E³ Heads Back to Its Roots in Downtown L.A.

For years, E³/Electronics Entertainment Expo featured a crowded showfloor with booth babes and long lines to see newly unveiled products at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

All that changed in 2007 when the event was downsized, became the invitation-only E³ Media & Business Summit and spread itself out among a series of hotel suites in Santa Monica, Calif., and a drastically reduced showfloor at the Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hanger.

However, there were complaints about the new format. Attendees and exhibitors at the show expressed concerns about the sprawl, such as appointments missed because of the distance between locations. As a result, the Entertainment Software Assn. is evolving the event once more, with the most significant change being a move back to the old venue, the LACC.

ESA officials said they were responding to requests for a more centralized location by moving the show to the convention center in downtown Los Angeles for 2008’s July 15-17 event.

And, even though the show is returning to the site of its former three-story booths, pulsing music and crowded aisles, attendees shouldn’t expect the excitement of the previous format.

According to ESA, “the 2008 E³ Media & Business Summit will not feature the large tradeshow environment of previous years.” The emphasis will continue to be on smaller events and meetings with game developers and representatives of the media and other sectors of the industry. Game demonstrations will be available, as was the case last year on the Barker Hanger showfloor.

ESA CEO Michael Gallagher said, “The 2008 Summit will provide a professional and efficient environment for suite-based meetings with media and other industry leaders. We look forward to welcoming the media and top industry executives to a centralized, business-focused and personalized experience.”

Mark Liberman, president and CEO of LA Inc., The Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “The city of Los Angeles and E³ have a long history of hosting successful conventions together, and we look forward to continue building our relationship in 2008.”

Many attendees at last year’s show expressed nostalgia for the old E³, but even those who were unhappy with the new setup said the old format wasn’t conducive to getting business done – the real reason they were at the show. ESA officials said it would continue to be a business-to-business opportunity restricted to consumers, unlike the new consumer show for the game industry, Entertainment for All Expo , which also grew out of the old E³. IDG World Expo produces and ESA endorses both events.

While ESA officials said it would still be a few months before they would announce a full schedule and look for the show, they did mention conference panel discussions, something last year’s event didn’t feature.

“Our program of high-level meetings, networking and personal dialogue, and industry-shaping panel discussions will capture the explosive growth we have seen in 2007,” Gallagher said, “and lay the foundation for the 2008 video game marketplace.”