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Gamescom came to a grinding halt for some last year when masses of show-goers crowded the entrances to the fourth largest convention center in the world, forcing organizers to lock down the show. This year Gamescom officials tell Polygon that they are sure that won't happen again.
Gamescom came to a grinding halt for some last year when masses of show-goers crowded the entrances to the fourth largest convention center in the world, forcing organizers to lock down the show.
This year Gamescom officials tell Polygon that they are sure that won't happen again.
Tickets to the show's busiest day, Saturday, were only pre-sold and organizers stopped selling tickets once they hit a cap they set, Koelnmesse press officer Christine Hackmann told Polygon.
No tickets will be sold for Saturday on that day and the organizers say they have been working hard to spread the word via local media, Facebook and Twitter that there will be no ticket sales on Saturday.
Hackmann declined to say what the day's cap was for ticket sales.
Cologne's massive Koelnmesse was forced to shut its doors shortly before noon on the Saturday of last year's show and begin regulating the show's two main entrances for about three hours. The temporary shut down was triggered as the show neared the 62,000 person capacity of the 2.8 million square foot center.
As entrance to the show slowed, attendees were forced to wait outside in the massive crowds and high temperatures.
This year, organizers have opened up a hall to allow some of the attendees to get out of the sun while waiting to get into the show. There will also be some music and entertainment for those waiting, Hackmann said.
The show itself has also expanded its foot print, slowly taking up the remaining square footage of the show. The outdoor areas will nearly fill the grounds' 500,000 square feet of outside space this year.
Last year was the first time in the show's then three-year history that organizers had to start regulating attendance. Gamescom started in 2002 as Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. During a fractious 2009 move to Cologne it was renamed to Gamescom.
While official attendance figures aren't shared until after the show ends, Hackmann said she believes this year's show will be larger than last year. Last year's show attracted a record 275,000 people to the four day event.
