This is the first year that E3 is allowing the general public to enter allowing 15,000 additional bodies into an already crowded event. About 50,000 professionals show up each year and more than that showed up this year filling up the LA Coliseum and surrounding hotels to the busting point. Additional venues that have events going on are the Novo, the Hilton, Marriott, and Luxe Hotels. Many of the vendors also have events in their suites and there were some late night top of the roof pool parties each night including the each day before E3 started this Tuesday June 13th if you are so lucky as to be invited or brought along as a friend.
The way to survive E3 is to plan, plan, plan especially if you do not want to wait in long lines, and then to be willing to change your plans if you have a cancellation or a venue becomes packed to the point that you can not more. With the additional 15,000 general public allowed in and this being the first day, all halls and walkways were packed, the South Hall was the most congested, probably because of Activision, Microsoft, Square Enix, Capcom, Ubisoft Entertainment, Warner Brothers Interactive, and Bethesda taking up over two thirds of the show floor and being the most popular locations for Professionals, Media, and the General Public wanted to visit in order to play new games or view merchandise that was on sale. It took one hour just to walk from one side of the hall to the other because everyone was in lines to play games or view presentations. Once you push your way through that mess, the rest of the event and locations don't seem as crowded and your pace can go quicker.
In the West Exhibit Hall, there are more game platforms to view and not as many people, yet it was still packed to the limit because Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo and Sega were in attendance.
On the concourse and surrounding hotels are where you will have an opportunity to meet up with individual companies and spokespeople to test out products and meet the CEO’s, production designers and creators of your products.
Mulderville will be showcasing each company we were able to meet up with pictures, videos and reviews of products in the next week on our website Mulderville.net and for sneak peeks of what we show check out our twitter at @j17nova and @mulderville.
Photos: Novias (Joshua Jason Sanchez)