The UK Games Expo has grown to fill the Hilton Metropole with TTRPGs and NEC’s Halls 1, 2 and both parts of Hall 3.
In fact, some traders have favourite locations within the Halls for their stands and specifically book those spaces. Regular fans know where to look for them.
However, things will change in 2025 as the UK Games Expo will not have Hall 1. Another event has booked it and has done so for years.
Even with Hall 4 secured for the gaming convention, there will be less space available. Geek Native has spoken to various traders, some with slight concerns but most supportive of UK Games Expo‘s suggested plan. UK Games Expo has yet to respond to our request for more information.
We’ve also seen the plans showing how Halls 2, 3, 3a and 4 orientate so that their entranceways face each other. Hall 4 is to be reserved for Events and Open Gaming, whereas Halls 2, 3 and 3a will be used for Traders.
Dina Said So Studio shared a photograph on LinkedIn taken from an open meeting about the changes.
It is likely that the next steps will be major sponsors to review the plans and tell UK Games Expo what and where they want to go. We can speculate that the UKGE team will the plan and plot out space for smaller traders around the financially necessary big fish.
Since Hall 1 is “lost” until 2027 there are a few years to perfect the new Hall 2, 3, 3a and 4 format but it also means traders will have to adapt to changes.
Is that the end of the story? Community contributions can be found in the comment section at the end of the page.
Actually somebody’s arithmetic is off based on the figures on the NEC website. 😉 The 2024 space was 25,510 sq m for exhibitors (Halls 1 & 2). Halls 2,3 & 3a total 30,005 sq m while hall 4 at 16,700 sq m is slightly less than 3 & 3a (18,505 sq m) not all of 3a was used for open gaming/tournaments. So it would appear that there will be more space for exhibitors next year and a similar amount for open gaming. Should ‘they’ choose to use 2 & 4 for traders and keep 3 & 3a for open gaming… Read more »