HJ-Navarre
Cadet
E3 Kentia Hall Exhibitors Get Dear John Letter From ESA
Ah.. Kentia Hall. Often ridiculed as the arse-end of E3, like the little mutant town on Mars in Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall." It was full of smaller players not successful enough to fit in with the rest of E3s big names, upstairs. Simutronics has, thus far, been one of those companies, always to be found tucked away in the bowels of this dreaded and often overlooked hall of misfits.
Is this the end of E3 for Simutronics? Did Simu receive a similar letter? When will the next public (semi-public) appearance of HJ, after the Austin Game Conference (AGC) in Austin on September 6th-8th, take place?
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GameDaily Article
What the ESA Told The Little Guys About E3's Demise
The biggest losers in the fall of E3 will likely be the lesser known companies, those with niche products often found in Kentia Hall. How will they now generate buzz? A letter sent by the ESA to a Kentia Hall exhibitor reveals what they were told. More within...
As you no doubt know, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced at the end of July a major scaling back for the E3Expo. In the press release, the ESA said that the event is "evolving." However, in a letter the ESA sent to a Kentia Hall exhibitor (obtained by GamePolitics) the show is actually referred to as "cancelled."
This reproduced letter shows how the ESA broke the news to the little guys:
"Dear Valued E3Expo Exhibitor,
As you may have read in the enclosed Press Release, the 2007 E3Expo has been officially cancelled. As the industry has evolved and matured over the past 12 years, the needs of the exhibitors and key attendees have also changed. To address this change, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced a new event tentatively scheduled for July 2007.
Details of the event have not been finalized at this time, however our vision and goal is to create a more intimate climate for personalized meetings and product demonstrations. The ESA will announce additional details and information in the ensuing weeks and months.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere and profound gratitude for your past support of this event. It has been exciting and rewarding to see the growth and significance of this industry mirrored on the exhibit floor of the E3Expo through the years. We look forward to many more years of industry growth, vitality and opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Dolaher
Vice President"
Going forward, the new, much smaller ESA-run event will likely be of much less help to the types of exhibitors that occupied Kentia Hall. As Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, told GameSpot, "... the smaller, specialty companies who introduce their products at E3 in Kentia Hall or surrounding properties will find it more difficult to reach 'buyers' or to create buzz about their products or services."
And while the big fish like Electronic Arts and Sony won't likely be hurt much (if at all) by E3's demise, what makes it worse for the little guys is that it's rumored that their pulling out of the event is what led to its downfall. We heard that the ESA was supposed to have reduced attendance by about 20,000 and then several big players bailed. ESA board members, however, refute that notion and insist that the plan to "evolve" the event was planned over the last few years.
Ah.. Kentia Hall. Often ridiculed as the arse-end of E3, like the little mutant town on Mars in Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall." It was full of smaller players not successful enough to fit in with the rest of E3s big names, upstairs. Simutronics has, thus far, been one of those companies, always to be found tucked away in the bowels of this dreaded and often overlooked hall of misfits.
Is this the end of E3 for Simutronics? Did Simu receive a similar letter? When will the next public (semi-public) appearance of HJ, after the Austin Game Conference (AGC) in Austin on September 6th-8th, take place?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GameDaily Article
What the ESA Told The Little Guys About E3's Demise
The biggest losers in the fall of E3 will likely be the lesser known companies, those with niche products often found in Kentia Hall. How will they now generate buzz? A letter sent by the ESA to a Kentia Hall exhibitor reveals what they were told. More within...
As you no doubt know, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced at the end of July a major scaling back for the E3Expo. In the press release, the ESA said that the event is "evolving." However, in a letter the ESA sent to a Kentia Hall exhibitor (obtained by GamePolitics) the show is actually referred to as "cancelled."
This reproduced letter shows how the ESA broke the news to the little guys:
"Dear Valued E3Expo Exhibitor,
As you may have read in the enclosed Press Release, the 2007 E3Expo has been officially cancelled. As the industry has evolved and matured over the past 12 years, the needs of the exhibitors and key attendees have also changed. To address this change, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced a new event tentatively scheduled for July 2007.
Details of the event have not been finalized at this time, however our vision and goal is to create a more intimate climate for personalized meetings and product demonstrations. The ESA will announce additional details and information in the ensuing weeks and months.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere and profound gratitude for your past support of this event. It has been exciting and rewarding to see the growth and significance of this industry mirrored on the exhibit floor of the E3Expo through the years. We look forward to many more years of industry growth, vitality and opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Dolaher
Vice President"
Going forward, the new, much smaller ESA-run event will likely be of much less help to the types of exhibitors that occupied Kentia Hall. As Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, told GameSpot, "... the smaller, specialty companies who introduce their products at E3 in Kentia Hall or surrounding properties will find it more difficult to reach 'buyers' or to create buzz about their products or services."
And while the big fish like Electronic Arts and Sony won't likely be hurt much (if at all) by E3's demise, what makes it worse for the little guys is that it's rumored that their pulling out of the event is what led to its downfall. We heard that the ESA was supposed to have reduced attendance by about 20,000 and then several big players bailed. ESA board members, however, refute that notion and insist that the plan to "evolve" the event was planned over the last few years.
Too bad I couldn't really contribute to this thread.
