Live from the NEC Birmingham, the 20th anniversary of the UK Games Expo (UKGE) has shattered attendance records, becoming the largest event ever held at the venue. During the closing award ceremony, which notably featured the first-ever Patrick Campbell Award, organisers confirmed that 2026 saw an unprecedented 51,196 unique visitors, with total footfall across the three days hitting an incredible 87,837.
This represents a surge of roughly 25% from last year, packing out five halls of the NEC and the nearby Hilton Hotel. However, this massive gathering of the roleplaying games and tabletop community did not come without logistical casualties. The sheer density of bodies placed an immense strain on local infrastructure, causing phone signals to drop and the venue’s Wi-Fi to buckle. During Saturday, the hottest day of the Expo, the air conditioning struggled to cope before failing completely, leaving the halls oppressively hot for a short while.
The network blackouts even impacted the closing ceremonies. The final awards were delayed as organisers struggled to upload images of the painting competition winners. Yet despite the heat and technical hurdles, the mood over the weekend remained overwhelmingly positive as gamers thronged to support their hobby.
The 20th anniversary was also a bittersweet milestone. A few months prior to the event, the community lost Patrick Campbell, a founding member of the UK Games Expo. Known as a tireless supporter who evangelised the event across Europe in its early days, he was deeply missed by the organisers and veterans of the show.
To honour his memory and his passion for encouraging exhibitors to go the extra mile, UKGE co-founders Tony Hyams and Richard Denning instigated the aforementioned Patrick Campbell Award, designed to recognise the best stand at the convention. The award was presented by Campbell’s children during the closing ceremony.
In a fitting tribute to a man who wanted to bring more people into the world of gaming, the inaugural award went to a first-time exhibitor. The independent publisher It’s Not Games claimed the prize for their debut title, It’s Not Cricket.
The game itself strips away the sport’s elitist reputation, blending tactical depth with an element of luck. Uniquely, it introduces a non-playing, participating neutral player known as the Umpire.
It feels highly appropriate that, at the busiest UK Games Expo in history, the first Patrick Campbell Award was presented to a studio whose core design ethos aims to improve accessibility and make tabletop gaming more welcoming for everyone.
You can learn more about the winning title at the It’s Not Games website.
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