It is rare to see an independent game show in Taiwan. To deliver a world-class GGS, Gamania’s “Corporate Marketing Office企業行銷室 (CM)” held countless meetings during the preparation period. All of the participating units were on high alert as well, running test after test to make sure everything was absolutely perfect. The exhibition setup unit also ran at maximum efficiency to transform the old buildings with nothing at all into a high-quality exhibition venue combining fantasy with technology in just two short weeks. G!VOICE will now take everyone on a tour of all the preparations for GGS so you can see how such a spectacular exhibition came to be!
Empathy and Commitment – Special Feature on GGS Preparations
Gamania made the decision not to attend the TGS in April shortly after the Japan Earthquake. CM began discussing other options such as attending another game show, but due to time and other factors, Gamania decided to organize its own game show. The first show would also be held on Gamania’s home turf – Taiwan!
CM took charge of the GGS planning. This included everything from the exhibition schedule, pavilion design, staff recruitment and invitations to the global media. Planning through to preparation and actual exhibition took 4 ~ 5 months. This was a very difficult time we have all the Gamanians that took part or supported the GGS to thank for making the event go off so perfectly! Let’s now go behind the scenes with G!VOICE!
While the GGS might not be the “first or last” of its kind, independent game shows are quite rare in Taiwan. Everyone at CM was kept on their toes in the meetings during the planning period to make sure every little detail was accounted for.
Apart from the exhibition itself, the game studios tested their projects over and over again. Since the game demos were going to be the star of the show everything had to be perfect.
The global media was invited for the GGS. The task of contacting the media and organizing their itineraries was the responsibility of Gamania’s regional PR teams. Video conferencing allowed Gamanians across the world to learn about the overall exhibition planning, making it easier for them organize the itinerary for the media from each country.
▲IBO （International Business Office）staff were assigned to media reception and assistance so this meant doing a lot of homework in advance.
▲The visual motif in the main pavilion is under construction. The steel bars looked nothing like the spectacular “Explosive Device” it would eventually become.
▲The Tiara Concerto pavilion under construction. What will emerge from behind the veil when GGS is opened to the public?
▲The Core Blaze pavilion had a rather unusual design featuring curve walls.
▲The Core Blaze pavilion lies beyond these mysterious glyphs. What could be hidden within?
▲The large keyhole is the entrance to the mysterious kingdom of Dream Drops. The fairy tale theme featured many ingenuous touches.
▲The iron chains symbolized the Dark faction in Langrisser Schwarz. Though incomplete, it certainly had an ominous look.
CM Director Ting Ting: “GGS was the first time that Gamanians across the world were all mobilized at the same time!”
Ting Hung, Director of Gamania CM
Much of the success of the GGS can be attributed to Gamania CM. The planning and execution took several months and G!VOICE interviewed Ting Ting, the Director of Gamania CM, to learn more about the hard work involved. Ting said: “Taiwanese industries rarely organize their own trade shows, making it difficult to find any past experience to draw on. Even the venue took a lot of looking around before we found the perfect site at Huashan. It was a completely new site so in the beginning we didn’t even have water, power or Internet access. These were all problems we had to overcome one by one. On the media front, each region’s media has its own characteristics and requirements that we needed to cater for. Since Gamania is a newcomer to the European and American markets, the media invitations took more time as well.” As we can see, the planning process was very difficult and CM staff was faced with many challenges. Ting Ting said: “Gamania mobilized an unprecedented number of people for GGS. Not only did it involve Gamania employees from around the world, it also involved a lot of hard work. My thanks go out to everyone for their help because it was you that made GGS go so smoothly!”
▲Well done, CM!
Group Chief R&D Officer Alan Kuo: “Doing everything possible to perfect every little detail.”
▲Alan Kuo, Gamania’s Chief R&D Officer
On the second day of GGS, G!Voice interviewed Alan Kuo, Gamania’s Chief R&D Officer, to see what he thinks about GGS. Alan said: “To be honest with you, I was still a little worried last week because we’ve going over the content that the studios will put on display with a fine-tooth comb over the last month. There were still some problems last week, but miraculously enough, everything went smoothly in the last week. Our luck held yesterday as well and the effects were superb too. The international media were very impressed with the products as the variety and quality of Taiwanese development teams completely surpassed their expectations. This is something that I am really happy about right now.” From this we can see how Gamanians managed to buckle down in the last week and perfected every little detail. For all the Gamanians that contributed their efforts to the GGS, Alan said: “Great work, everyone!”