Displaced E³ Exhibitors May Return to CEA
By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 8/21/2006
The old adage, "If you love something, set it free ... ," certainly rings true for the Consumer Electronics Assn.
The group's Intl. CES provided space on its showfloor for hundreds of video game industry exhibitors before their 1995 departure to form E3/Electronic Entertainment Expo, which in 10 years grew into a massive tradeshow. Then on Aug. 10, a week after the surprise announcement that the Entertainment Software Assn. would discontinue E3, CEA said it would explore the possibility of launching its own video game show.
In the days following the ESA's news about the retooling of E3, the CEA was "deluged with inquiries on whether we could fill the tradeshow needs of smaller video entertainment companies," said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO.
Subsequently, the group formed an advisory committee to solicit gaming industry feedback and explore the viability of an event in Los Angeles (site of the ESA's old and new events) or Las Vegas in late spring 2007.
ESA would not comment on the CEA's efforts.
Three companies — Auravision, Majesco Entertainment and NCsoft — have agreed to put representatives on the committee, which will be led by Karen Chupka, CEA senior vice president of events and conferences, and Dan Cole, CEA vice president of business development. Chupka said she and Cole hoped to sit down with interested parties in early September.
Although the 2007 Intl. CES, scheduled Jan. 8–11 in Las Vegas, is already expected to fill more than 1.6 million net square feet with more than 2,500 exhibitors and 130,000 attendees, the CEA is making room for a few E3-displaced companies on its showfloor. Chupka said at press time the group had about 20,000 net sq. ft. available in ballrooms at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino for new exhibitors.
Shapiro added that the CEA is a strong supporter of "smaller companies and entrepreneurs who need access to media, buyers and investors" through tradeshows. The group reports that nearly 80 percent of its 2,700 member companies have annual sales of less than $10 million, and that more than 11 percent (17,800) of 2006 Intl. CES attendees expressed specific interest in gaming and gaming products.
Several existing shows are already expected to reap rewards from the demise of the 60,000-attendee E3, including the trade-public shows Games Convention in Leipzig (Germany), Austin Game Conference in Austin, Texas, the public show Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Bellevue, Wash., and the Tokyo Game Show. Both GC and PAX take place this week. Austin Game Conference is scheduled Sept. 6–8; Tokyo Game Show is Sept. 22–24.
Chupka said that, if video game industry professionals think they have enough shows by now, "we're not going to try to shove a show down a community's face." The CEA wants to launch a show "with the blessing of the community, not the struggle of the community," she added.
As to whether the CEA will produce an E3-like show, Chupka said the association is exploring whether it would make the show (if launched) trade-only. Chupka worked registration when gaming was a part of Intl. CES, so she knows what it's like "escorting kids off the floor because they got in illegally," she said.
The CEA's news has certainly piqued the interest of the video game community. In response to the news posted on the blog Engadget, a post stated, "Just imagine if they have this thing at the same time as (Intl.) CES. Geek Heaven."
