Essen Spiel: A Freelance Artist's Review
As long as I've been in the board game industry, I have heard tales of the famous Spiel fair in Essen Germany. I had made many preliminary attempts to go in the past, but different personal circumstances got in the way. Every time I considered Essen's potential for me as an artist, I seemed to lack the information needed to make an educated decision. Well, this year, 2026, I was able to attend for the first time. While I was not there seeking work (I was there, along with designer Dan Germain, to support the release of Braided Skies with Stonemaier Games), I couldn't help but observe. And, while the experience is still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd share my perspective on the convention and whether it's a good fit for other artists.
By the Numbers
First off, some facts. SPIEL Essen is by far the largest board game convention in the world. It is held in a massive convention center in Essen, Germany (the City of Food). This year, the exhibition space took up 8 halls making up a total footprint of 874,000 square feet. That's about the size of 15 American football fields. Even after offering more tickets, the fair sold out all four days and over the course of the event, 230,000 people attended from over 80 different countries. I personally met people from Serbia, Canada, the Netherlands, Chile, Uruguay, Japan, Azerbaijan, Norway, and Mexico. And, of course, many Germans and some Americans. There were nearly 1000 companies with booths to showcase their games and other products, coming from over 50 different nations. Germany was the most represented in the exhibitor space, followed distantly by American and French companies. By every metric, Spiel is a massive convention! In comparison, the next largest board game convention, GenCon in Indianapolis, has only a third of Essen's attendance.
Atmosphere
Next, let's talk about the overall atmosphere of Essen. When I talk to attendees at the various conventions I go to each year, we can't help but compare the general vibe and busy-ness of each. How concentrated and cramped does it feel? How much do you have to yell to be heard? How quickly can you navigate the aisles and get from Point A to Point B?
Considering the amount of people at the Spiel, you'd think that it would be nearly impossible to move around, impossible to get something to eat, impossible to hear yourself think. And (surprise!) that's mostly the case. But not completely. While there are three times as many attendees at Spiel than there are at GenCon, the German convention spreads those guests over more space, making it feel slightly less congested. On the first day of the show, I did feel a bit claustrophobic and it took me 20 minutes of hall maneuvering to find a door to fresh air. But by the second day, I knew the space better and could access the exterior (and some fine food trucks) within a minute or two. Bathrooms are rarer than one would like and there were usually long lines to get a stall. Overall, if you're one to be anxious around crowds, Spiel will be tough. But, surprisingly, there are other smaller conventions that are worse.
Besides comfort, there is something to be said about the overall mood and the kind of crowds the show brings. First, the show is wonderfully diverse, as mentioned above. I don't know if that has any real impact on the convention experience, but I think it's cool. In addition, everyone seems really excited to be there. And last, Essen Spiel is all about games. It's not a cosplay event. It's not a comic con. Just games...and I love it!
Even though Essen is a giant convention and you sense it, it still felt welcoming. I was able to visit with several friends and new publishers during my breaks and it didn't feel like a one-on-one conversation in an aisle was a problem for me or others around us. At times, it felt more like a celebration or a party, resulting in a very positive environment. A great environment for artists to connect with potential clients or other artists.
Freelancing Potential
While I am a serious board gamer, I never go to board game conventions to actually play games. I'm there for the exhibitor halls. The more publishers a convention has, the more opportunities to reconnect with old clients and to find new ones. That's why I generally avoid the small conventions unless I can get to one within a couple hours by car. In the US, conventions like GenCon and PAX Unplugged are my ideal. But Spiel surpasses both. As soon as I stepped into Messe Essen, I could tell that this convention was a freelancer's dream.
I have always encouraged artists to go to their industry's conventions. Bring your portfolio and some postcards (with your art), and then swing by every publisher and introduce yourself. It's very intimidating at first, especially for us reclusive types. But what most artists forget is each one of those exhibitors (well, at least the publishers) need art to function. It may not be their priority at that exact moment, but they are in the market, as it were. You are saving them time by bringing your art to them. Of course, not every publisher will be interested, but you're giving them an option. So, you pound the pavement. And there's so much pavement to pound at Essen!
But here's a tip to consider when there are so many publishers at hand and often so little time. Most artists would love to work on Magic the Gathering or Lorcana or some other big name project. So when they go to a convention, those are the projects/publishers they think of first. And you'll see those booths right away...they make their presence known. But I believe your greatest freelancing potential is found elsewhere. You see, between all the big publisher booths (that are usually focused completely on sales) you'll find hundreds (and I mean HUNDREDS at Essen) of smaller publishers that are still in this industry primarily for the hobby. They want financial success, of course. But they love the craft of building games. And those are usually the publishers that are dedicated to giving their best to their products, including art. They're on a budget, but they're not nickel and diming (or groschen and pfenniging?) their artists as much as the big guys. Those are also the publishers that have strong relationships with their existing art partners and will take the time to talk to new, potential talent. From my experience, the big publishers are more likely to view art as a bothersome expense only and, in turn, more likely to replace you with AI. They also have way more artists competing to work for them so the big companies don't always treat new artists with patience and respect. This is a huge overgeneralization, and there are many exceptions to that in reality, of course. So introduce yourself to the big publishers too. But when time is short and there are so many potential contacts to be made, let others battle it out for the big names. Your efforts could be spent in better ways. So, whether you're an aspiring artist or an established veteran, Essen is a field ripe for harvesting. With a good portfolio, some basic communication skills, and a lot of patience, you have a good shot at finding work at this show.
Travel and Location
Now, let's talk about logistics. Food for thought when balancing cost and benefits.
The number one challenge to attending any convention is the travel expenses. If you can't drive home at the end of the day, you're looking at hotels, airfare, ride sharing, meals, and the requisite local chocolate you must consume (and take home to family). A convention doesn't have to be across the globe to be expensive. So, each convention has it's challenges. Whether it's worth it or not is for you to decide. And getting to Essen is not without it's difficulties. Flying into the closest airport, Dusseldorf, was very expensive, so I opted to fly in and out of more distant airports (Amsterdam on the way in, Frankfurt on the way out). Being from the western US, it goes without saying that the air travel was long. But what was really weird for me was the trains. They are very unreliable. Each intercity trip I took included at least one cancellation and many stops that were skipped. I had to find alternate routes on the fly multiple times. As an ultra-planner, that's both annoying and stressful. If my last train to Frankfurt (already an alternate) had been cancelled (it's basically a flip of a coin), I could still be in Germany now. Even when the long distance trains did show up, they were usually late by at least 15 minutes and, on one occasion, switched platform assignments 3 times in 10 min. If you're traveling by train in Germany, it's best to have a Plan B and Plan C ready. Or if you're willing to spend a little more money, fly in and out of Dusseldorf and remove a lot of critical variables (and failure points) when it comes to travel plans. I will likely choose Dusseldorf next time.
For what it's worth, Essen itself is pleasant, but not that exciting. Most Germans I spoke to called it an ugly city. But I found that it had it's own unique charms, even in comparison to Amsterdam, where I spent the previous week. My hotel was on the edge of the downtown area, so I was able to find lots of nice streets with locals just going about their business. No obvious tourists or convention goers, that I could see. And unlike Amsterdam, I didn't have to constantly look over my shoulder for bikes trying to kill me. It was nice. At the first restaurant I went to in Essen, I discovered a new kind of curry condiment that blew my mind. And, in general, Germans really know how to eat mayonnaise in fantastic portions. If nothing else, Essen is literally the city of food (Essen means "food" or "to eat" in German).
Would I go again?
With all these various factors considered, the big question is "would I go again?". And the answer is a huge YES! Without a doubt, Spiel is the best board game convention in the world, not just the biggest. The atmosphere, the networking opportunities, the excitement, the food...it just can't be beat. Even without actively searching, I spoke with two new publishers who will likely turn into clients soon. Of course, given travel considerations, Essen may not be a viable option for all. But if you can get yourself there, the Spiel is a great place to look for art gigs in the board game industry. And take home the latest game hotness, of course.
Big thanks to Jamey Stegmaier, Dave Deenik, Susannah Eisenbraun, and the awesome volunteers at the Stonemaier booth for making this trip possible and so much fun!
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