The Entertainment Software Association (
EAS) resolved its issues with the city of Los Angeles and AEG , announcing it will hold E3 in the city again from June 11-13, 2013. The annual industry mega show, which has been held in Los Angeles for 16 of its 18 years in existence, wasn’t going to have its 2013 location announced by the ESA until the trade group received assurances from the city that the show would run efficiently during construction of the Farmers Field stadium.
At the last minute, AEG broke the logjam by guaranteeing to halt any stadium construction during the annual show. Next year’s E3 event has been scheduled to run the week of June 10.
Other cities vying to host E3 were New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
“The City of Los Angeles is thrilled to welcome E3 back for another three years,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement. “My office was committed to doing whatever it took to keep the largest annual conference that the City hosts here for another three years. I personally joined in the negotiations, and we worked with all parties to ensure the needs of E3 would be met.”
Economic terms of the deal were similar to prior years, calling for the ESA to pay the convention center $1 million for each event. That rate is reduced to $1,000 if E3 attendees generate at least $450,000 in transit occupancy tax, which is tacked on to hotel bills. The ESA has never had to pay the higher amount.
“We’re booking every hotel room we can get our hands on,” Gallagher said. “Our members alone can easily fill 40,000 hotel room nights. That’s not including the 270 non-member companies that come to exhibit at the show.”
E3 2012 had 45,700 attendees, with the ESA estimating the show generated 30,000 hotel room bookings and nearly $40 million in revenue for Los Angeles.
