As soon as you enter Gamescom, you are immersed in a sea of colors, voices, and impressions. Cosplayers make their way through the halls, music comes from every direction, and fans patiently wait in long lines for a glimpse of the latest games.
My schedule was packed: one meeting after another, with barely any time to catch my breath in between. Every year, you forget just how long it takes to get from one place to another. How crowded it gets, and how difficult it can be to find a specific person in the middle of all the hustle and bustle.
This year, however, things were a little easier for me. Instead of rushing from one meeting to the next, I could, thankfully, let the meetings come to me. I wasn’t at Gamescom on my own behalf, but representing our client Shure. As a result, I spent most of my time in the exhibitors’ “backstage” areas – and that gave me a very different perspective on the event.
Behind the scenes, you get a glimpse of everything visitors never see: entire rows of containers and vehicles used to store equipment or transport it from one hall to another. It’s only back there that you really begin to appreciate the sheer logistical effort that goes into an event like Gamescom – and just how many people it takes to make everything look seamless on the other side.
It also makes you look at the stands on the show floor differently. DJ booths, huge stages, elaborate setups – there is an incredible amount of work and investment behind them. Anyone who has secured what is certainly not an inexpensive spot on the show floor is likely investing just as much again in the stand itself.
After the Show Is Before the Show
This year was no different: as soon as the doors close, the real work begins.
The influencer party that evening provided plenty of talking points, and despite the packed schedule of meetings and evening events, there was even time for a few reunions. I ran into old acquaintances and colleagues I had lost touch with – brief but genuinely lovely encounters.
At the Shure-sponsored karaoke party, it became particularly clear just how much work goes into putting on a show like this – not only during the day at the trade fair, but in the evenings as well. Being there was absolutely worth it. I immediately felt the energy in the room when people who are truly passionate about what they do come together on stage and sing karaoke.
After three intense days, I headed home tired but fulfilled, my legs definitely feeling the effects of all the walking between meetings.
And yet, what stays with me is not the exhaustion, but the passion of the people I met along the way.
That’s why, despite the fatigue, I’m already looking forward to the next Gamescom.
