SPIEL Essen: Carol Rapp on rising costs, planned cooperations and sociable trade fair days
Since January, Carol Rapp has been responsible for Spiel in Essen. We spoke to the managing director of Friedhelm Merz Verlag – about rising admission prices, tensions with Nostheide-Verlag and the requirements of the Spielwarenmesse.
Carol Rapp
Carol Rapp was born in 1979. She has been managing director of Friedhelm Merz Verlag, which organises the Spiel in Essen, since 15 November 2022. Previously, Rapp worked as a consultant in the board game industry. She was also managing director of Asmodee GmbH and marketing manager for family and adult games at Kosmos.
Spiel Essen
Since 1983, Spiel Essen has developed from a small meetup for players into what the organiser claims is the world’s largest public trade fair for board, card and role-playing games. Dominique Metzler played a major role in this but stepped down as managing director of Spiel in January 2023. As early as 2022, Metzler sold Spiel to Spielwarenmesse eG. Since January 2023, Carol Rapp and her team have been responsible for the trade fair. Together, they have since designed a new logo and mascot, revamped the website and revised the hall concept.
You were at the Spielwarenmesse, the UK Games Expo and the Berlin Brettspiel Con in recent months. What inspirations for Spiel did you take away?
I took away that people want more free play areas. We are looking into whether and how we can implement this. It’s a very complex issue, so a decision won’t be made before 2024. The UK Games Expo has a B2B area, even though it’s primarily a public trade fair. I can imagine us tackling this from 2024 onwards and expanding the B2B area at Spiel.
Hall plans are set, ticket sales are running, the new website is online: what else needs to be done before the trade fair starts?
There are still many details to clarify that are important for a successful trade fair. Marketing materials need to be coordinated and produced. We are in the detailed planning for Educators Day. We are organising our evening event on Wednesday. And yes, ticket sales are running, but we keep getting questions about them, for example when people accidentally buy the wrong ticket.
In an interview with Spielbox, you said: I don’t think we’ll reach the visitor numbers of 2019 in 2023. Why not?
Spielbox interviewed me in June. The UK Games Expo had just ended, and I saw that it was very well attended. We are also on a good path. With around 32,400 square metres of exhibition space across six halls, the trade fair is the largest Spiel ever. A good 850 exhibitors from 55 nations will present their games this year. Advance ticket sales have been going very well so far, and I expect we’ll have many visitors. The big question is: will there be more than in 2019, i.e. more than 209,000 people. I’m optimistic, but I still won’t say: we’ll definitely manage it.
How many people are you expecting?
My wish would be at least 180,000 people.
Is that the benchmark for a successful Spiel?
We’re already happy with what we’ve achieved. We’re pleased with the feedback from exhibitors, for example about the new hall layout. But visitors are also important to us. We hope they’ll give us positive feedback after the trade fair.
The Merz Verlag has belonged to Spielwarenmesse since 2022. What requirements do the Nuremberg team set?
Spielwarenmesse knows that trade fairs are different. They know we understand the board game world. So they let us get on with it, just want to be kept informed and give us feedback. We don’t get a lot of pressure from our parent company and benefit from their expertise in trade fairs. Of course, every company has a budget, and at the end of the day, income and expenses have to balance. But even these requirements are very reasonable. We want to reach or exceed the pre-Corona revenue level.
If the requirements are reasonable, why the increase in admission prices and exhibitor fees?
Spiel has regularly increased admission prices and exhibitor fees. This has to happen because our costs are rising, for example due to inflation in recent months. The effects of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have also led to a significant increase in energy costs. From a business perspective, we have no choice but to pass on some of these costs to exhibitors. However, we are not burdening publishers with exorbitant surcharges. We have raised prices well below the inflation rate. Yes, there is now an additional energy surcharge for exhibitors. But we will abolish this once energy prices fall. When it comes to admission prices, it’s important not to compare apples with oranges. It can be confusing if, in one year, advance booking fees are included in the admission price and, in another year, they are not.
Spiel has three main revenue streams: admission tickets, exhibitor fees and marketing campaigns. Are there plans to shift the balance between these?
No. I’m not a fan of shifting costs to one side.
How does Spiel benefit from Spielwarenmesse?
We benefit from the expertise of our Nuremberg colleagues. Hardly anyone on the new team knows the trade fair business. Their input helps us. We benefit from the Nuremberg marketing department. We implemented all our external communications with their colleagues. This also applies to the new Spiel website. We benefit from Spielwarenmesse’s representative network. Representatives are based all over the world and are local contacts for exhibitors. This makes it easier to acquire new exhibitors. We are also trying to collaborate in other areas, for example with the ticket shop.
How does Spielwarenmesse benefit from Spiel?
Right now, as a team, we’re very focused on ourselves. Processes need to settle in, and our first trade fair needs to go well. After that, we’ll see what we can give back. There are concrete topics we want to discuss after October.
Why was Spiel.Digital discontinued?
A lot of money went into the platform, and even more would have had to be invested. In 2021, it became clear that it was too much for publishers to manage both the on-site trade fair and Spiel.Digital at the same time. This led to visitors being disappointed with Spiel.Digital because not much was happening on the platform. Spiel.Digital could work, but it would need to be decoupled from the trade fair date.
Are there any plans for this?
No, not at the moment. We’re focusing on the trade fair in Essen.
Instead, there will be an app again. It includes hall plans and information about games. Is this the start of another business model, after all, data is the gold of the present.
We’ve already been approached by people and institutions about the app. One question is whether a possible directory of available games will get an extract from our data. That still needs to be clarified. For visitors, the app will remain free of charge.
As well as Spiel.Digital, the printed trade fair guide is no longer available. Why?
We want to focus on the app. It’s more up-to-date than a printed booklet with a deadline. Data in an app can be updated at any time. Other advantages: you can search specifically for publishers or games.
Even so, there will be a printed trade fair magazine, the spielbox special from Nostheide-Verlag. Does this mean the tensions with Nostheide-Verlag are now in the past?
I’m not a fan of old stories. We and Nostheide-Verlag talk to each other and observe how things develop. Nostheide-Verlag is pleased to be able to distribute the spielbox special on the trade fair grounds again. We’re also pleased about it because we’re featured in it. For me, give and take is important. As long as both sides are happy, everything is fine.
As well as Nostheide-Verlag, there are other players in the scene. Do you plan further collaborations with companies, associations or institutions?
Yes, we do plan that and are already in talks. I don’t want to reveal more details at the moment.
In May, you presented the new logo for SPIEL vorgestellt. It includes the name of the city of Essen. Many saw this as a commitment to Essen. Is it also preparation for expanding SPIEL to other countries?
No, that’s not the background. Abroad, the term SPIEL isn’t as well known, but Essen is. That’s why we included the city in the logo. We also wanted to show that we feel a sense of belonging to the city. SPIEL and Essen belong together. We also wanted to take the wind out of the sails of anyone saying we’re leaving the city. Expanding to other countries isn’t currently planned.
Until when are the contracts in Essen signed?
We traditionally sign contracts with Messe Essen for two years at a time. So we’re definitely in Essen until 2024, that’s confirmed in writing. We’re also planning beyond that with the location and are in talks about further future dates.
You know SPIEL in various roles. Now it’s your first trade fair as managing director. How will you spend the days?
On Wednesday, I’ll be at the press conference and will host the evening event. From Thursday to Sunday, I don’t yet know exactly when I’ll be where. I’m not the sole master of my own schedule. But I’ll definitely be walking through the halls, giving interviews and talking to exhibitors as well as visitors. I think the time will pass faster than you can blink.
Where do you see SPIEL in five years?
We’ll always be a public trade fair. In five years, there will hopefully be a more developed business area. Even today, the B2B aspect of SPIEL shouldn’t be underestimated. If things continue as they have in recent years, in five years we might occupy the entire trade fair. In the future, you should still be able to play at any stand at any time. That should never change, it’s what makes the trade fair special. Then there will hopefully be further collaborations. Ideally with international events too. We want to bring play to the world because people can learn and experience so much through games. That’s why we want to talk to organisations and organisers to further promote the cultural asset of gaming.
Update on 10 October 2023: From 5 to 8 October 2023, according to the organisers, 193,000 people from 85 countries visited SPIEL Essen. With this number and a total area of 62,500 square metres, the largest SPIEL of all time took place. This statement refers only to the total area. In 2019, before the corona pandemic, 209,000 people visited the trade fair. In 2023, there were 935 exhibitors from 56 nations presenting 1,700 new releases, according to the organisers. In the previous year, there were 980 exhibitors from 56 nations.
The interest in SPIEL 2023 also affected the footfall at the exhibitors: “Our stand was really well attended on all four days. The gaming tables were almost always fully occupied. We had significantly more sales at the trade fair than in previous years. Although the average receipt was a bit lower, we had many more customers at our till”, says Andreas Finkernagel, managing director of Friedberg-based publisher Pegasus Spiele.