Utrecht and Royal Jaarbeurs are inseparable. Because whoever says Utrecht, says Jaarbeurs. And vice versa. Nowadays, they have another common denominator, because together they have emerged as a mecca for fans of Trading Card Games (TCG). From all corners of the world, TCG fans come to Jaarbeurs to play card games such as One Piece, Pokémon, Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!
'Over the years, we have built a name for ourselves in the world of Trading Card Games,' says Mathijs de Vries, account manager at Jaarbeurs. 'There are several brands, for example Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece that have organised events with us one after the other. Any organiser commissioned by a major brand to organise a tournament in the Netherlands now actually automatically ends up at Utrecht and Jaarbeurs.'
The fact that Jaarbeurs is so well regarded as an event venue for Trading Card games has several reasons, according to Mathijs. Firstly, its good reputation. Years ago, Tournament Center (now called Fanfinity Agency), an exhibition organiser for publishers, knocked on Jaarbeurs Jaarbeurs s door to organise a TCG event. By now, the two parties know each other through and through. Mathijs: 'We have been working together for so long, we know what they need. Our event managers know what their floor plan looks like, what the most optimal routing is and what facilities services we should and should not offer. In addition, we can estimate well what will fit within their budget, without them having shared the budget with us. Our knowledge of the content of the tournament, makes us good venue for this industry.'
"We always return to Jaarbeurswith pleasure"
- Fanfinity Agency
Mathijs continues: 'In the case of Fanfinity Agency, we contribute many ideas ourselves, so that they have to do less. We like to go the extra mile by thinking along well beforehand.' Wouter Maenhout, CEO at Fanfinity Agency agrees, saying: 'We always return to the Jaarbeurs with pleasure. The smooth communication with the team and the way they always actively seek solutions with us mean that both we and our clients always look back with satisfaction at the events we bring to life here together. From silence and concentration at our tabletop games to fast-paced online games, everything is possible here."
"Our knowledge of the industry allows us to help organisers of TCG events well"
The fact that Jaarbeurs is knowledgeable about the market has not gone unnoticed by other organisers either. More and more organisers report having suggested the venue to their client. And that is not surprising according to Mathijs. 'It is nice for an organiser that we are aware of the set-up of tournaments. Because if you know the tournament of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, you actually know the other set-ups as well. We have a broad knowledge of the different tournaments being played, which we can put to use at other events. We can therefore help organisers of other TCG events to organise an event successfully.'
The scalability of Jaarbeurs 's spaces also proves to be a big plus with organisers. Mathijs: 'Not every tournament needs the same number of square metres. At Jaarbeurs, we have a wide variety of halls and sizes, which allows us to respond well to customer requirements. Some need 6,000 square metres, others 12,000. And we can provide that.'
Finally, Mathijs cites the city itself as a reason why TCG enthusiasts like to come to the centre of our country. For instance, he says: "Utrecht is a nice city to stay in if you come to a TCG from abroad. It is more affordable than Amsterdam and there are good hotels and small-scale hospitality. And all within small radius of Jaarbeurs. That makes it a popular city among players. In addition, it is easily accessible, being only 35 minutes from Schiphol Airport. Utrecht is actually a big village, which makes it interesting to visit it for and few days.'
Account and event manager Mathijs
Do you have a cool idea for an event or trade fair? We have the space, knowledge and passion for your event. I would be happy to tell you more about all the possibilities at our event location in Utrecht.
ejaarbeursbeurs.nl +31(0)30 295 5023
