Pitching Your Board Game to 16 Publishers: What to Expect at Speed Dating Events (2026)

Back in mid-April a friend and fellow board game designer strongly encouraged me to apply for the Designer Publisher Speed Dating at UK Games Expo 2026. I wasn't sure it'd be right for me - I'd never pitched before, but he said it'd be great to learn, get feedback and make contacts, so I applied that night. Somehow I was lucky enough to be one of 34 board game designers accepted from over 250 which was truly astounding to me. That excitement quickly turned to pure nerves though when I realised I was about to sit down with 16 different publishers and pitch the last 4 years of my spare time to them!

Given I knew nothing about pitching and I'd never done it before - I got studying quickly and sought feedback on my pitch. This article covers the key takeaways and some of the things I learnt in preparation. I'll be updating this once I've been speed dating to let you know how it goes. If you'd rather hear about my preparation in video form check out the video below - including a 4 minute pitch of my game!

What is Designer Publisher Speed Dating?

As I mentioned above, I applied specifically for the UKGE speed-dating but my very rushed research suggests a lot of the events work in the same way. Publishers set up their game, sell-sheets and anything else they need up on a table, a bell rings and a publisher appears. After 4 minutes of desperately trying to get the point of your game across without just confusing the publisher the bell rings again and they ask questions. 1 minute and 1 bell later they publishers get up and move on to the next table. No "one more question", no "I forgot to talk about this mechanic", that's it.

Why Enter Speed Dating as a Designer?

Of course the end-goal for a designer at these kind of events is to try and get someone to publish their game within whatever conditions the designer deems reasonable. But even ignoring publishing deals, if you're a game designer, like with any other industry, contacts are key. Knowing publishers, being recognised, building relationships will only help you in the future, whether you try and get this, or a different game published. As an independent board game designer you'll also get insights into your game that you won't anywhere else - very few playtesters are going to think about how much your game will cost to manufacture for example. So ignoring publishing deals entirely I'm sure I'll get something out of the experience. Even if I don't get a deal and decide to self-publish with Kickstarter this will help.

Board Game Pitch Tips: How to Prepare 

Research pitching - it's a pretty different thing to do, but lots of people have done it before you. Like everything else it seems in the boardgame industry, everyone is willing to help! Read tips, watch videos, the information is out there. A few key tips I've found:

1. Prepare but don't script - Scripting your pitch can sound like a good idea - you'll know exactly how long it takes and say all the right things. The problems come when you can't remember the next part which when you're nervous is easily done. If you don't remember what comes next you're likely to struggle to get back into the pitch, or even if a publisher interrupts to ask you a question. Scripting can also make the whole thing very transactional and less conversational.

2. Don't try to explain your whole game - You only have 4 minutes so you'll never manage to explain the entire game. Instead what publishers care about are the key decisions players get to make in the game and how they impact what's happening. As well as this they want to know what's the hook - what makes your game different from the 600 others they've seen today?

3. Don't be too casual - OK, you do want to be really friendly with the publishers, and I'm sure they're all nice people. But remember that for them, even if they're particularly personable, they're also working. Listening to your pitch is part of their job and while you should absolutely be nice and personable, try and keep a bit of professionalism as well.

A few of the videos I enjoyed which really helped my prep were by Adam in Wales and Pam Walls, linked below:

What to Bring to the Table

A sell sheet! You probably needed one to get accepted onto the event anyway, but take it with you. If you want examples, UKGE provided this link to some really great sell sheets. In an upcoming YouTube video I'll be giving some tips I've picked up on how to make a board game sell sheet . If your game has cheat sheets or player aids these can be helpful too - you could take a rulebook but they won't have time to read it. I'll be taking cheat sheets, sell sheet and of course most importantly, THE GAME.

How Do You Know Your Board Game Is Ready to Pitch? 

I'll be pitching Station Decimus - a push your luck game I've been working on for the past 4 years on and off. The key thing that's made me confident in pitching this game to complete strangers is that I've been asked a number of times now "When can I buy it". It's a great sign the game is on the right track. Want to follow how the pitches go and try the game yourself? Grab the free print and play below:

What next?

Next up is the pitching, then I'll be back here (and on YouTube) going over the experience, how it goes, whether I have any interest in the game and what I've learnt from it! Subscribe to the channel to find out what happens next!