NEWS - Thursday, March 19, 2009

ESA Expects 40K for E3 09
The group said in a Thursday press release that it projects attendance of 40K "qualified individuals" at the L.A. Convention Center event. E3 takes place June 2-4.
For the previous two years, E3 was the "E3 Media and Business Summit," which entertained only a few thousand business and media professionals in Santa Monica. The ESA had reduced the scope of the event as publishers became concerned about the mounting costs and hassle of exhibiting at the circus-like E3s of previous years.
2005 set a record for the event with 70K attendees. The last year for the "big" E3, 2006, saw 60K.
For 2009, the ESA loosened the restrictions on attendance. Although the event will return to a larger format, the ESA insists that the event will be more "efficient" than in years past.
The ESA also said that it 90 percent of available space for E3 2009 has been sold. Over 100 exhibitors have signed up.
E3 is a chance for game companies to show off their latest and upcoming products to media, investors, other game makers, retailers and analysts.
Game analyst Michael Pachter with Wedbush Morgan said in a statement, "E3 Expo is back, and thats a very good thing. ... I expect buzz about the show to build every week until June, and expect many breaking announcements the first week in June."
Source: http://www.edge-online.com/