Let the games begin! NRW is back in games mode with the 6th gamescom

• World’s largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment from
• 13.-17.08.2014 in Cologne
• 650 exhibitors and hundrets of thousands participants expected
• GDC – Game Developers Conference Europe, Independent Games Summit, Respawn, gamescom congress, gamescom festival, Videodays and more
• „Media region of NRW“ with international matchmaking in the business area (H 4.2, A-042)

The sixth edition of gamesom, the world’s largest leading trade fair for interactive entertainment is held in Cologne from 13 – 17 August. The organisers BIU and Koelnmesse are again expecting record figures again this year with around 650 exhibitors and hundrets of thousands participants. NRW consequently moves again for a week into the focus of the international games industry’s attention.

Apart from the fair’s extensive accompanying programme, which offers the spectrum of initial and continuous training, Let´s Play, Funsport or Retro Gaming, industry figures and the games scene are also attracted to the city by numerous events and conferences.

„The enthusiasm for the gamescom is growing. It brought almost half a million visitors to Cologne last year, and everything looks like the globally most important games trade fair also breaking all of the records again this August,¨ says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „It’s even nicer to know that gamescom will also be staying in the coming years in NRW – Germany’s most important location for the digital business.

Stand for the Media Region of NRW

The „Media Region of NRW“ will be showcased again with an umbrella stand in the business area (Hall 4.2, stand A-042), which is organised by the Mediencluster NRW in cooperation with the Film- und Medienstiftung and the Creative Europe Desk NRW. NRW companies, startups and delegates can use the stand as a meeting point for information and networking as well as their business meetings.. Moreover, from 13 – 15 August, the Mediencluster will again host international matchmaking, organised by the enterprise europe network and NRW.Europa. Held for the first time in 2013, the format exceeded all expectations with more than 120 participants from 15 countries.

From Evoke to Videodays

Events and specialist conferences about games are held throughout the whole city. The start is made by Evoke (08.-10.08.) in the Abenteuerhalle Kalk. The Respawn – Gathering of Game Developers (12.-13.08.), which was launched by Aruba Events in 2013, is cooperating for the first time with GDC Europe (11.-13.08.), Europe’s largest developer conference, where the Independent Games Summit is also organised. The gamescom congress (14.08.) will again be discussing social and economic issues about the computer games industry while the gamescom festival (15.-17.08.) brings bands like Maximo Park onto the stage A highlight for all webvideo fans will be Europe’s biggest YouTuber gathering, die Videodays (15.-16.08.) which attracted around 9,500 YouTubers to the Lanxess Arena last year.