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!
We always enjoy returning to the Jaarbeurs time and time again. The smooth communication with the team, and the way they always actively work with us to find solutions, mean that both we and our customers always look back with satisfaction on the events we bring to life here together.Wouter Maenhout, CEO at Fanfinity Agency
‘Over the years, we have built up a reputation in the world of Trading Card Games,’ says Mathijs de Vries, account manager at Jaarbeurs. ‘There are various brands, such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece, which have organised events with us one after the other. Any organiser commissioned by a major brand to run a tournament in the Netherlands now automatically ends up in Utrecht and at 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 love coming back to Jaarbeurs”
– Fanfinity Agency
Mathijs continues: ‘In the case of Fanfinity Agency, we contribute a lot of ideas ourselves, so that they have less to do. We are happy to go the extra mile by thinking things through in advance.’ Wouter Maenhout, CEO at Fanfinity Agency, agrees and says: ‘We always look forward to returning to Jaarbeurs. The smooth communication with the team, and the way they always actively help us find solutions, mean that both we and our clients always look back with satisfaction on the events we bring to life here together. From quiet concentration at our tabletop games to fast-paced online games, anything is possible here.”
“Thanks to our knowledge of the industry, we can provide excellent support to organisers of TCG events”
The fact that Jaarbeurs has such in-depth knowledge of the market has not gone unnoticed by other organisers either. More and more organisers are reporting that they have recommended the venue to their clients. And that’s not surprising, according to Mathijs. ‘It’s great for an organiser that we’re familiar with how tournaments are structured. Because if you know the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments, you actually know the other formats as well. We have a broad knowledge of the various tournaments that are played, which we can apply to other events. This enables us to help organisers of other TCG events to successfully organise an event.’
The scalability of Jaarbeurs venues also proves to be a major plus point for organisers. Mathijs: ‘Not every tournament requires the same amount of floor space. At Jaarbeurs , we have a wide variety of halls and sizes, which means we can respond effectively to the client’s requirements. One might need 6,000 square metres, another 12,000. And we can accommodate 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
