I just ran across a posting over at Joystiq referencing an upcoming announcement that may cancel the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Now, this show is the single, largest event in the games industry. Companies spend millions of dollars for this event that includes scantily clad people (although this was significantly turned down this year due to a "ban") and fairly outrageous efforts (flame eaters, live theater, etc...) to get attendees attention towards their booths and by proxy their games.
For me personally, this show was a pain in the ass this year. I spent days on end setting up mobile devices for the show; powering up batteries, installing games, setting registration keys and logging device ID tags. However, for as much of a drain as it was, it is still the show of the year where you can see everything in one fell swoop. Sure, it's crowded, produces stressful amounts of noise and can be disturbingly hot, but everything is aggregated to one location. As a consumer of these products I know I can look forward to this one event to the see, read and play the latest iterations and announcements in the industry.
Joystiq is reporting one of the ideas may be that E3 may be ramped down and may result in several smaller shows over the course of a year. I can understand the appeal as smaller shows may mean more focus for the industry participants. However, it will also mean that most companies will have to pick and choose which events to spend their money on, it will increase the travel time and expense and only the largest companies will be able to attend all or most of the shows (which would probably make them redundant).
If this pans out and E3 is actually scaled down for smaller shows more often, my guess is that one of the smaller shows will start to grown into another E3. This would happen due to timing and marketing messages. Everyone wants the all-mighty holiday dollar and getting the consumer mind share with your product to create buzz and momentum always starts around the summer months. If you wait longer, your competitors may "scoop" you causing your marketing to play defense. As a result, the industry will probably find another sweet spot in terms of timing and it will grow. Additionally, all of those smaller companies that can't afford a presence will tend to migrate to this one as well since it would become a self-feeding cycle of press coverage and growth that would feed on each other.
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