As you may have read in our previous post, we went to SPIEL Essen to pitch Whack to Panda Game Manufacturing as part of their 25 in 25 competition. What an incredible experience it turned out to be!
The day already started on a promising note: while waiting in line for parking tickets, we met some fellow Dutch board game enthusiasts. Naturally, we couldn’t resist giving them a quick mini-pitch of Whack, and they were excited enough to join our mailing list. A great start before even entering the halls!
Our appointment was scheduled for 14:30, so we began by exploring the seven(!) massive halls filled with board games from all over the world. The energy, creativity, and sheer number of games on display were amazing and quite frankly overwhelming.
As we walked around, we took the opportunity to rehearse and fine-tune our pitch, making sure every word and gesture felt right.
At 14:15, we made our way to the Panda booth, where we were warmly welcomed and invited to set up our Whack prototype. We met João, who kindly explained how the competition works and immediately made us feel at ease. Then it was time for our big moment: the pitch!
Everything flowed smoothly, and we could see a smile on João’s face, which gave us a good feeling that our excitement for Whack came through. We showed how a turn was played by rolling the dice and moving around the board. Afterward, João asked a few questions about our plans with the game and handed us some awesome Panda goodies like dice, sample cards, and other materials that will definitely come in handy for when we start looking at production.
By the end of the day, we drove home feeling proud and inspired. It was a fantastic experience, and no matter what happens next, we learned a lot and had an unforgettable day at SPIEL.
Now, it’s time to wait and see if Whack will be selected for the next round of Panda’s 25 in 25 competition. Fingers crossed! 🤞