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Edwin Wong: My 2007 Essen Plan!
Well, it’s that time of the year again!
Like most repeat visitors, this year’s plan is really a combination of:
Do more of what I did right last year + Avoid what I did wrong last year + Try some new things I’ve read about = Great time! (Well, hopefully!)
Do more of what I did right last year
1. Eat a really heavy breakfast! That way, I can just grab a hot dog for lunch to save time and not feel hungry!
2. Drive! First time I went, I took the subway to/fro downtown, and boy, that was the last time given the number of cartons I tend to carry!
3. Park my car in the reserved lots closest to the entrance (not across the road where the media should be parking). I really don’t know who these lots are for, but they are empty the whole day, and for whatever reason, the nice old man guarding the gate allowed me in everyday! Could it be my smile? The close proximity to the halls allowed me to dump boxes into the car throughout the day! Also, enter by the media entrance where there is hardly a soul/queue!
4. Pick up a huge number of free card sleeves! Yup, gotta do this again this year!
5. Play only 2-3 rounds of each game to get a feel. This way, I managed to try a huge number of games!
6. Check out BGG ratings on all those great games on sale in the media room, and grab a complimentary cup of coffee, which I only found last year!
7. Rest my tired feet, and grab complimentary drinks as the press booth - again!
8. Check out the super Asian buffet spread at Yellow River Rest in downtown Essen, which I only discovered last year!
9. Complete my Settlers collection with new releases/expansions personally signed by Klaus Teuber!
10. Start picking up cases from Day 1 and not wait until Day 4 to get stuff! Last year I trolled home a grand total of 40 cartons, so I made sure I took home about 10 cartons each day!
11. Catch a musical! This year, I’ll catch Starlight Express at Bochum (did Phantom the year before last) - so nice that these great musicals are there to see in the evenings! Mamma Mia is playing in Essen this year, but I ‘ve seen that twice, and anyway, Startlight has come to a close in London for quite sometime now, so this is one of the last places to see it.
12. Make an appointment to meet as many of the publishers during the weekends, when the crowds are at their peak! This way, I get to cut through all the crowds to meet my appointment, who then shows me all the new stuff despite the crowds!
Avoid what I did wrong last year
1. Get down to the used game stall faster after the press conference! Last year, I dilly-dallyed looking at all the new releases, and by the time I got down to the stalls, someone beat me to the last 18 shrink-wrap copies of “Acquire”! Arrrgh! Worse, they all went for really cheap!!!
2. Get in earlier everyday as I didn’t know they allowed media to enter earlier!
3. Spend far more time trying games of independant publishers as they will be nowhere to be seen after Essen! I really plan to ignore all the major publishers this year, other than the cursory “hello”, as many gems produced by the smaller publishers can only be found at the fair itself!
4. Rush all the way to Hall X to see the presentation of the IGA award. Duh! Quite a waste of time, sorry!
5. Did not keep track of the daily ratings! Ended up missing some gems as a result! This year, I will have my eyes glued to the ever-changing ratings to keep track of what’s buzzing!
6. Also did not keep track of Rick’s A-Z of new releases, especially what’s available for pre-order. Couldn’t get some great stuff as a result. In fact, come to think of it, I only ever pre-order the release from Gordon (Fragor) in the past! This time, I’ll be scouring the listings and checking every pre-order to make sure I don’t miss out again.
Try some new things I’ve read about
1. That little restaurant inside the press hall recommended by Rick. Thanks Rick and will miss you this year!
2. I’m still checking what else that I’ve missed out? Be happy if you could drop me some hints!
All in all, I hope to do more right things, less wrong things, and discover more new things each year. I know it’s never going to be perfect, but that’s why its fun!
By the way, I actually wear 4 hats during the convention:
1. Media representative for my national newspaper.
2. Distributor of games in my country.
3. Father to a son who spends 110% of his time in Hall 6 if he could (no he can’t!).
4. Husband to a wife who is a non-gamer and fashion shopper trying to cope with 5 days in a small town where the latest fashion can only be seen in magazines!
This is going to be so much fun… again!
Posted by Edwin Wong on Sep 27, 2007 at 04:52 AM in Columnists, Edwin Wong - Malaysia / 894
Comments:
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"a son who spends 110% of his time in Hall 6 if he could (no he can’t!).”
Posted by Surya Van Lierde on Sep 27, 2007 at 02:29 PM | #
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Ha2, actually i quite like some stuff in hall 6 myself! Posted by Edwin Wong on Sep 27, 2007 at 07:18 PM | #
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