The 2019 Essen Game Fair runs from 24th October to the 27th October, which is a Sunday.
As it stands now, on 31st October the UK is on course to crash out of the European Union. The British Government’s advice is that by 11 pm on the 31st goods moving from the EU (Germany) to the UK will be treated the same as moving goods from the rest of the world back to the UK.
What does this mean? Right now, retail goods coming from Germany back to the UK are covered by a Simplified Accompanying Administrative Document (SAAD) which makes it a relatively simple matter to ship crates of games back home. After 11 pm on the 31st, unsold inventory can no longer ship with the protection and ease of SAAD.
In practical terms, this means British publishers who might need to have shipping crates moved from Essen to the UK, will need be packed up, through any temporary warehouse storage in the city or at the port and across the English channel before 11 pm.
The shipping challenge is do-able unless there are other delays at warehouses due to the impending deadline, but it certainly means British publishers cannot afford to delay returning home after Europe’s largest gaming convention. Failure to get out in time risks getting stuck at the border, extra expenses and unknown delays.
Of course, there are other ways to avoid the rush. It is best practice not to bring more inventory than you hope to sell. Selling out of goods means that British publishers will have nothing but their stall to ship home, but predicting demand is hard, and most publishers prefer to bring too much stock at the risk of extra weight than to bring too little and miss out on sales.
Creative Commons credit: Traveling Merchant – Judgement by Maxime Delcambre.
Are you a British publisher heading to Essen and have a story to tell? Perhaps you have decided not to attend this year because of Brexit. Geek Native would like to hear from you.
