According to new information received by Gamasutra, platform and game publishing heavyweights Nintendo and Sony are on board for this year's E For All Expo, the IDG-organized event set for October 18-21.
The consumer-targeted E For All Expo, created by IDG in the wake of E3's downsizing with the support of the ESA, will appear in the Los Angeles Convention Center, the previous site of the former E3.
According to official IDG exhibitor information passed on to Gamasutra, both Nintendo and Sony have planned large booth presences at the event - though, since the main show floor is currently limited to the LACC's South Hall, the two will maintain smaller spaces than in previous E3 exhibitions.
Based on the exhibitor list, last modified on March 6th and relatively early in the selling cycle for the show, some of the remaining booths are currently reserved by companies such as IDG Entertainment itself, Future Publishing, G4 and TechTV, DirecTV, and the World Series of Video Games Tournament.
Promotional materials also released to exhibitors touts E for All Expo as "the only event to receive the endorsement of the Entertainment Software Association," and indeed, offer a significant discount to exhibitors who are also ESA members.
True to its billing as an event with "family-friendly offerings," the exhibitor contract is requiring companies to agree to clauses prohibiting "material, including live models, [and] conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative," including full or partial nudity and "bathing suit bottoms." The clauses appear similar to those enacted at E3 in recent years - presumably because former E3 operations head Mary Dolaher is now heading up the IDG division behind the E for All Expo.
The contract also places restrictions on exhibitor noise levels -- often said to be one of the major complaints from exhibitors from previous E3s -- prohibiting noise levels above 85 dbs, and requiring sound systems to be focused inward on the booth itself, continuing similar E3 regulations from recent shows.
None of the information obtained by Gamasutra makes any note of attendee requirements such as age limits, ticket sale dates or entrance fees for consumers hoping to attend the show. More information on specific E For All exhibitors is likely to be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
[UPDATE - 03/15/07, 7.40pm PST: A statement by IDG via its GamePro website has revealed additional information on show plans, with the organizers revealing that, apart from the main South Hall show floor: "A separate area in Kentia Hall has been reserved for companies that plan to sell products at the show."
In addition: "When the time comes, E for All is going to take over Hollywood - literally. IDG will be renting the Hollywood sign and replacing the "Y" with the E for All "E" logo, filling subways with posters, shrink wrapping buses, and lighting up adjacent downtown buildings."
Finally, the GamePro-disseminated statement reveals: "General admission tickets will go on sale June 1st and advanced pre-sale tickets roughly one month before that." Pricing has not yet been revealed for either sets of tickets.]
