E3 to be a lot bigger in 2009

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) unveiled its plans for E3 Expo 2009, and says the event will be dramatically expanded. The show will be hold from June 2-4 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will have several changes, including increased booth sizes, increased qualified audiences, and a reinforced focus on driving forces of the computer and video game industry.

E3 is the legendary video game exhibition open to the press, analysts, retail buyers and business people involved in the computer and video game industries. In its heyday, the event attracted tens of thousands of attendees, all of whom clamored to see the latest and greatest video games on display before they could be purchased.

E3 developed a reputation as a rich spectacle chock full of elaborate booths showing off the latest wares, extravagant parties and exclusive events designed to draw attention to the latest products from leading game makers. All that ended in 2006, when, at the behest of some of the biggest names participating in the event, the ESA decided to change E3 to a much smaller, invitation-only gathering in Santa Monica, Calif.

More info at MacWorld.