Pachter disappointed at E3 2007

With the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) turning away most of the media and accommodating only about 3000 people in the recent E3, many people were disappointed with how the much-awaited event turned out.

Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter was also dismayed with E3’s new form, turning a once lively free-for-all festival into a quiet, exclusive event where only invitees were granted access. While he understands that the trimming of the usual 60,000-strong crowd was done in an effort to make the trade show more manageable, Pachter said that the show was a big flop in terms of logistics and publicity.

He then enumerated his pet peeve with E3 2007: major media events were held in rooms which accommodated only about 300 people, and the Santa Monica location was too spread out, to the extent that attendees had to trek about 20 minutes worth of travel time just to go between venues. Another big disappointment worth noting was that the recent E3 sorely lacked the fanfare usually present in the past.

Pachter explained the loss of the old E3 spark:

In past years, publishers and console manufacturers used E3 to address the needs of their core constituents: media, retail, investors, and consumers. By choosing to eliminate any potential for a consumer element to the show, the ESA chased away much of the television media. By scheduling the show two months later than in the past, retailers stayed away. By scheduling the show during the calendar quarter financial quiet period (Microsoft, Sony, Activision and THQI did not meet with investors), only limited access was provided for buy and sell side analysts.

While the E3 show did manage to cut down the usual extravagant costs, it was sorely offset by the loss of free publicity worth millions of dollars. Pachter wishes that the ESA would learn from its mistakes, and choose a more manageable location for future E3 events. He also suggests that it would also be better if they bring back the usual large crowd to liven up the event.

With the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) turning away most of the media and accommodating only about 3000 people in the recent E3, many people were disappointed with how the much-awaited event turned out.

Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter was also dismayed with E3’s new form, turning a once lively free-for-all festival into a quiet, exclusive event where only invitees were granted access. While he understands that the trimming of the usual 60,000-strong crowd was done in an effort to make the trade show more manageable, Pachter said that the show was a big flop in terms of logistics and publicity.

He then enumerated his pet peeve with E3 2007: major media events were held in rooms which accommodated only about 300 people, and the Santa Monica location was too spread out, to the extent that attendees had to trek about 20 minutes worth of travel time just to go between venues. Another big disappointment worth noting was that the recent E3 sorely lacked the fanfare usually present in the past.

Pachter explained the loss of the old E3 spark:

In past years, publishers and console manufacturers used E3 to address the needs of their core constituents: media, retail, investors, and consumers. By choosing to eliminate any potential for a consumer element to the show, the ESA chased away much of the television media. By scheduling the show two months later than in the past, retailers stayed away. By scheduling the show during the calendar quarter financial quiet period (Microsoft, Sony, Activision and THQI did not meet with investors), only limited access was provided for buy and sell side analysts.

While the E3 show did manage to cut down the usual extravagant costs, it was sorely offset by the loss of free publicity worth millions of dollars. Pachter wishes that the ESA would learn from its mistakes, and choose a more manageable location for future E3 events. He also suggests that it would also be better if they bring back the usual large crowd to liven up the event.