Dean Takahashi has been to about 22 of the E3 trade shows for the video game industry. Here are his tips for surviving the show.
This year will be my 23rd Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). I missed the first two shows, but I have always considered these big game trade shows to be an indispensable part of understanding the game industry and the people who make it happen.
For those who like the business of joy, I recommend you go. But it’s worth soaking in a few tips from an old guy who can help you prepare. Some of the tips are recycled from years past, but there are still a lot of new things to know.
First, do not go to San Francisco or Las Vegas. This show will once again fill the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center, with more than 200 exhibitors on the expo floor from Tuesday, June 11, until Thursday, June 13. There are more than 200 exhibitors who will fill up all of the space at the convention center, according to Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
The ESA is the trade group that puts on the show, and in an interview with GamesBeat, Pierre-Louis said about 50 of the exhibitors are at the show for the first time. Since there are about 2.6 billion gamers in the world, and thousands of media and influencers are attending, you can actually expect billions of media impressions over the course of E3.
Second, Sony won’t be there. The company gave up its big booth on the show floor this year, presumably to save up for the marketing of the PlayStation 5, or because it didn’t have much to show based on game shipment dates. Electronic Arts and Activision won’t be on the show floor (though they have meeting rooms).
But there will be a lot of booths. The truss and hoists at E3 — used to suspend lighting and hanging elements — weigh the equivalent of 136 orcas. The Ethernet cabling at the show weighs more than 2 tons and could reach from Los Angeles to San Francisco — twice. More than 55 miles of fiber optic cable sits throughout the convention center.
E3 provides jobs for more than 4,000 people in the course of producing the show, and it generates more than $88 million in revenue for Los Angeles. It has 5 miles of aisle carpet, more than 250 trailers of equipment and exhibit materials. The event produces enough graphics to cover seven basketball courts (and that is only the graphics the ESA produces — exhibitors do a lot of their own).
Crowds: Once again, here is one of the big secrets: You don’t have to go. Everything is being livestreamed, even a lot of things that are happening on the show floor. But if you must go, know that you’ll be run into 50,000 professionals attending the event, but at times it feels like they are outnumbered by the 15,000 fans who were willing to spend money on tickets so they could wait all day trying to get into a 15-minute demo of a favorite game.
You must get your badge before you go, so print out your confirmation and take it with you so you can get your badge fast. This year, professionals can enter the floor at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, a few hours before fans can get in at 2 p.m. That will help alleviate the crush of people trying to get into the show at the outset.
Based on the feedback from past years, the ESA extended the hours of the show floor until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Security: Once again, security will be tight. Media and exhibitors are allowed to bring backpacks into the event, but general attendees are prohibited from doing so. Those with consumer passes can carry one small bag, no larger than 12 inches-by-15 inches-by-6 inches.
And don’t bring any flammable liquids, alcohol, marijuana, firearms, pepper spray, or projectile weapons. In other words, leave behind all of the gear that you have in real life that resembles stuff in video games.
All bags will be subject to search, and everyone will have to go through metal detectors. You can pick up swag bags inside the expo, and you can take them out with you. But you cannot re-enter the show floor with swag bags. Luggage bags are not allowed, and you will need extra time to park, walk, and clear the security checkpoints.
Keep in mind you may face a line for getting your badge.
