Since two people have already asked: no, I’m not going to Essen this year. I won’t be going to Essen before I get a steady job, which at the moment seems to be quite far in the future. Even then, there’s my son to consider, and it’s likely I won’t go to Essen again until he’s old enough to come with me.
Which is not as bad as it sounds like. While I enjoyed my trip — it was a blast — I can live without. After all, you can get pretty much everything after the fair and if there’s something specific I want, I probably know someone who’s going and can pick it up for me.