This year marks the 10th anniversary of the famous event. Here's the Top Ten attractions on what you can expect to see and experience at the The Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3Expo) 2004.
1. First Looks: Never-Before-Seen Products Exclusively at E3Expo
E3Expo attendees have direct access to thousands of never-before-seen computer and video games and related products before they hit the shelves this holiday season. Over the past ten shows, E3Expo has been the site of the debut of approximately 10,000 new products, including virtually every groundbreaking piece of software and hardware to be introduced in the last decade. This year, exhibitors are scheduled to debut their newest products on more than 525,000 square-feet at the LACC.
2. E3Insider
Bigger and better in its second year, E3Insider, the first-ever E3Expo web site for consumers and game enthusiasts, will once again offer the public an inside view of E3Expo. E3Insider -- "the official virtual gateway to E3Expo" -- opens the event's "virtual doors" to the public, offering millions of gamers a way to see the show's action and excitement through interactive coverage, news from exhibitor booths, interviews with industry professionals, video clips, photo galleries and stories about the show. During the three days of the 2003 show, the web site attracted more than ten million hits and doubled that number the following month.
3. Media Briefing and Breakfast Details the State of the Industry
Entertainment Software Association (ESA) President Doug Lowenstein will host an exclusive Media Briefing and Breakfast to discuss the state of the industry and share data from the ESA's 2004 Consumer Game Usage Survey. The briefing will take place in the Concourse West Hall Theater, Room 411, on Wednesday, May 12, at 8 a.m. and breakfast will follow in the Media Hospitality Suite, Room 515B.
4. Conference and Workshops Program
Each year, E3Expo provides attendees with an opportunity to receive one-on-one access to industry leaders in an extensive lineup of panels and workshops. This year's 37-session program will feature more than 125 of the greatest minds of the industry sharing their insight and expertise on the hottest topics of interactive entertainment. This year's conference themes include responding to the growth and change of the new business landscape, identifying the opportunities and challenges that game developers face, and measuring the growth of online, mobile and handheld games. For more information, click here.
5. "Into the Pixel" Digital Game Art Exhibition at E3Expo
For the first time, E3Expo is partnering with the Graphic Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences to deliver a juried exhibition of computer and video game art. The showcase will include art from published or soon-to-be published computer and video games and will be open to the more than 60,000 E3Expo attendees.
6. "The Education Arcade" Special Conference Focused on Games in Education
The MIT Comparative Media Studies program, in cooperation with the ESA, will present a new three-day conference dedicated to the topic of games in education from May 9-11. The event will focus on key issues and emerging trends in the use, development and marketing potential of games in education. For more information, click here.
7. E3Expo Is Everything Consumers Want to Know About Games
E3Expo is not just the best place in the world to see the new games and products that consumers are eager to learn about and will be shopping for this holiday season. It's also host to everything from celebrity appearances and mind-blowing special promotions to cutting-edge displays and eye-popping demonstrations. At E3Expo, you'll see the latest Hollywood and music industry tie-ins, try out the most cutting-edge technologies, and experience what's next all in one place, at one time.
8. State-of-the-Art Media Facilities at E3Expo
E3Expo offers media an array of outstanding resources. The Media Center is the hub of media-related information, including show news, exhibitor information, interviews, transcripts and access to show management. The Center also provides a press kit area and a working newsroom equipped with wired computers and wireless Internet capabilities.
9. Online and Mobile Games
The emerging online and mobile marketplaces offer many new opportunities and challenges for the game industry. As these sectors continue to grow, it is more important than ever to understand this new technological landscape. E3Expo provides a unique forum for industry professionals to network, exchange ideas, discuss trends and compare global perspectives on these and other sectors.
10. E3Expo: The Center of the Games Business for Ten Years
Over the past decade, E3Expo has hosted exhibitors on a total of more than 4.5 million square feet of floor space, approximately 520 times the length of the Golden Gate Bridge. And as E3Expo has grown in the past ten years, so too has the industry. E3Expo not only contributes an approximate $20 million a year to the Los Angeles economy, but also remains the exclusive forum for groundbreaking milestones that have shaped the course of interactive entertainment. E3Expo is truly the best place on the planet to "See What's Next" in interactive entertainment.
