There are just two weeks to go before the world’s biggest games show returns to Cologne. James Batchelor asks Gamescom veterans how they are preparing…
ANDY
ROBINSON, Editor, CVG Before the show, map out
your appointments and figure out exactly where they are. The convention center in Cologne is a big old place if you’re venturing outside of the business area, and there’s nothing worse than turning up to a meeting at Valve’s Hall 7 booth ten minutes late, dripping with sweat. Practice eating vast quantities of meat prior the show is also a good idea, too.
During the show, make sure you set some time aside to explore the main floors – there’s plenty to be seen and discovered that you otherwise wouldn’t see in bland publisher meeting rooms, including men dressed as warrior mages.
RYAN KING, Editor, Play Bring food. Having apples and crisps in
your bag might make you feel like a kid with a packed lunch but the main food hall is miles away from everything else and the brave souls that do push their food carts near the exhibition halls are always swamped. Having food with
8 July 27th 2012
you saves a massively long and horrible detour.
Bring a back-up dictaphone. Every journalist has at least one horror story involving dictaphones and mine was last year during Gamescom when I had an entire interview lost thanks to a previously unknown longplay setting recording the interview at the wrong speed. Being the tedious and pedantic person I am, I now record every interview on my Smartphone too. Grab a free recording app and test it before the show. I use iRecordfor Android – basic but free.
Be wary of hotel
conferences: I’ve made that sound needlessly alarmist but what I mean is take into account the extra time it takes to leave the main Gamescom area to leg it to a hotel area across the road (or rather, in games journalist style, walk while grumbling about having to walk). Back-to-back appointments are possible within the main Gamescom halls but the added ten minutes to leave for a hotel across the road and come back will knock your schedule out of sync. Allow some extra time or move those appointments to the end of the day.
ADAM MERRETT UK PR manager, Capcom
Arrive on the Monday so you are fresh and ready for the start of the seemingly growing and popular publisher press conferences taking place on the Tuesday.
HOLLIE BENNETT, PR executive, Namco Bandai Try your
hardest to not overbook yourself – you’ll only get caught out when you realise that your next appointment is a five to ten minute walk from your current one, instantly making you late (no matter how fast you run).
If you don’t think you need to/want to/can make it to an appointment you have booked always try and let the PR know as soon as
Having food in your bag might make you feel like a kid with a
“
packed lunch but the food hall is miles away from
everything else. Ryan King, Play
you can so they can try to fill that slot. No-shows cause a lot of stress and pretty much messes up everyone’s schedule.
Don’t rely on 3G or Wi-Fi to access your Gamescom meeting schedule on your phone or laptop – the 3G and wireless can be dodgy at the best of times so always carry a printed copy.
Don’t underestimate the heat – it was absolutely boiling last year and while us industry types were able to spend most of it hiding in the business area, it’s