=https://supertipp-online.de/2022/10/09/spielemesse-neuheitenrekord-lockt-spielefans-nach-essen/ |title=Spielemesse: Neuheitenrekord lockt Spielefans nach Essen |last1=Volkmann |first1=Andre |date=2022-10-10 |work=Supertipp |language=German |accessdate=2022-10-10}} |
| 2023
|style="text-align:right;"|193 000 |url=https://spielpunkt.net/en/spiel-essen-kein-rekord-bei-besucherzahlen/ |title=SPIEL Essen: No record number of visitors |last1=Volkmann |first1=Andre |date=2023-10-09 |work=Spielpunkt |language=English |accessdate=2023-10-09}} |
| 2024
|style="text-align:right;"|204 000 |url=https://toybook.com/spiel-essen-2024/ |title=Spiel Essen 2024 breaking records |last1=Slater |first1=Ellen |date=2024-10-07 |work=Toybook |language=English |accessdate=2024-10-08}} |
__NOTOC__
See also
- Going Cardboard (documentary)
- Spiel des Jahres (award)
- Gen Con
- UK GamesExpo
- Festival International des Jeux
- Origins Game Fair
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
External links
{{Wiktionary|Spiel|spiel}}
- [https://www.spiel-essen.de/en/ Official website]
- {{bgg par|thread|120409|Essen FAQ}}
{{coord|51.4280|N|6.9942|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
Category:Trade fairs in Germany
Category:1983 establishments in West Germany
Category:Recurring events established in 1983
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