FAQs

If you have forgotten your password you will need to request a reset which can be done from this page.

If you just wish to change your existing password then do as follows

Login to your account
Click on MY PROFILE in the menu
Enter your old password and new password
Click save changes

It is possible that once you have submitted an event it may be necessary to edit the event.

You will be able to do this via the Manage Events page in your account.

Once you have logged into your account and gone to the Manage Events page, you will see events which you have editing rights for on that page.

Click the event you wish to edit.

Note that some fields are not editable after they have been submitted and some cannot be edited after events are live on the system.

In the event of any questions email:

Millie Lavelle, Community@ukgamesexpo.co.uk

UK Games Exo uses sell sheets to assess applications to the Publisher-Designer Speed Dating . First make sure you have applied using the links above. You will be given the opportunity to upload the files as you go along.

Ensure the sell sheet name is "GAME NAME SELL SHEET" - replace GAME NAME with your games name!

Do not just call it 'sell sheet' or 'UKGE sell sheet'

UK Games Expo uses rule sheets to assess applications to the Publisher-Designer Speed Dating s. First make sure you have applied using the links above.

You hen upload the attachment as part of that process.

Ensure the Rules sheet name is "GAME NAME RULES SHEET" - replace GAME NAME with your games name!

Do not just call it 'RULE sheet' or 'UKGE RULE sheet'

Are you a game designer that has a new game design in your head or even in physical form?

Thinking about attending UKGE but not sure how to proceed?

Are you trying to find out more about how to get your game published?

Read all about it!

Here are some articles to read to get you started

In the 2019 Programme Guide we published an article "I have this idea for a game" which is an overview of how to get your game made.

Read all about how James Smith, designer of Reveal used Playtest UK and UK Games Expo to help get his game from an early design to being published by Paul Lamond.

If you are thinking about attending UKGE you have a few options to think about.

A) VISIT UKGE AND DO YOUR RESEARCH.
If your game idea is at a very basic stage and you are not sure how to proceed or if you are very new to the world of games and want to find out more about other games, about publishers etc then consider just coming as a visitor to UKGE. Try out game designs by the companies present, chat to designers. Use the visit as research.
To Follow Route A just buy an entrance ticket and turn up.

B) GET THE GAME INTO THE PLAYTEST ZONE
The cheapest approach is to book your game a slot in the Playtest Zone. Most places are free to use (you just need an entry ticket). You book a slot via the organisation, Playtest UK, who run the tables. (3 hours slots require a £12 donation to an Expo charity.)

Basically, you are allocated a playtesting table to set up your game. The Playtest Zone volunteers will invite Expo attendees to sit down and play your game. Many folk who attend UKGE are happy to try new designs and give helpful comments. This feedback is a great way to improve your game and this is a crucial stage for all designs. The playtesting sessions are allocated in 90 minutes or 3 hours slots.
You cannot use the Playtest Zone if you are selling the game.
To Follow Route B, read the Playtest Page and contact Playtest UK to book your slot. Then buy an entrance ticket and turn up.

C) HIRE A STARTER STAND
You hire a 3m x2m starter stand for £264+VAT. Add a table – say 4ft x 2ft and 4 chairs for an additional circa £29 (Or bring your own). This way you get 3 whole days of potential playtest and feedback. With many games that could mean dozens of games get played and you could have lots of feedback. In addition you can sell games from Trade Stands. Note that Starter stands are placed at the discretion of the organisers in standard space and will not be Corners, Endcaps or Island. They are never placed in Superior space.

D) HIRE A FULL SIZED STAND.
Finally you go the whole hog and take a full size Trade stand. These can be of almost any size, shape and configuration and cost from £63.00 per sqm. So let's say you had 5m x 4m that would cost £1260+VAT. Clearly a stand of that size would allow you the space to fit in a number of demo tables, a sales area etc.

To follow Route C or D you must become an exhibitor.

E)TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PUBLISHER-DESIGNER TRACK
The UKGE Publisher Designer Track is includes prototype testing tables, seminars and panels for games designers and publishers, networking events and opportunities for budding designers to pitch their ideas to publishers.
What is great news is that it is all free (you just need an entrance ticket)
Find out More

The Trade Hall at UKGE can seem rather intimidating. There are 400+ exhibitors with stands from 4 sqm up to 300 sqm. There are a great many amazing games out there. In order to make the most of UKGE you have to stand out and attract in the gamers to try your games.

Make the game as good as it can possibly look. Even in the case of a prototype a bit of extra effort can pay dividends. So pay a local printer to print the game board in high resolution. Consider higher quality components etc. many publishers will have special demo versions such as giant versions etc.
The whole stand is part of your display. Consider pull up banners, coming in costume etc. At the very least get some branded T Shirts to promote the games company.
Help the visitor find out more. Make sure you have flyers about the game, business cards to give out. Consider placing an advert in the UKGE programme.
Take along playtest feedback forms for people who play the game to fill in and give you feedback.
Don't forget the Show Preview
Don't miss out on the Publisher Designer Track of events and activities.
Tell us your news and we will tell our customers
For more impact think about a paid for advert in the programme or an online marketing campaign. See exhibitor pack for details.

I am a new exhibitor

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Before you can setup a portal you have to book a stand with us. Please first email us to book a stand before proceeding.

Once you have a stand you will receive an invitation with instructions on what to do next.

While we do not swap or exchange tickets, (Things can get a bit messy), you can simply request a refund for your current tickets and purchase the new tickets you require.

How to request a refund?

We have created a detailed advert specification guide.

If you have any queries regarding the advert for the programme please email Richard.

Yes you can.

We will place 7 x 50" screens around the show. These will be in high footfall and attendance areas for example near the Entrance to Hall 2, the Open Gaming space in Hall 3. For 2021 these positions are still being confirmed.

These screens will be used for the following:

The On Tabletop Live Stream sessions will be run throughout the show in order to a reach to a wider audience. Exhibitors can purchase a Live Stream session for £175 + VAT.
In the intervals between the live stream sessions the screens will run an information and advertisement loop.

Live stream

These 20 minute sessions will be broadcast from the show online and on our screens as well as available later on You Tube and for exhibitor use on their sites. Price £175 + VAT.

Special offer: If you take a Live Stream slot you get a 15 second advert on the advert reel for free.

Broadcast times of Live Streams and advert reels.

Screens in Hall 2 will run during trade hall opening hours.

Screens in Hall 3 Open Gaming will run until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

All screens will run until 4pm on Sunday.

Each advert will be shown 50+ times during the weekend.

No we do not, EVER.

As we approach each Expo we always notice the usual increase in spam emails hitting our own email accounts, as well as those of exhibitors and even visitors, offering access to:

▪Visitors details▪ Exhibitors details▪ Assistance with hotel room bookings▪ Assistance with stand construction▪ Assistance filming at the show

Some of these will claim that they are officially sanctioned by UK Games Expo Ltd. They will claim that we have shared the contact details with them or even asked them to contact you. This is not true.

Contact details.
The directors would like to again reassure you all that we have never sold or given contact details to any third party organisation and we never will.

The only times contact details are shared are for the explicit purpose of facilitating a specific event or function - most commonly the Show Preview event where sharing of contact data between exhibitors and media is needed to allow the event to function properly. Even then we make it clear to you that this data is being shared and how and for what purpose. It is made clear that when applying for a Show Preview Table your contact data will be shared. This data is not made public.

The most common way that your contact data is found is from trawling websites and social media sites of participating exhibitors.

Hotel Bookings
We have no official hotel partner. The website shows a map of local hotels and any booking links we have negotiates but we do not share any details with any Hotel Booking Agency.

Stand construction
The only organisation we deal with with regard to stand construction is the Neale Agency (specifically their Creative Hire, Torpedo and Periscope sub-sections) and again we do not give them your data apart from your exhibitor name, power and furniture order details and stand numbers which are required to facilitate the show build.

Filming at UK Games Expo
Apart from the streaming options offered by OnTableTop we do not have dealings with companies offering filming services at the show. Whilst exhibitors may arrange to film and broadcast from the show, any company involved commercially would need to have first applied to have a license to film at the event. If in doubt before engaging them please check with us as they will be denied access to film at the event if they have no license. More details are here...

What to do about it
These spam and fishing emails are numerous and frustrating and particularly so in years when we don't even know if we can run a show! But the best advice is to just hit delete. If you receive a phone call just end the call. You can attempt to report them but we have find that it will just use a lot of time with little or no result.

But how do they get my email then?

The usual way that these spam merchants find exhibitors emails is trawling the list of exhibitors who are going to be at UKGE, then visiting the exhibitors sites, such as social media and trawling them for email. Most exhibitors have emails addresses on their contact pages. Many have phone numbers available somewherw in profiles.

Exhibitor Events

Exhibitors may list events that are taking place on their stand at the show. If you log into your exhibitor portal you will see that you have a Manage Events tab. If you use that you can list four types of events:

Demo-on-stand.
Tell us what games will be demoed on your stand. You can add images and even links to rules and videos in the description. If you are running demos all day please only list the events once with a start time of say 09.00 and end time of 18.00 each day and tick the 'ad-hoc events' box and the event will show all day. Please don't add events every hour or we all drown under a sea of duplicated events!

Presentation-on-stand.
Is a designer signing games? Are you doing a give away? Is a painter doing a session on how to paint?

Special.

Perhaps you are holding a tournament on the stand? Is there an opportunity to meet a celebrity.

Online.
Broadcasting live from the show? Add it as an event.

YOUR LOGO: Don't forget to go into your STAND tab and add a logo to the stand description. That image will show up in your event listing.

We use your logo on the exhibitor listing page and later on the interactive map of the show. It is also used on Exhibitor Events which you can add to the system so visitors know what is happening on your stand at the show

To add the logo follow these instructions:

Log into the Exhibitor Portal (click here to get access )

Click on the STAND tab and then your stand number and then open stand description add an image to the stand description. That image will show up in your event listing and exhibitor listing.

After you upload please leave it an hour before checking it is visible as it has to pass through our caching process.

The New Games page is a page on the site listing games that are one or more of
* new to buy (available for purchase for the first time at a UK show)
* new to try ( a prototype available for playtest at UKGE)
* new to back (a game on kick-starter or other crowd fund running during UKGE)
* new to play (A new release ready to be played for the first time at a UK show)
You can now enter these via your exhibitor portal. There is a field for an image so don't forget to upload these. In addition you can add a description which will pop up on clicking on the game.

Stand descriptions will show in the programme and also on the online hall map when a visitor clicks on your stand.

You can add or edit these via your Exhibitor Portal.

Your stand description will appear on the Stands tab of the Exhibitor Portal.

You can have banners and walls in your stand up to 2.4m high without restrictions and caveats (providing they are appropiate for a family show and are not complex builds.)

If you are planning to build anything above this height please contact

Paul to discuss.

You may require a stand inspection for a complex build for which there is a charge.

Stand Inspections

If you have a complex stand, it will be subject to an inspection (fee to be confirmed).

It is the responsibility of the stand designer to determine whether a structure is complex or not.

Examples of complex structures:

Any structure, regardless of its height, which requires structural calculations
Multi-storey stands
Any part of a stand or exhibit which exceeds four metres in height
Custom-built/bespoke suspended structures
Sound/lighting towers
Temporary tiered
Platforms and stages of 0.6m in height and over and all platforms and stages for public use (not

including stand floor flats and platforms)

The organiser reserves the right to deem a structure ‘complex’ where this has not correctly been determined

by the designer.

Please contact Paul if you wish to know more.

UK Games Expo is a Tabletop Games convention. Our show profile is as follows :

Board Games, Card Games, Roleplaying Games, Family Games, puzzles, some memorabilia, some comics, some accessories like dice and figure storage solutions, non-fiction gaming related books and some fiction sci-fi and fantasy and other books, authors and artists. Costumed groups. Some LARP equipment (live action roleplaying eg rubber swords). Exhibitors and products used in the manufacturing of games. Electronic versions of table top games, apps and programmes designed for use in and to enhance games. Some game related novelty food items.

If exhibitors fall into those categories they are likely to be accepted.

Exhibitors that will not be excepted

If you fall out side the above categeories you should check with us as we may not accept you.

In particular we will not allow exhibitors to sell or display: weapons (apart from movie props in gift sets); toys that do not bear UKCA abd CE marks ; alcohol or food apart from in gift sets; mystery bags or boxes.

Business to Business Opportunities

If you are looking for B2B opportunities at UK Games Expo then you have definitely come to the right place!

We have over 650 exhibitors, spread out across halls 2,3 and 3a at the NEC, these include a selection of hobby gamers, publishers, designers, distributors, manufacturers and associated artists.

UKGE draws an audience from all over the world.

We also have the Show Preview, Publisher Designer Track (New and upcoming games), Networking and Visits from buyers from the industry / guests and general visitors.

UK Games Expo is a Tabletop Games convention. Our show profile is detailed in this FAQ.

We will generally accept stand bookings, adverts, sponsorship and marketing package requests from companies that aim to promote these items to an interested audience. We are unlikely to accept applications from exhibitors who stray outside these areas.

Gambling and Financial Services

We will not accept requests to promote gambling sites or financial services.

Computer and Console Games

Computer Games and console games are not typically accepted as exhibitors unless they are exhibiting electronic versions of table top games such as mobile or tablet or pc versions or apps and programmes designed for use in and to enhance table top games - such as sound effect in roleplaying games, mapping software used in a game etc.

Food and Drink Vendors

Food and drink vendors are not typically accepted as exhibitors unless they are selling novelty items linked to the wider table top games theme or themes of geek fandom, sci-fi, history and fantasy. Any food sold must be packaged as gift items and clearly sold as not for consumption at the show Vendors selling alcohol must also undertake to operate a 'Challenge 25' policy. In all cases approval by NEC Catering will have to be sought by the show organisers.

General catering companies will not be accepted.

Weapons Policy

Exhibitors taking a trade stand may not bring stock of, display or sell any items which is defined as an

offensive weapon under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. This includes any

knife, axe or blade and any items adapted for the use of causing injury. It also includes live firearms,

deactivated firearms, air rifles etc. Exhibitors carrying these items will be told to remove them. Movie replica

Prop Guns may be sold if clearly packaged as such.

Non-lethal foam LARP weapons may be sold.

Mystery Bags and Boxes

Exhibitors taking a trade stand may not bring stock of, display, take subscriptions for or sell items such as

Mystery Boxes and Mystery Bags where the buyer does not know exactly what items they are purchasing.

Exhibitors carrying these items will be told to remove them. This restriction does not prevent the sale of

booster packs for collectible games.

If you require guidance on these restrictions and how it may apply to you please contact Richard.

UKCE / CE Marks

Need to check your product meets the UK and European health, safety, performance and environmental

requirements. Any item designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14

years of age will need to be CE /UKCA marked under the Toy Safety Directive. The exception to this is

specifically collectable items which are aimed at adult consumers. To qualify to be an exception the items

must be 1) an item valued and sought by collectors 2) only be sold to customers of ages 14 and above 3) be

displayed on a stand and labelled in such a way that it is clear that they are for sale to customers of

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Broadcast times of Live Streams and advert reels.