UK Games Expo

Hall 1 at the NEC Birmingham during UK Games Expo 2023

UK Games Expo
Genre	tabletop-game convention trade fair
Frequency	Annually
Venue	National Exhibition Centre Hilton Birmingham Metropole
Coordinates	52°27′12″N 1°43′10″W
Founded	2007
Founder	Richard Denning Tony Hyams[1]
Next event	30 May - 1 June 2025
Attendance	65,000
Organised by	UK Games Expo Ltd
Website	UK Games Expo

UK Games Expo (UKGE) is tabletop-game convention and trade fair held annually at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

UK Games Expo (UKGE) is the largest Hobby Games Convention in the UK ^[2] First held in 2007 the event is now held annually at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham and currently hosts over 39,000 guests.

UKGE features a range of exhibitors, events, open games, demos and tournaments including the UK Carcassonne Championship, and the UK Agricola Championship.^[3]

All forms of tabletop games are represented at the event including board games, roleplaying games, card games and war games. Organisers each year also hold the UKGE Awards which are voted on by attendees of the event.

History

The UK Games Expo was first held in 2007,^[4] organised by Richard Denning and Tony Hyams. Apart from 2020 the event has grown year on year and in 2024 had over 65,000 daily participations, making it the largest tabletop games event in the UK and the third largest in the world.^[2] (In 2020 the event was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5][6] The event returned in person in 2021 with additional restrictions.^[5] In 2022 the event was restored to full capacity, and in 2024 broke exhibitor and attendance records from 2023)

In 2008 UKGE hosted the official launch of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition in the UK.

Show features at UK Games Expo:

• The UK's Largest RPG Schedule.
• World's Largest Bring & Buy^{[citation needed]}
• More than 630 exhibitors.
• Live Entertainment from comedy acts from the Fringe Festival and TV.
• Tournaments and National events in many systems.
• Seminars.
• 2500+ Open Gaming seats.
• Cosplay and Living History Village.
• Dedicated Family Zone.

Special Guests at previous UK Games Expo include:

• Luke Gygax
• Sir Ian Livingstone^[7]
• No Rolls Barred
• The Dice Tower
• Shut Up and Sit Down
• No Pun Included
• Alex Kammer
• Tim Hutchings
• Simon Fisher-Becker
• Ben Aaronovitch^[8]
• Alex Yeager
• Chris Barrie
• John Robertson^{[disambiguation needed]}
• Kenny Baker^{[disambiguation needed]}

Attendance

Annual attendance 2007–2024

Attendance figures released by the organizers are published each year in their exhibitor pack.^[9]

Year	Uniques	Attendance
2007	900	1,200
2008	1,200	2,000
2009	1,800	2,500
2010	2,000	2,800
2011	2,455	3,585
2012	2,879	4,046
2013	3,538	5,805
2014	5,805	9,919
2015	7,162	13,971
2016	12,636	25,149
2017	16,500	30,698
2018	21,700	39,000
2019	25,704	45,097
2020 (online)	N/A	N/A
2021	10,671	18,430
2022	23,163	39,527
2023	31,117	52,888
2024	39,306	65,281

UK Games Expo Awards

Each year the show awards the UKGE Awards which are split into two broad categories: The People’s Choice, which are voted on by expo attendees, and the Judge’s Choice, which are voted on by invited judges. UKGE rewards different game styles, including abstract games, strategic games, party games and more, as well as expansions, accessories, RPGs, novelties, etc.

People’s Choice Award

Year	Best Board Game (Euro)	Best Board Game (Strategic)	Best Card Game	Best Strategic Card Game	Best Roleplaying Game
2023[10]	Earth - Inside Up Games	Frostpunk: The Board Game - Glass Cannon Unplugged	Viking Raiders - Neowulf Games	Isle of Trains: All Aboard - Dranda Games	Be Like a Crow - Critical Kit
2022[11]	Lost Ruins of Arnak - Czech Games Edition	Get On Board - iello	Dungeon Decorators - Slugfest	Lord Of The Rings LCG Revised Core - Fantasy Flight Games	Shiver Core - Parable Games
2021[12]	Excavation Earth - Might Boards	Undaunted: North Africa - Osprey Games	A Game of Pretty Gardens - Osprey Games	Imperium Classics - Osprey Games	Vaesen - Free League Publishing
2020 (online)[13]	Tapestry - Stonemaier Games	Dune - Game Force Nine	Solar Storm - Dranda Games	Marvel Champions - Fantasy Flight Games	The Alien RPG - Free League Publishing
2019 ^[citation needed]	Quacks of Quedlinberg	Root	The Mind	Arboretum	Forbidden Lands
2018[14]	Photosynthesis - Blue Orange	Warhammer Underworlds - Games Workshop	Legend of the Five Rings - Fantasy Flight Games	category began in 2019	SINS - First Falling Leaf
2017[15] [nb 1]	SubTerra - Inside the Box Board Games	The Colonists	Statecraft - Inside the Box Board Games	Category began in 2019	Adventures in Middle Earth

1. Before 2018 the awards only existed in one category, voted on by attendees.^[16]

See also

• Spiel
• Gen Con
• Festival International des Jeux
• Origins Game Fair

Judges Choice Award

Year	Best Board Game (Euro)	Best Board Game (Strategic)	Best Card Game	Best Strategic Card Game	Best Roleplaying Game
2023[10]	Earth - Inside Up Games	New Eden - Schmidt	Viking Raiders - Neowulf Games	Vita Mors - Play With Us Design	Critical Foundation - Gigamic
2022[11]	Bitoku - Devir	The Thing - Ares Games	CULTivate - Pops & Bejou	Lord Of The Rings LCG Revised Core - Fantasy Flight Games	Twilight: 2000 - Free League Publishing
2021[12]	Excavation Earth - Might Boards	Prisma Arena - Hub Games	A Game of Pretty Gardens - Osprey Games	Schotten Totten 2 - Iello	The Dee Sanction - All Rolled Up
2020 (online)[13]	Tapestry - Stonemaier Games	Ishtar - Iello	Solar Storm - Dranda Games	Origlamme - Studio H	Paladin - Chaosium
2019 ^[citation needed]	Architects of the West Kingdom	Root	The Mind	Ruthless	Forbidden Lands
2018[14]	Great Western Trail - Stronghold	Civilisation - Gibsons	Pikoko - Brain Games	N/A - category began in 2019	Adventures in an Age Undreamed - Modiphius

External links

• www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk Official website

References

1. Young, Graham (3 June 2016). "Tenth anniversary UK Games Expo opens at NEC". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
2. WGP (5 June 2017). "UK Games Expo is now bigger than Origins, making it the third largest tabletop show in the world". Tabletop Gaming. Warners Group Publications Plc. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
3. "National Catan, Carcassonne, Pandemic, Splendor and 7 Wonders Duel tournaments to be held at UK Games Expo". Tabletop Gaming. Warners Group Publications Plc. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
4. Griffin, Mary (29 May 2015). "UK Games Expo launches in Birmingham". BirminghamLive. Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
5. Carter, Chase (27 January 2021). "UK Games Expo 2021 announces summer dates for return of in-person convention". Dicebreaker. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
6. "UK Games Expo is Back, and now it's Virtual". Tabletop Gaming. Warners Group Publications Plc. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
7. "Choose Your Own Adventure: Ian Livingstone Talks of His Own Adventure Choices in His Iconic Books". Tabletop Gaming. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
8. O'Brien, Michael (18 May 2023). "Rivers of London creator Ben Aaronovitch is our special guest at UK Games Expo, Friday June 2nd". Chaosium Inc. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
9. "Exhibitor information". UK Games Expo. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
10. "UKGE 2023 awards". UK Games Expo. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
11. "UKGE 2022 Awards". Geek Native. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
12. "Award winners 2021". UK Games Expo. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
13. "UK games expo awards 2020 winners". Geek Native. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
14. "2018 UK Games Expo Awards". File 770. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
15. "UK Games Expo Award". UK Games Exp. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
16. A reference for the footnote.