Ready to play? Preview the 2020 Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo
Judy H Petersen gives us a preview of the 2020 Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo in April and highlights the benefits of gameplay for people of all ages.

Do you love family game night? Do your kids love moving pieces around the board?
If you love the sound of dice rolling on a cardboard game, then you need to check out the Stockholm Tabletop Board Game Expo on 25-26 April 2020.
What to expect at the Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo
Attendees can expect free lessons, demos, competitions, lectures, workshops, a board game flea market, and much more when they attend the Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo.
For example, a volunteer will pair you up with two or three other players to teach you how to play Happy Salmon.
Happy Salmon is an interactive physical game that involves drawing cards and giving other players high fives, knuckle bumps, fin flaps, and so on (laughter guaranteed).
Experience your moment of Zen as you try your hand (literally) at a game called Catch the Moon.

Browse the trade show and experiment with exhibitors’ games and miniature painting. Or volunteer for 90- or 120-minute game testing sessions.
New for this year is tabletop game forge—a demonstration that consists of 3-D printers, screens, tools, and other machines.
Several exhibitors will bring their printers to show how they work and what they can do with tabletop games giving attendees a glimpse into the future of gaming.
You’ll learn about designs and machines—and where you can find them, buy them, and sell them.
You’ll also get to hear about the fascinating SCAN THE WORLD project with endless possibilities for 3D printing and custom game boards.

Unlike other board game expos
“When I attended Spiel in Germany,” said Fredrik von Stransky, executive director of Greifenfels, a game accessory distributor in the Nordics, “visitors stood 3-4 persons deep at the tables. And you couldn’t see what was on them. Not so at the Stockholm expo.”
During its debut year, 90% of the attendees at the 2019 Stockholm Tabletop Expo said they would return in 2020 because it was so enjoyable.
Past attendees have said:
- Thanks to the flea market, I found my favorite game and bought it so I could replace missing pieces for the one I had at home.
- My kids didn’t want to leave. I had to tear them away from the Klask board.
- Wonderful with focus on board games—rather than computer games.
- Really enjoyed being able just to sit down and play games—especially those being sold on-site.
- Great attention to detail—flowers and plants were a nice touch—as was the living room set in one booth. Appreciated the professional, first-class signage and printed materials.
The benefits of board gameplay
The Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo is great and provides tons of benefits for kids and their parents.
Game playing provides companionship, improves self-confidence, strengthens interpersonal communication, promotes patience, triggers relaxation, increases response time, and stimulates the brain while you play.
“The Tabletop Game Expo is much needed,” said Emma Rudstam, IT consultant and founder of Spelevent Norden AB. “Board games often take a back seat at game fairs in which digital games dominate.”

What to expect at the venue
Located in Solnahallen, the two-story building has a restaurant, wardrobe, and toilets on the second floor, and an elevator, toilets, and expo events on the first floor.
It holds two large halls; one houses:
- The expo’s stage program
- Booths run by reps from various game-related associations
- An indie game market for start-ups, i.e., independent game developers
- An industry trade show with reps who show and sell games and accessories and host game sessions (e.g., FryxGames and Asmodee Nordics)
The other hall houses a huge game-playing area with a/an:
- Special family zone
- Boardgame flea market (on Sunday, 26 April)
- Reception area for demonstrating role-playing
- Boardgame library with its nearby game-playing area
It also contains spaces for (i) various clubs such as chess, collectible card games, and role-playing, and (ii) tournaments/competitions (e.g., Kingdomino, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Warhammer 40K).
Special rooms can be pre-booked for role-playing.
Find a new game, play with new friends, and have a great time at the Stockholm Tabletop Game Expo.
Find out more, visit: tabletopgameexpo.com and facebook.com/events/2841630472531533
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