Sixth Annual IEMA Executive Summit BeginsSixth Annual IEMA Executive Summit Begins

Organizers from the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), the trade group that represents many of the games industry’s leading retailers, have officially opened the sixth annual IEMA Executive Summit, taking place in Huntington Beach, California today. The event is due to continue until Friday 22nd July, and is designed to be a “suite style” event, as opposed to more traditional expos with “pipe-and-drape” style booths. In attendance will be executives from IEMA members such as Wal-Mart, Target, Blockbuster and Circuit City as well as senior management from companies including Microsoft, Activision, Electronic Arts, THQ and Take Two Interactive. New to the Summit this year are a host of activities sponsored by Spike TV and a number of game companies. "Our community is a close-knit group and our event only invites 700 executives of the hundreds of thousands of folks in the industry, so it was important to find a venue which could adequately house all of our meeting and conference needs under one roof”, said Hal Halpin, president of the IEMA. "Approximately 60% of the games that will be available at retail [in the U.S.] this year will have been purchased at the Summit," stated Halpin, "and we are anxiously awaiting the results of the countless sales meetings that will determine the direction of the video game industry for '06 and beyond." Further information regarding the IEMA Executive Summit can be found at the official website.