Patrick Brennan: Australia Games Expo 2006

Here’s some exciting news for the Aus gaming scene ... a new Euro dedicated gaming convention!!

It’s to be held in Albury on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, June 10th and 11th. What sets this apart from the ordinary convention are the tournament prizes ... fully paid airfares and accommodation to the Essen games fair for the winners of the Settlers Of Catan and Carcassonne tournaments!! *blink*. There is a slight catch ... they’ll be run simultaneously so you can’t win both ;-). But what a super enticement to get the Expo up and going successfully.

The first question on most people’s minds though would be ... why Albury? I suspect mostly the answer is that it’s being driven by Phil Davies, the proprietor of Mind Games in Albury. I have family in Albury (which means I’ll definitely be there for the convention) and whenever I’ve visited I’ve always popped into the shop and been amazed at how well stocked it is with Euros (as well as other conventional gaming money-spinners) and how knowledgeable the staff are. There’s a large and thriving gaming community, fuelled no doubt by Mind Games, which is driven by a well organised club scene. So the foundations are in place for a successfully attended event. Albury also has some geographical advantages. It’s only a 3-4 hr drive from both Melbourne and Canberra so you’d be expecting a bunch of visitors from both of those cities. It’s a 6 hour drive from Sydney which is a bit of a stretch, but not enough to deter the committed gamer. Other capitals will require flying ... but I can confirm Albury does have an airport with regular flights!!

The Albury Convention & Performing Arts centre (smack in the heart of town) is booked for the same weekend for the following 2 years so there’s a real expectation and drive by the organisers to have it succeed. It’s being run along the lines of the Essen Games Fair, so exhibitors (retailers, manufacturers, game designers, anyone) will be hawking their wares. I’m sure public gaming will be plentiful.

Registration is at www.mindgamesalbury.com and the entry fee of $25 allows access to the Expo for both days. Hopefully I’ll see you there!!

Patrick

© 2006 Patrick Brennan

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We’re looking forward to it. Kudos to Phil for getting this event off the ground. Posted by Melissa Rogerson on Feb 19, 2006 at 02:06 PM | #

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