The IPA at Essen Spiel 2024

That's it, Essen Spiel 2024 has come to an end.

This year's event saw over 200,000 attendees pass through its exhibition halls in Germany, as hundreds of publishers showcased their latest creations to the public. Coincidentally, this edition also marked the official public launch of the IPA, uniting numerous independent publishers under one massive booth in Hall 3. Check out this report for all our highlights of Essen Spiel 2024!

1) The IPA is now official

As mentioned above, the Independent Publishers Alliance (IPA) was officially unveiled at Essen 2024. Located at booth 3F111-3F113, visitors could find many independent publishers, each with their own dedicated space to demo their games. All these titles were available for purchase at the IPA shop, the combined publishers's spaces and the shop boasting altogether nearly 400 square meters of space and hundreds of different items. The booth was easy to spot, thanks to a large banner hanging directly from the hall's ceiling!

One of the façade of the IPA game shop at Essen, during set up. Talented graphic designer for scale.

2) Time to shine

With hundreds of publishers competing for the public’s attention, Essen Spiel is certainly not the time to be shy with decorations.
Thanks to the support of the PTS agency, the IPA booth was adorned with visuals, banners, and signs that highlighted each game’s unique world and aesthetic. These efforts were a crucial part of this year's success, attracting large crowds to both the shop and demo areas.This sytem's conforted us in the idea that having one common booth has a positive influence on each publisher's' visiblity. 

Some of the banners and signs displayed on the booth

3) Sold-out titles

This edition saw many titles from various publishers debuting for the first time.
We're happy to report that some of them were instant hits, with long lines forming to get these games. As a result, several titles were already sold out by day two! Saltfjord, Spectacular, Kyoto no Neko, and Panda Spin led the way, even though we had brought hundreds of copies to the event. If you missed out on these titles during Essen, don't worry—they’re available right here on the website you're reading this on!

Eilfif and Asmund Svenson, holding the last copy of Spectacular. 

4)Designers sighted

Essen is always the perfect occasion to find some of the most well-known designers, artists, and public figures from the board game industry all under one roof (well, technically, six roofs, as there are six exhibition halls). This year, we were thrilled to have Bruno Faidutti (6 Suspects), Cédric Millet (Kyoto no Neko) , Eilif Svensson (Saltfjord, Spectacular), Asmund Svensson (Spectacular), and Kristian Amundsen Østby (Saltfjord, Gardlings, Sparks)on hand, demoing their games and signing copies. A huge thank you to these designers for being part of the IPA launch!

5) Exciting prospects

By all accounts, this 2024 edition was a flaming sucess,and we're already looking ahead to 2025. It also marked a key milestone for the IPA's journey, providing the opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships and develop new ones through a dedicated professional meeting space. We’re excited to have multiple partners onboard, and you can expect to see the IPA logo at major conventions in the future.

Finally, we couldn’t wrap up this report without extending a huge thank you to everyone we met and interacted with throughout the week. You’re the reason why Essen is so special, and why we’re always eager to return. Have fun playing and see you all next year!