Page 9 - spielbox 03/21 - English

What Happened to . . . Petra Hofstetter
From Bear to Sheep
The young publishers have to get to work now, and I can sit here among my sheep. You sound like you had been toying with the idea of doing things different- ly for quite a while.
I had a great time at Heidelberger, there was so much fun and laughter. And per- sonally, I gained a lot from the job. We were doing very well in the end, and to top it all off our Codenames won the “Spiel des Jahres“ award. But it was also exhausting, the work just kept piling on. My son was having school problems at the time, and I felt I needed to look after him. After the sale to Asmodee, it quickly became clear that I wasn‘t going to car- ry on like before. I do not like to be an employee, and things would never be the same again anyway.
How did you get into flat rental, of all things?
I was born on Amrum, a small island in the North Sea. My parents and grandpar- ents have always worked in the hospital- ity industry. As a child, I used to hate it because I had to be quiet and the place was always busy. Back in the Heidelberg- er days, we rented a house and sublet individual apartments. When a tenant totally trashed his and we had to com- pletely strip the place, we joked that in the future it would only be rented out for a week. Then we actually tried that out, and it went very well.
The photos on your website look very idyllic.
With its 60 inhabitants, Dornberg is not a vacation hotspot. But it is surrounded by nature and has many beautiful hiking trails. The people who visit us love that, and I love it when people feel at home here and I can give something in return. It is like being back at the trade show booth, except that I don‘t have to travel to places anymore. (cs)
By UDO BARTSCH
Have you closed the board gaming chapter of your life?
Petra Hofstetter: I have launched a small business called “Spielstand“, supporting the trade fair attendances of publishers, to keep a foot in the door. And I still have my huge network of contacts. My hus- band‘s son works for Abacusspiele. That means I follow the scene, and I‘m always very happy when someone calls and asks for my advice.
Is your life very different now you live in the countryside in a small village called Dornberg in the Odenwald region? Before, many things were simply falling by the wayside. I was in the office five days a week, and often worked weekends as well. I already kept horses back then, but I had no time to ride; I just fed them and mucked them out. Today, when I get up at six in the morning, I can enjoy the early morning sun. That‘s really awesome.
As a qualified retail saleswoman in the board-gaming sector and with expe- rience in the Amigo sales team, Petra Hofstetter joined Heidelberger Spielev- erlag in 1996 and managed the new- ly-created Heidelbär game stores. With growing responsibilities, she became the third co-owner of the publishing house in 1997, alongside Harald Bilz and Peter Gutbrod. After the company was sold to Asmodee in 2017, Petra Hofstetter kept working there for another year. Today, she rents out vacation apartments in the Odenwald region with her husband.
Instead of the Heidelbär, Petra Hofstet- ter now enjoys looking after real animals. Photo: private
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