[QUOTE]
E3 going public?

* Posted Sep 3, 2008 12:20 pm PT
* By Polybren
* 165 comments

Source: A report on Kotaku claims that the idea to make E3 open to the public has been "officially brought forward" and is in discussion by the group's board of directors. There was no cited source for the information.

What we heard: With the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit occupying just a fraction of the Los Angeles Convention Center, it was hard not to notice how small and devoid of pageantry the event was compared to the E3s of yore. Even executives with ESA member companies were getting in on the act, with EA Sports president Peter Moore saying that the show should "go big or go home," and Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc comparing the downsized event to "a pipefitters' show in the basement."

Given the turmoil surrounding the show, it's only natural that the ESA would reassess its options, and it has shown a willingness to shake things up with its signature trade show in the past. After all, it was publisher complaints that precipitated the transformation of the once-mighty Electronic Entertainment Expo--which attracted more than 60,000 attendees at its height--into the rebranded E3 Media & Business Summit, an invite-only event of closer to 5,000 industry types. In 2007, the ESA also relocated the show from its longtime home at the LACC to a handful of hotels in nearby Santa Monica, which cost it $5 million in event-cancellation fees, only to move it right back to the LACC the following year.

That said, the Kotaku story is very clear that the idea of an open-to-the-public show is just one of presumably several options presented to the ESA board of directors for consideration. There's also no indication of how seriously the idea is being considered. Big changes to the show have been reported with 100 percent certainty and later turned out to be 100 percent wrong.

The official story: "As we do every year, the ESA solicits feedback and direction from exhibitors and attendees on how best to adapt and evolve the E3 Media & Business Summit to ensure it meets their needs. Each element of the Summit is opened for discussion, and that process is ongoing to execute a productive and efficient experience. Regarding today's published reports, the ESA does not comment on rumors and speculation, and will make an announcement about the details and logistics of the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit at the appropriate time."--ESA senior vice president for communications and research Rich Taylor.

Bogus or not bogus?: That they're considering it? Not bogus. That they'll do it? Nothing is confirmed...yet. [/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26577251&tag=;title;1&part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6197199[/url]
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To little to late IMO, unless they can fix all the issues E3 has not just the consumer based one..