E3 boss: '35,000 screens for 45,000 attendees'

E3 2011: The most visual trade show in the world, according to ESA boss and show organiser
E3 2011: The most visual trade show in the world, according to ESA boss and show organiser

The chief executive of the trade association which hosts the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo has boasted that this year's event will have around 45,000 attendees and an incredible 35,000 video monitors.

That is nearly one screen per person attending E3 2011.

A pretty impressive figure, and a good indication of the importance of the event to the games industry and of the spectacle that it has become to represent and publicise gaming across the specialist technology/gaming media and the wider mainstream media.

The most visual show in the world

As we ramp up to bring you all of the major tech, gaming peripheral and triple-A games news announcements from LA over the coming week, Mike Gallagher, president and chief exec of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association responsible for holding E3, has been revealing a few interesting and topical facts, figures and opinions to Venturebeat about this year's gaming show-and-tell.

"I think as always, E3 is a gathering place for the video game industry where we send messages worldwide to the consuming public, to retailers, to investors, everyone who has an interest in media or entertainment," says Gallagher.

"It's about what's coming next. E3 defines what's coming next…the slogan for the show says "Exceeding Your Imagination." The meaning really captures what E3 is all about."

The E3 boss stresses that his organisation is strictly focused on "the quality of the experience… as opposed to the quantity of the experience."

This means that, in addition to the fact that the ESA expects to around 45,000 people to attend E3 2011, there are also "over 200 companies that are going to be present and exhibiting at the show… a continued escalation in terms of the number of exhibitors."

The E3 boss is clearly most proud of the fact that his show is one of the most visual and spectacular trade events on earth, adding: "This makes me smile and helps me appreciate the electric effect of our show. There are more than 35,000 video monitors that are going to be used at the show. That's like one display for everybody that comes through the turnstiles."

Steel yourself for a barrage of hardware, peripherals and games news from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft and hundreds of other companies exhibiting at E3 2011 over the coming days.

Via Venturebeat

Adam Hartley