The Electronic Entertainment Expo (or Exposition), commonly known as Eł or E3, is the world's
largest annual trade show for the computer and video games industry. The expo is only open to industry professionals and journalists.
Eł is usually held in the third week of May of each year at the Los Angeles
Convention Center in Los Angeles. The Expo was
held in Atlanta for two years during the mid-90s, in which attendance plummeted. E3 draws in over 65,000 attendees from over 120
countries.
Many video game developers show off their upcoming games
and game-related hardware at the event, over a fifth of which have never been unveiled prior to the expo. The independent
"Game Critics Awards" have been given to "Best of E3" games
in various categories since 1998.
The first Eł was put on by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association) in
1995. Previously, most game developers went to other trade shows to display new products,
including the Consumer Electronics Show and the
European Computer Trade Show.
The Game Developers Conference is another
yearly milestone for developers held in the spring each year in California, but
it focuses on talks and discussions about the development of games. Other shows exist for the gaming industry (not just video
games), including Origins and
Gen Con.
Week
E3 happens on a week-long fixed schedule from year to year, making it easier for visitors. This also allows some regularity
from amongst journalists and those who work E3.
Many of the big players have their press conferences on the
Monday and Tuesday of the week of E3.
Generally large-scale events at a rented-out hotel or amphitheater around greater Los Angeles and usually invite-only, the big console makers will generally make the biggest splashes in the
industry during these events and unveil which products attendees are to expect on the show floor. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are reserved for the conference program which is aimed at game publishers and developers to discuss the
development of the industry. Conferences generally happen behind closed doors on the second floor of the LACC, away from the eyes of the public.
Wednesday starts the three days of the exposition (designated Day 1, Day 2,
and Day 3 respectively). This is where the attendees get to move around the floors and the expo is generally open for the public.
Ziff Davis provides fresh-off-the-press newspapers called ShowDaily each morning of the Expo detailing special celebrities featured at different booths, news from the press conferences the
nights before, maps of booth layouts of the different halls, and articles on the line-ups of some of the larger publishers in the
industry, such as Activision, Electronic Arts, or Vivendi Universal,
among others.
Friday ends the exposition and is also the shortest day for attendees to traverse
the expo so that booths may be taken down.
Layout
Using the LACC, over 540,000+ sq. ft. are
available for exhibition space across the five halls. The LACC is located over two blocks in downtown Los Angeles and shares a block with the Staples
Center. Parking is available under the West Hall for $10 a day (as of E3 2005).
Show floor
The show is exhibited over five halls: Kentia, Petree, South Hall, Concourse Hall, and the West Hall. Booth space is purchased ahead of time by publishers. The publishers, in turn, spend millions of
dollars creating elaborate displays and structures to accommodate the promotion of their bigger titles. E3 is loud and busy, it's
similar to being at a massive rock concert and every booth wants your attention in different ways. Booth babes are deployed specifically to thematically promote various games.
Different booths will also invite celebrities over for signings for their specific games. For 2004, Activision brought in
Stan Lee and Tony Hawk to promote
X-Men Legends and Tony Hawk Underground
2 respectively while Vivendi Universal brought in Vin Diesel to promote his new game The
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay based slightly on the summer 2004 blockbuster of the same name. Celebrities
are generally only available for a few hours, so line-waiting is a general practice at E3.
Concourse Hall and Lobbies
The external apparatus that connects the bigger halls is the Concourse Hall and subsequently, the West Hall and South Hall lobbies. The lobbies are used for registration, picking up badges and badge holders, and other
general information. Bag stands and the ShowDaily paper are available in the lobbies. The lobbies are also the signature glass structures of the LACC and are massive awe-inspiring structures.
The Concourse Hall
generally features four booths and a few media outlets as well as the recent Enter the Pixel game art exhibition
started at E3 2004. The Concourse Hall is generally used as a link between both lobbies and
features a window display looking out on downtown LA.
South Hall
The largest hall of the LACC and the largest
exhibition space by default. Microsoft and many of the largest Western developers
from North America and Europe generally find their homes here.
Kentia and Petree Halls
The second smallest and smallest halls respectively. The Kentia Hall is generally used by hardware companies to show off their latest wares while the Petree hall
was generally home to Atari and Midway's massive booths in years past.
West Hall
By coincidence or otherwise, the West
Hall is used by the biggest publishers from Asia. Nintendo and Sony's booths are normally located here. The West Hall is also
where one will find the various gaming media outlets such as IGN-Gamespy and Gamespot doing interviews with various gaming celebrities.
External links
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