The UK Games Expo 2018

This weekend (1st to the 3rd June) I'll be attending the UK Games Expo, my yearly pilgrimage to the biggest tabletop gaming convention and trade show in the United Kingdom.

Held in the NEC and Hilton Hotels, Birmingham, the show builds year after year and is a major date in the calender of tabletop gamers and firms across Europe and the world. There's been an average 20% increase in attendance every year up to yet and there'll no doubt be an amazing turnout this year.

It's an excellent venue and, quite literally, less that 15 minutes walk from Birmingham International train station and airport. With two halls in use and rooms in the Hilton hotel near the main entrance to the exhibition centre, the UK Games Expo is entertaining, easily accessible and a great weekend of all kinds of tabletop gaming.

I caught up with Michael Pearson of the UKGE to find out what's in store this year.

'This year on the lake area we have two camps - one is a Viking camp and the other a Tolkien camp - complete with wolves (two of which can be petted!).

There are lots of highlights... we are headed to fill two halls in the NEC this year, with a considerable increase in exhibitors. Everything else gets bigger, partly because people see that their genre of exhibitor is attending, so they come along.

We already have 157 games/products submitted for our awards, well ahead of last year, our Design Track of events is growing - supporting game makers to create their games. We have the Wyverns Lair event again - like Dragon's Den for games.'

It all sounds great, and I'm really looking forward to attending this year. There's always so much to do and see that one day is never enough.