E3 Organizers Discussing New Contract With L.A. City Officials

The organizers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo are in talks with Los Angeles city officials regarding whether the huge games show will continue to be held in the L.A. Convention Center after its current contract runs out next year. While city officials are looking to make sure the video games conference stays in L.A. after next year, E3 organizers told the L.A. Times that they are keeping their options open. Rich Taylor, association senior vice president of industry affairs, noted, "There have been other places we've looked at." He explained that there are concerns regarding the proposed construction of the Farmers Field football stadium on what is now the convention center's West Hall. "We don't want our attendees to have to rappel across a construction quarry to get to a booth," he joked. However, he continued, "There are other locations that would obviously love to have a show of this size in their backyards, but thus far we feel we have a strong, mutually productive relationship with Los Angeles." Both city officials and AEG Inc, the company behind the proposed stadium, have promised the E3 organizers that construction will not disrupt future E3 shows. Last year, E3 attendees spent around $25 million in the city. Michael McDowell, Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau spokesman, noted, "There is no question: This is a big one." After hosting its first two shows in Los Angeles, E3 moved to Atlanta, Georgia for the 1997 and 1998 shows. The reduced-scope 2007 E3 Media and Business Summit took place in a number of locations across Santa Monica, California.