For the first time in its history, SPIEL Essen will occupy the entire space for exhibitors in six exhibition halls from October 3 to 6 and is therefore sold out. Never before have so many exhibitors wanted to enlarge their booths at SPIEL and at the same time so many new publishers wanted to present their titles to around 200,000 visitors. With this growth in exhibition space, Merz Verlag is setting a new record this year even before the start of the fair: for the first time, the world's leading fair in Essen will occupy a total area of 68,528 square meters.

“We are overwhelmed by the rush to our show,” says Carol Rapp, Managing Director of the organizing Merz Verlag. Due to the huge response, all hall plans were redesigned several times, stands were moved and the smallest corners were rearranged. The team always had SPIEL's comprehensive safety concept in mind: in order to allow visitors to pass through easily, the aisle width must not be reduced.

The joy of the successful start comes with a small drop of bitterness: There is a waiting list for exhibitors who registered after the deadline. “We knew quite early on that it would be fuller than 2023, but just before the deadline, we received a large number of registrations,” says Carol Rapp, explaining the rush. According to her, opening another hall is currently not an option, as this would involve relocating existing exhibitors, which - due to the different thematic focuses - requires long-term planning.  "It is impressive how popular SPIEL Essen is. With this power, we are starting a successful fair, the expansion of which we will consider for next year,” summarizes Rapp.