E3 2004: E3 closes today
by Kit

Friday, May 14 2004

The greatest show on earth ends, at least until next year.

The tenth anniversary Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) came to a close today having hosted more than 400 exhibitors in 540,000 net square feet of exhibit space, a total sell out for the show, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today. Sixty-five thousand industry professionals from a record 87 countries around the globe gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) for the four-day interactive entertainment trade show.

"We are pleased that E3Expo's tenth anniversary show was such a success, and offer our sincere thanks to the many people who have helped make it the world's premier interactive entertainment trade event over the past decade," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the ESA, the trade association that owns E3Expo and represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "We look forward to another ten years of providing exhibitors and attendees with the best place in the world to conduct the business of games, and to experiencing the extraordinary technological, artistic, and creative advancements our industry will achieve in the decade to come."

Of the exhibiting companies at this year's event, 183 were new additions, reflecting the continuing vibrancy of the show and high-levels of interest in the games business. According to exhibitors, approximately 1,000 of the nearly 5,000 computer and video game products displayed at E3Expo 2004 had never been seen before. Exhibitors also reported that almost three-quarters (72 percent) of the products displayed at this year's event would be found on store shelves this holiday season.

The 2004 E3Expo conference program was the best attended in the show's ten-year history. This year's educational conference and workshop program featured a faculty of more than 160 of the industry's leading experts who shared their experience and insight with attendees on a wide range of the most current and critical industry issues, including The New Rules of Business; Game Development: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead; and Online, Mobile, Handheld Games: Taking Measure of Their Gaming Growth.

E3Expo 2005 is scheduled for May 18-20, 2005 in Los Angeles. E3Expo is the world's premier trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show, now in its tenth year, is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.e3expo.com.

--- Kit