The global games sector will descend on Cologne in Germany for the world’s largest games event Gamescom later this month, with a huge UK contingent expected to make the trip.

Hundreds of thousands of guests, and over 1000 exhibitors from around 50 countries, are expected to attend the trade show, which has become a real hit with developers, publishers and games firms across the world.

It’s the main business opportunity for anyone in our sector looking to make new connections, or reconnect with existing ones, and a huge opportunity for developers pitching to big publishers from across the world.

Without giving my ageing years away, I’ve been networking at this specific conference for over a decade and attended well over 200 games conferences across the world over the last 30 years since before my days as producer on the Grand Theft Auto franchise in the early 90s. During that time, I’ve learned how to best navigate these events, and have a few tips for any developers looking to maximise their networking on the trip, and in turn improve their chances of securing a publishing deal. Creatively and technically our sector is second to none but struggles with the entrepreneurial and commercial side of growing a business, which is why getting the networking right at these events is so important.

Firstly, have a one-line elevator pitch about your company or project well-rehearsed. With so many people going to the same place, expect to bump into games industry colleagues long before you arrive in Cologne, so you want to amplify every opportunity you can get.

Book in your meetings with the important people you want to meet well in advance, so you don’t miss out. At the same time don’t make the rookie mistake of just filling your diary with any meeting you can get – cherry pick and save time for the priority ones.

Be approachable - take advantage of queuing for a coffee or waiting for someone to arrive for a meeting and chat to others. Those impromptu catchups in corridors, when you’re milling about or having a coffee, or being introduced to someone new, can be the most valuable meetings.

Once your important meeting goes ahead and goes well, follow up with your contact once you’re back. However good your meeting is, it’s unlikely to come to anything unless you do what you said you were going to do. I’ve heard so many stories over the years of businesses not doing the basics like this right.

There’s all sorts of drink receptions and parties in Cologne but you need to be strategic about which ones you attend. Do you want to have fun or go to the one that’s more likely to help your business? It’s good to do a bit of both, but if you go somewhere where music is blaring, you’re unlikely to make that fruitful industry connection. The default evening venue for the UK industry is to attend the Corkonian pub on Alter Markt, so it’s worth attending if that’s your target market.

Business cards are much less common since Covid but are still a great way of making sure someone had your contact details.  And finally, as you leave, the 2025 dates will be advertised - so get the best hotel rates by booking super early for next year.

On a serious note, despite obvious challenges in our industry at the moment, our sector is still primed for growth, with The Data City estimating it could be worth approximately £29.5bn to the UK economy by 2027.

And the scale of the consumer element of Gamescom is a great reminder of the sheer size of our customer base. The fact so many want to travel all this way to get a glimpse of the latest big releases shows there’s still much to be excited about.

It’s incredibly almost exactly 20 years since the last European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) – then one of the most significant events of its type in Europe - was held in London in September 2004, which many people working in games will have fond memories of. That milestone has made me reflect on how much our industry has changed over that time.

The outlook for our sector certainly isn’t doom and gloom. There are so many opportunities at Gamescom to make new connections, and my advice is simply to help make the most of it.