A day before EiG 2013 opens its doors, the vast Hall 1 of Fira Barcelona is home to a sprawling metropolis of power tools, wet paint and blinking spotlights - the building blocks of what promises to be another landmark event.
On first impressions, it seems extraordinarily unlikely that all that needs to be done before the event opens can possibly be completed.
Twenty or so hours before EiG kicks off on Tuesday October 8, many of the smaller stands remain bare. Many larger displays are nearing completion however, albeit carrying “wet paint” signs in a variety of languages.
The numerous assembly teams are something of a league of nations. Within 50m of the iNTERGAMINGi stand (No.618), the sawing and drilling and nail-gunning is interspersed with a few words in Spanish, French, German, variously accented English and more.
With cheerful efficiency, vast displays are hauled seemingly from nowhere. It is an exercise in careful co-operation and single-minded focus - and it has to be; the scale of the job is staggering.
The Fira team tells iNTERGAMINGi that the set-up began on Saturday and will continue all night, with the aisle carpets - the likely icing on the cake – being laid in the early hours.
It is an audacious undertaking but for the experienced organiser, Clarion Events, it is pretty much par for the course. As the distant sound of a circular saw once again rips through the momentary calm, there seems little doubt that come 11am tomorrow morning everything will be in its right place and the stage will once again be set for the i-gaming world to do its deals - and have a little fun along the way.
