With its focus (almost entirely) on board games, the UK Games Expo wasn't exactly an obvious choice for running an iGGi stand. But due to the fact that a considerable proportion of iGGi PG Researchers has involvement with tabletop games through their research in some form or other, the suggestion had been made for a few years now, and finally, iGGi decided to test the waters. As an added encouragement, Tabletop R&D - an SME that sprung off from our very own Game AI Group at QMUL - had offered to share a stand space with us.

We (i.e., the 8 iGGis who attended) were positively surprised on more than one level, namely by

• the size of the expo (4 large, hangar-like exhibition halls)

• the welcoming and friendly vibes from the community (and the fact that it felt like a community gathering rather than a trade fair)

• the quality of conversations we had at the stand, which also made our presence feel relevant

• the new connections we forged

• just the charm of the whole thing

We're definitely all rooting for coming back next year!