The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the premier international event for the gaming industry, held in Los Angeles, California. It is currently held in June every year. Pyramid Logistics was employed by many major contributors to provide trade show transportation and logistics. Pyramid Logistics is a leading tradeshow logistics and transportation company, that can get merchandise and displays anywhere in the world on time and in safety. For the E3 this year they transported more than 50 trucks filled with merchandise, equipment and displays for companies including; Activision, SEGA, Turtle Beach, THQ Nordic Games, and Bandi Namco Entertainment.
This year’s gaming expo had 68,000 attendees with 189 exhibitors from over 100 countries. E3 showcases new technologies and products for computer, video and mobile games and related products.The first E3 started as a break off from other trade shows intended for the electronics and computer industries. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the Expo’s organizers, began as an organized response to the need for a ratings system for video games. Creating ESA, unified the video game industry and a voluntary standard rating system was adopted. This ratings system was later approved by the U.S. Congress. Video game publishers and retailers were not satisfied with the way video games were marginalizedat the other trade shows, and in response, industry retailers wanted a video game specific tradeshow. E3 was inaugurated in 1995 at the Los Angeles Convention Center with more than 40,000 attendees. It was the biggest event in the video game industry.
The event grew so much that by 2006 there were 60,000-70,000 attendees. Retailers and exhibitors complained that with so many consumers in attendance, it was difficult to reach journalists and conduct the business that they were hoping to accomplish. The Expo was downsized and restructured. Attendance was restricted to members of the industry and media (journalists) only, without including consumers. With lower attendance and no consumers, there was little word-of-mouth being spread and almost no external media coverage. This resulted in reducing visibility and “buzz” for the game publishers, the opposite of what they wanted to accomplish.
By 2009 consumers had been welcome but limited by the sale of tickets. In 2009 the attendance was capped at 45,000. Nintendo and Electronic Arts were not showcased. Microsoft and Sony held pre-E3 events and showcased new games for the pre-disclosed new game systems. Since 2015 ESA has sought ways to bring the public to the event, which they discovered, resulted in more publicity through word-of-mouth by the “gamers”. This year 15,000 passes were available for the public, all of them sold. In total 68,000 people attended. This number caused too much crowding on the tradeshow floor and created too many floor management issues, it was reported. ESA has contracted with the Los Angeles Convention Center until 2019. Because of all the technology required for the Expo, modernization is needed for the venue as well as other upgrades to the facility. Going forward, ESA may consider other options for the E3 venue, as the attendance and demand for up to date technology continues.
Currently, the format for E3 features presentations, similar to press conferences, from major hardware and software publishers in the main auditorium.Companies present upcoming products available for the current year and reveal new products. Afterwards the exhibition halls open up. Attendees can speak to company representatives for more information and get upcoming titles. Developers and publishers have booths for their products including demo stations, where attendees can try out games.In 1996 an E3 event was organized in Tokyo, Japan. It was not as successful as the Expo in Los Angeles. As a result, E3 events outside the U.S. have not been developed.
With such a complex event and with so many exhibitors it would take an expert company in trade show logistics to safeguard the success of their client’s booths, merchandise and preparations. Pyramid Logistics was chosen by some of the largest exhibitors at this year’s event. Activision, SEGA, Turtle Beach, THQ Nordic Games, and Bandi Namco Entertainment, are among the client list for Pyramid Logistics expertise at this year’s E3. They all have a long and successful history in the gaming industry.
Activision is an American game publisher founded in 1979. They are the world’s first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles. In 2016 Activision was the top game publisher in the U.S. They also acquired, for $46 million, assets from Major League Gaming to develop esports activities. This year Activision will become the largest third-party video game publisher in the world.
SEGA is a multinational video game developer and publisher headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. SEGA of America is located in Irvine, California. SEGA Europe is headquartered in London, England. They are also third-party software publishers. They oversee games that launch on game consoles produced by other companies. Atlus is a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA, and is a video game developer and publisher. SEGA’s arcade business has been reduced, but still had 200 locations in Japan as of 2015. SEGA is also involved in mobile games, and cross-play between multiple devices.
Turtle Beach has an extensive line of headsets for current and previous consoles. Xbox, PlayStation, PC/Mac, mobile platforms, and Nintendo consoles are among the companies that use their headsets. They are leaders in the industry and set industry standards of excellence.
The THQ trademark was acquired by Nordic Games in 2014. Now THQ Nordic publishes games under the THQ name. Many of THQ game’s rights were sold to other companies. THQ is considered an historic American brand in video game development and publishing.
Bandi Namco Entertainment is an arcade, mobile and home video game publisher, based in Japan. They publish video, music, and other entertainment products related to its video games and other intellectual properties. Although headquartered in Japan, development operations are in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific region. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has a facility that develops their online social games for North America and Europe.
Leading computer and video game companies all used Pyramid Logistics for their transportation and logistics needs. Shouldn’t you consider using them for your next trade show transportation needs? The best in the business do, you should also.
Author Bio:-
Ron Morgan is the market representative for Pyramid Logistics. Pyramid Logistics specializes in retail logistics, trade show transportation, store fixture distribution, mobile exhibit tours and electronic transportation services that are responsibly priced, timely, efficient, damage free and in conformity with the highest industry standards.
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