Nintendo To “Anchor” Entertainment For All Expo

Officials from IDG World Expo, organizers of the Entertainment for All Expo (E for All) have announced that Nintendo of America has signed up as an “anchor exhibitor” for the event, scheduled to take place on October 18th to 21st, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the LA Live/Nokia Theatre. Although primarily a consumer event, the expo is seen as a partial replacement for the now significantly downsized E3 event, which also traditionally took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center – albeit in May and intended for press and trade visitors only. Alongside the announcement, Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Operations Don James has agreed to serve the Exhibitor Advisory Board for the event, which is being overseen by former E3 showrunner Mary Dolaher. As well as providing opportunities for consumers to play new and upcoming games, E for All Expo will also offer video game tournaments, job fair/networking opportunities and the Video Games Live concert. The expo has been endorsed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), and other key sponsors are expected to be announced in the coming months. Gamasutra had previously revealed information indicating that both Nintendo and Sony had agreed to support the event with a significant floor presence, although Sony has not yet officially confirmed any level of participation in the event. Microsoft’s level of support for the expo is also currently unknown. "Nintendo's early involvement in E for All demonstrates the importance of a broad consumer-focused event for this industry," said Mary Dolaher, executive vice president of IDG World Expo. "E for All has been shaped from the ground up with all gamers in mind, and Nintendo has proven its commitment to embracing the spectrum of gamers, as we've seen with their launch of the Wii."