Insomnia 56 Will Be Held at The NEC – Forcing Multiplay to Change Dates

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GAME Digital is delighted to announce that Multiplay, its Esports and Events business and the organiser of Insomnia, the UK’s largest gaming festival, has signed a multi-year deal with the National Exhibition Centre (“NEC”), beginning with Insomnia56, which will take place on 11th – 14th December 2015. Originally scheduled for the 20-23 November 2015.

i56

Having reached capacity at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry for Insomnia55, which witnessed record visitor numbers of over 36,000 during the four day event, the 3-year agreement with the NEC will provide Multiplay with a significantly enlarged venue from which to support the event’s future growth. Offering over 180,000 square metres of indoor space, up to 20 interconnecting halls and the 15,643 capacity LG Arena on site, the NEC provides around ten times the space of the Ricoh Arena.

Commenting on the deal, Craig ‘Wizzo’ Fletcher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Multiplay, said: “The Insomnia Gaming Festival has enjoyed an incredible journey in recent years. Ticket sales have soared in the last three years and we are expecting to welcome a total of over 100,000 visitors through our doors in 2015. The event has continued to broaden its offering and appeal over that time and has experienced a rapidly growing presence from both global YouTube stars and international publishers.”

“The move to the NEC, the UK’s largest exhibition venue, is another exciting step forward for Insomnia, providing us with the room we need to further expand its unique brand. The move opens up a number of opportunities to engage both existing and new fans on an even greater scale – allowing us to continue our growth trajectory and remain an increasingly popular destination for every type of gamer across the UK and beyond.”

Martyn Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of GAME Digital, added: “For over 16 years the team at Multiplay has overseen the growth of Insomnia from a small, local gaming event into the UK’s largest gaming festival. They have never lost sight of the fact that Insomnia is there to not only entertain gaming fans but to bring together communities of gamers. I am excited by the potential for Insomnia and the move to the NEC marks an important next step in its growth, as we look to expand the brand in the UK and internationally.”

Insomnia 56 is rumoured to be one of the smallest Insomnia LANs in the recent years. The new, more expensive, venue can hold many more people but Multiplay have increased the ticket prices, and changing the dates from November to December will deter thousands of people, especially those who work retail jobs that cannot have days off in December and an i-series isn’t the top of the financial list when Christmas is just around the corner. The move to the NEC was definitely needed, but shouldn’t have been pushed through especially if the predetermined date was to be changed. I would like to see numbers of people who have a season ticket that can’t attend i56 due to this change in date.

Adam

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