People
Bossing It
Ahead of the UK Games Expo in June, Co-Director Richard Denning talks us through his career journey from NHS medic to board game inventor and event organiser, and the many ups and (lock)downs along the way
Hi Richard! First of all, what can we expect to see at the UK Games Expo this year? We’re really excited about being able to run a full international tabletop games event again. We have more than 350 exhibitors signed up, over 75 of whom are from overseas, with more still booking in. Our aim is to create an event where there is far more on offer than you can possibly do in three days, and to send visitors and exhibitors away on a high. This year’s event will be for many people the first they’ve visited in a long time, so we’re doubly motivated to give people a great experience. There will – of course – be board games, miniatures and card games tournaments, including the UK CATAN and Carcassonne championships. We’ll also have a full RPG [role-playing game] schedule, live shows, cosplay and reenactors, and a zone where the whole family can enjoy gaming together. Our Publisher-Designer Track, which is sponsored by Cartamundi, will give new
designers a chance to learn about making games and to pitch designs to publishers. Visitors will be able to play-test the designs and help shape tomorrow’s games.
What are some of the greatest challenges involved in putting on the Expo? The greatest challenge is probably the tight time frame. It takes a full year, or even more, to plan each show, but games manufacturers, tournament umpires, exhibitors and the like tend only to engage with the show in the final three or four months beforehand, which
means that a lot of organising is compressed into a very narrow period. Of course, the challenge of Covid and its impact on the events industry dwarfed anything we had experienced before. There was no show in 2020 apart from the virtual one, and only a half-sized show in 2021. We were very grateful to exhibitors who rolled over their stand fees and to visitors who rolled over ticket money for helping us keep afloat through that time.
Have you noticed any trends coming through in board games recently? Sustainability, certainly. Another area of growth, perhaps prompted by lockdown, is in digital/board game hybrids and apps that help teach games, or fill in some form of narrative and story and allow choices. Games that support solo play are on the rise, too. I’ve also noticed a trend for games with a very short duration – maybe even only minutes long. Personally, I like to really get into a game over the course of an evening,
Spring/Summer 2022 | ToyNews | 57
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