CEA Considering E3 Replacement?

[fitbabits]

TotalPlaystation (http://www.totalplaystation.com) is reporting that the Consumer Electronics Association are mulling over an E3 replacement for 2007.

You can read more here (http://ps3.totalplaystation.com/news.php?id=252).

When we, like just about everyone in the games industry, first heard about the cancellation of E3, it was a bit of surprise, especially considering that, as we mentioned last week, the Consumer Electronics show has been going strong for a whopping 40 years. Clearly the Consumer Electronics Association knows something about staying afloat, and it would appear they've got their eyes set on a games-only show to replace E3.

It's purely in the consideration phase right now, of course, but the advisory committee set up to "explore the possibility of a West Coast event in late spring 2007" is obviously an attempt at filling the sizeable shoes of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Headed up by the CEA's senior VP of events and conferences, Karen Chupka, and their VP of bizdev, the advisory committee has already met with and gotten the approval Majesco, NCsoft and Auravision. Certainly not heavy hitters, but it's a start.
As Sam mentioned, the CEA know a thing or two about how to stage a successful and long-lasting event. Whether that knowledge will help them with any E3 replacement is open to question.

[dojoteef]

It sounded like the publishers were the driving force to change E3. Why would they put themselves into another trade show that mirrors the "old" E3?

[SamBishop]

The publishers definitely had the final say in things when they pulled out en masse, but it was still the only way smaller-time pubs could get their stuff shown off in a way that would maximize the amount of coverage they could get for the money.

I honestly think the biggest issue with E3 was that everyone became enamored with the specticle and forgot that it was about giving the press and retailers a peek at upcoming products. If they can revert back to this, tighten the qualifications for press so random blogs created a week before the show and GameStop clerks aren't swarming things, it could be really cool.

You can tell there's been a sort of odd pall cast over the industry since it died. Everyone outwardly breathes a sigh of relief because working the show is a massive undertaking, but at least it was a consistent massive undertaking. The only thing I really worry about is that E3 was horrible about fucking up development timelines. If it ends up being a huge show again, it just means more weeks/months of derailing things so an E3 demo can be made and then another couple weeks/months ripping out the hacked-in code so everyone can get back on track.

I do wonder if the city of LA tried to woo the CEA a little since they were counting on the revenue brought in by the Convention Center during E3. Having it go from tens of thousands of people filling the whole space to a couple of hotels is a massive blow to the city's bottom line, and it certainly sounds like they're checking interest to see if they can fill that space.

[fitbabits]

The publishers definitely had the final say in things when they pulled out en masse, but it was still the only way smaller-time pubs could get their stuff shown off in a way that would maximize the amount of coverage they could get for the money.

I honestly think the biggest issue with E3 was that everyone became enamored with the specticle and forgot that it was about giving the press and retailers a peek at upcoming products. If they can revert back to this, tighten the qualifications for press so random blogs created a week before the show and GameStop clerks aren't swarming things, it could be really cool.

You can tell there's been a sort of odd pall cast over the industry since it died. Everyone outwardly breathes a sigh of relief because working the show is a massive undertaking, but at least it was a consistent massive undertaking. The only thing I really worry about is that E3 was horrible about fucking up development timelines. If it ends up being a huge show again, it just means more weeks/months of derailing things so an E3 demo can be made and then another couple weeks/months ripping out the hacked-in code so everyone can get back on track.

I do wonder if the city of LA tried to woo the CEA a little since they were counting on the revenue brought in by the Convention Center during E3. Having it go from tens of thousands of people filling the whole space to a couple of hotels is a massive blow to the city's bottom line, and it certainly sounds like they're checking interest to see if they can fill that space.
You need to post here more often! :)

[SamBishop]

You need to post here more often! :)

I do? I do! Especially if it means getting one o' them fancy custom titles or something. Sadly, it seems the EvAv regulars see through my crap attempts at giving my own site plugs. Most TPS-related stories seem to die off pretty quickly.

[Demo_Boy]

Prediction: MS, EA and Nintendo don't show up and its a bunch of tumbleweeds.

[captainspankypants]

We already HAVE a replacement for E3. It's called the Penny Arcade Expo.

[SamBishop]

We already HAVE a replacement for E3. It's called the Penny Arcade Expo.

If only that were the case. PAX is great for locking in a ton of PC hardware manufacturers and Pacific Northwest-based companies, but it's certainly not an industry-wide showcase, and it's open to the public, which means as it inevitably gets bigger (which it will because it admittedly kicks ass), it's just going to even more claustrophobic and overcrowded as E3 ever was.

E3 -- or whatever it's called -- needs to be reborn as a trade and press only show, and one that isn't very obviously catered to the throngs that slipped through the approvals process with stuff like tchochkes and demo theatres that serve no purporse but to make the press feel important when they can skip head and everyone else feel like they need to see a 45-second presentation.

PAX is probably the single best example of a show for gamers, not for media or people buying the games, and I'm all for it, but it's certainly no replacement for E3.