On October 29, the UK Instagram account for the dart-throwing party game Tossit announced “we were robbed at [SPIEL] Essen”, Europe’s biggest board game convention, with goods and gear worth $15,650 (€14,000) taken between the close of the show on Sunday October 25 and the team returning to dismantle the booth on Monday. Tossit also claims that “instead of receiving practical help, we were met with laughter” by SPIEL Essen and venue staff – something that the convention denies.
SPIEL Essen is the most important event in the European board games industry, and arguably the world, a colossal convention where designers, publishers, and distributors strike business deals, while the general public knock elbows in their hunt for the best board games. Exhibiting is very costly, even before considering the risk of theft.
“On Sunday, October 25, 22:45hs, we left our stock at our booth to finish dismantling during the official dismantling hours”, Tossit reports. “When we returned on Monday, October 26 8am, €14,000 worth of products and equipment were gone”. Even “the tools we had stored inside our stand furniture were gone, leaving us without the equipment we needed to dismantle.”
The studio adds that when it reported the theft to “representatives of SPIEL Essen and Messe Essen” – the exhibition venue where the convention takes place – “instead of receiving practical help, we were met with laughter”.
It adds that “we were told there was no continuous camera surveillance inside the halls”, and it is left with questions about “who had access overnight? What security measures were in place?”
Tossit states that “on our flight home, we met other exhibitors who told us they had also been robbed”. Reviewing the comments to Tossit’s post, Wargamer found three further claims from tabletop companies who state they had been stolen from when exhibiting at Essen this year or previously:
- Retailer ‘The Rolling Inn’ reports a theft of €4,000 this year, adding “The guard mocked us yelling we have to go”.
- Board game maker Dicecoalitiongames reports “the exact same thing happened to us in 2025”.
- Tabletop marketer Dinasaidso says “We had this happen the last three years and decided to not go this year as honestly the costs are high enough as it is”.
SPIEL Essen has already replied to Tossit’s original post using its official Instagram account, stating:
“We take every allegation of theft very seriously. We are already in direct contact with the exhibitor and Messe Essen to clarify the facts of the matter, and the police have already been notified. Our team has taken the situation seriously at all times and, above all, has not laughed at any of the parties involved. Since the matter is currently under investigation, we ask for your understanding that we cannot comment further on this publicly on social media.”
Wargamer has reached out to the media team at SPIEL Essen to ask for any updates, but at press time we haven’t received a response. We will update you as soon as we hear anything.
We have, however, had a response from Messe Essen, the massive exhibition centre where SPIEL takes place. Press team leader Tom Kraayvanger explains the venue’s stance:
“Messe Essen is responsible for general site security, securing buildings and access points, and fire safety,” but “responsibility for securing individual exhibition stands and the goods and items displayed there lies with the respective exhibitors”.
Messe provides an “option of booking professional stand security services” for exhibitors, which “includes corresponding insurance coverage”.
Kraayvanger states that “the risk of individual thefts unfortunately cannot be completely ruled out” during the dismantling phase of a large event. He emphasises the “logistical and organisational challenges” of dismantling 85,000 square meters of stands and display areas “within just 24 hours”, during which “thousands of people are working on the exhibition grounds simultaneously”, including “exhibitors, stand construction companies, logistics service providers, and technical personnel”.
As for the video surveillance coverage of the halls, Kraayvanger states that Messe is taking into account “data protection requirements and the privacy rights of the many people present on the exhibition grounds during an event and its set-up and dismantling phases”.
He adds that “when large numbers of people are moving goods, material and equipment at the same time, camera footage does not make it possible to distinguish between the legitimate removal of items and their unauthorized removal”, so “comprehensive video surveillance could not guarantee complete protection against theft”.
He notes that Messe is “not aware of any other comparable thefts in connection with SPIEL 2026”, and does not comment on the conduct of representatives or the claims that Tossit.UK staff were laughed at. He does not directly address the fact that this theft apparently occurred overnight, not during the designated dismantling period.
If you’re a designer who has experienced a major theft at this or other conventions, you can reach Wargamer via the official Wargamer Discord community.
Site editor Mollie Russell was on the ground at SPIEL Essen 2026, and has some rather more upbeat reports to share – a playtest of Greenwood, one of the hottest games from the show; her take on the best games and hidden gems from this year’s show; and her experiences with Trench Crusade as a first time wargamer.
Source: Wargamer
