First E for All Show Is Not for Everyone

With the launch of the Entertainment for All Expo, the downsized consumer show that's one of the replacements for the now defunct E³/Electronic Entertainment Expo, just a month away, some of the previous show's flagship exhibitors – Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai, THQ and Konami – have booked space. Others, however, such as Microsoft, Sony, Vivendi, Disney Interactive and Activision, have decided to skip this year.

“We have not signed up at all,” said Lori Chase, events manager in Sony Entertainment America's Playstation division.

Mary Dolaher, IDG World Expo vice president and show manager of E for All, said Sony might still send some of its hardware, such as PSP handhelds and PS3 consoles, to set up in kiosks for gamers to play on.

Chase countered that, as far as she knew, the company would not participate at all, declining to give a reason.

A special events manager from Vivendi Games also said her company would not attend, but declined to comment on the reason.

Though some companies won't be there, Dolaher said, “fifty percent of the big game publishers will be at the show.”

She cited a few reasons a number of the bigger exhibitors may have decided not to book a booth at the event's launch.

The Entertainment Software Assn. announced last July it was canceling E³ because of complaints from board members, who were also flagship exhibitors, that the show had gotten too expensive for them.

The event was replaced with an invitation-only series of meetings, E³ Media & Business Summit , held July 11-13 in Santa Monica, Calif., owned and managed by IDG World Expo, but with ESA still a sponsor.

Six months after the initial cancellation announcement, IDG decided to launch a consumer show, also sponsored by ESA, E for All, Oct. 18-21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“By the time E³ was canceled in July, then the consumer show was announced in December, a lot of companies had already spent their marketing dollars,” Dolaher said.

Some potential flagships, especially the two biggest hardware manufacturers, Microsoft and Sony, have been hampered by product delivery delays, she added. The delays have also backed up software companies that were waiting for the new hardware before launching titles.

“Some of the companies may be having a tough year,” Dolaher said.

And lastly, some companies might just be waiting in the wings to see how this year's launch goes before deciding whether to come on board next year.

“Some have the wait-and-see attitude,” Dolaher said. “Hopefully, they know we're in it for the long run.”

Even if former E³ flagship exhibitors have their reasons for not being on the showfloor this year, some will still have a presence at the event.

For example, an Activision representative confirmed that, though the company would not be exhibiting at the show, some of its games would be there.

Dolaher confirmed Activision is sending “Guitar Hero,” which allows gamers to play along to music, so people can try it out on a stage and tap into their inner rock star.

Remember, she pointed out: This show is no longer about massive booths with elevators, strobe lights and fog machines on a crowded, noisy showfloor; it's about letting the gamers play the games.

“We're hoping they'll come and spend four days of gaming and enjoy it and be able to play new games,” Dolaher added.

Pre-registration for attendees is $45 for two days, or $90 for all four days.

And there's plenty planned specifically for gamers:

• Two stages with the latest games will allow gamers to compete with their friends or others.
• The World Series of Games will be held in conjunction with the show.
• A gamer lounge will allow people who may have only met playing online to meet in person.
• Game Developers Conference is hosting a game career seminar.
• An Into the Pixel art show will feature game artists' work.

Besides gearing the show completely toward gamers, the showfloor will be unrecognizable compared with E³.

In E³'s final incarnation, it was No. 36 on the 2007 TSW 200, drawing 60,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors to a 547,502 square foot showfloor at the LACC.

At press time, E for All had 59 exhibitors and Dolaher, though reticent to make a prediction, said she expected 20,000 to 30,000 attendees.

Also, just to ensure the show doesn't end up becoming another E³, organizers are only allowing hardware exhibitors, such as Nintendo, to have 7,000 sq. ft. booths; software exhibitors are confined to 2,500 sq. ft.

Believe it or not, Dolaher said, at the new show she's had people ask her for more space, even though E³ was canceled due to complaints that exhibiting at the show had grown too expensive.

“It's ironic they want bigger when they didn't want to spend money on the event before,” she added.

Dolaher is holding out hope that some of the flagships, like Sony, might show up after all and that others segments, such as PC gaming publishers Intel and Dell, might make an appearance too.

Still, the measure of success will be whether the gamers are satisfied.

“I really hope it's a good experience for them,” she added.