Rolling Into EUIC: How a Mobility Scooter Made My Pokémon Weekend Possible

This weekend I travelled to London for the Pokémon European International Championships (EUIC) with my amazing friend Tomaz and my wonderful wife, Emily.

For anyone unfamiliar with competitive Pokémon TCG, getting a ticket to compete at EUIC is no small achievement. In fact, speaking from experience, it was genuinely easier to get tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour than it was to secure a competitor spot at EUIC. Tom and I were fortunate enough to get in, and Emily had a weekend-long spectator pass so she could enjoy the atmosphere without the pressure of competing.

We were all incredibly excited.

Thursday: Registration and Settling In

We drove up on Thursday and headed straight to the ExCeL to register and collect our competitor kits. That alone felt special. Each competitor received a playmat, hat, card sleeves, a pin badge, a special stamped Pokémon card and a deck box. It was a shame that the vendors weren’t open on Thursday, but collecting our badges early meant we could avoid long queues on Friday morning before the main event started, which proved to be a smart move.

After registration, we made our way to our hotel — Premier Inn London Barking.

Months before the trip, I had phoned ahead to request an accessible room as close to reception as possible. Accessibility doesn’t always mean being a wheelchair user, and for me, minimising walking distances inside hotels makes a significant difference to how manageable a trip feels. To their credit, they listened. They locked in Room 1 for Emily and me, and Room 2 for Tom. Being that close to reception took a huge amount of stress out of the stay and made check-in completely straightforward.

The room itself was fine overall, though one disappointment was the bed. Usually, accessible rooms in Premier Inns have king-size beds or two singles pushed together. This room had a standard small double, which wasn’t quite as comfortable for us.

We also asked for additional pillows. The pillows provided were quite flat, and when you’re preparing for long competition days, sleep really matters. On Thursday evening, the reaction from staff when we asked for more made it feel like we were requesting something unreasonable. I had asked for 2 additional pillows each, but after a long wait we were given 1 more each. That first night we made do. I’ll just say, this has never before been a problem at any other Premier Inn we’ve stayed at.

Thankfully, the Friday and Saturday staff were excellent. We were able to sleep with three pillows each, and it genuinely improved our rest. Small adjustments can make a big difference.

Friday: Competing at EUIC

Friday morning went smoothly. We passed straight through accessible security and into the venue without issue.

From a competitive perspective, I had a really solid start. Going into Round 6, I had won 3 matches, drawn 1 and lost just 1. Two more wins would have secured qualification for Phase 2 and given me the chance to compete for prizes. Unfortunately, three losses in a row meant it wasn’t to be. I finished the day on 10 points, and you need 16 to reach Phase 2.

Tom had previously made Day 2 at Birmingham, and that had been both of our goals for EUIC. Naturally, it was disappointing not to achieve it this time. But that’s competitive play — sometimes you’re on a run, sometimes you’re not.

The positive was that Saturday became something different entirely. Instead of preparing for another day of intense competition, we were free to explore and enjoy the event together.

Accessibility: The Difference It Made

The scale of EUIC was enormous. The entire northern side of the ExCeL — from N1 through to N9 — was dedicated to the championships. On the southern side, even more space was given to the Pokémon Center pop-up shop. That’s a lot of ground to cover!

London ExCeL does offer wheelchair and mobility scooter hire, but due to my specific requirements I wasn’t able to hire directly from the venue. That was frustrating at an event of this size.

Instead, I hired a mobility scooter from Cavendish Healthcare in conjunction with Mobility at Sea, and it completely changed what the weekend looked like for me.

I used the SupaScoota Spartan. It fits into the boot of the car, comes with two batteries and a charger, and supports up to 32 stone. It felt stable, reliable and practical for travelling.

With it, I was able to park at the ExCeL, ride through the car park to the lifts, head into the venue and move around independently. Without it, I simply wouldn’t have managed the distances involved over multiple days.

Pokémon themselves deserve enormous credit for how they handled accessibility.

There were clearly marked accessibility queues and shortcuts throughout the venue, and importantly, Tom and Emily were allowed to accompany me through them so we could stay together. That made a significant difference to the experience.

For the TCG main event, I requested assigned seating. I remained at Table 3018 for the entire competition and my opponents came to me each round. That removed the stress of navigating thousands of players between rounds and ensured I could focus entirely on playing.

Another thoughtful touch was the dedicated quiet room available at the event. We didn’t use it, but knowing there was a calm space available away from the intensity of 7,000+ people in one hall was reassuring.

One practical lesson from the weekend is that even with two batteries, a scooter only has so much range in a venue this size. On Saturday, after covering large distances repeatedly, we did need to spend some time charging the scooter. It’s worth remembering when attending somewhere as expansive as the London ExCeL.

Saturday: Pokémon Center and Enjoying the Moment

On Saturday we had a pre-booked slot for the Pokémon Center pop-up shop at 12:30pm. The shop was well organised and surprisingly spacious, even with large numbers of people inside. It was easy to navigate and felt very accessible.

There was fantastic merchandise on display, and it certainly made me wish we had a permanent Pokémon Center in the UK.

The only disappointment was that all Pokémon TCG products had completely sold out by our slot. On Thursday and Friday, some attendees had been purchasing multiple Elite Trainer Boxes at once, and by Saturday afternoon there was nothing left. It was a shame, and perhaps limiting purchases to one ETB per customer might allow more people the opportunity in future. Even so, we had a great time browsing and enjoying the atmosphere. The Saturday also happened to be Valentine’s Day, and there were some nice touches around.

There were also plenty of additional activities. From Pokémon Yoga, to Fishing for Magikarp, colouring stations and face painting, there was so much going on.

Emily embraced it fully. She met Mimikyu and Pikachu together, and later had a separate meet-and-greet with Snorlax. She had a different character painted on her face each day and made the most of the experience.

Because I had the scooter, I wasn’t worrying about conserving energy or missing out. I could be fully present and enjoy it with her.

Final Thoughts

Because we didn’t qualify for the Sunday, we decided to drive home a day early. Although we couldn’t refund Saturday night, the Saturday morning Premier Inn manager very kindly offered to comp our parking as a gesture. That was thoughtful and very much appreciated.

Until venues like the ExCeL consistently provide mobility equipment that works for everyone, it’s incredibly reassuring to know that companies like Cavendish Healthcare and Mobility at Sea are there to fill the gap.

Because of them, I was able to travel, compete, explore and enjoy the weekend fully. I wasn’t limited to short bursts of activity or forced to sit things out. I didn’t have to choose between competing and preserving energy. I could do both.

For many people, a mobility scooter isn’t about convenience. It’s about independence. It’s about access. It’s about being able to say yes to experiences — whether that’s a major international tournament, a cruise holiday, or simply a full day out without worrying how you’ll get back to the car.

If you’re considering hiring a mobility scooter for an event, a trip away, or a cruise, I genuinely recommend exploring what Mobility at Sea offer. You can find out more about their mobility scooter hire services here:

https://www.mobilityatsea.co.uk/mobility-scooter-hire-for-cruises

Having the right support in place can completely change what you’re able to experience. It certainly did for me. For context, Em and Tom each walked over 20,000 steps while we were there.

This weekend didn’t end with a trophy, but it did end with brilliant memories, shared experiences and the reminder that mobility challenges don’t have to define your limits — especially when you have the right wheels beneath you.