Creative Technology Helps Exhibitors Dazzle at E3

Owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is the most important trade event for those behind the world's most famous interactive games. In its 12th year, E3 boasted record attendance; 60,000 visitors came to the Los Angeles Convention Center to witness the latest developments that the over 400 exhibitors had on display. Additionally, E3insider.com welcomed 1.5 virtual attendees, who had access to the show floor via the Internet.


Once again, Los Angeles-based Creative Technology North America was present both in the exhibit hall and at press events and parties. The company provided technology for Nintendo of America, Inc., Sony Entertainment of America, Inc., Square Enix, Webzen, Nokia, and Electronic Arts.


"The main thing we set out to do is deliver an amazing end product," says Kristi Ventura, Creative Technology's national sales manager. "At E3, there is so much sensory overload and so much competition between the exhibits that you really need to stand out. Our goal is to make it as creative as possible and bring the client to the best possible result. Their goal is to get the most booth traffic and to be noticed. There is always a lot of talk at E3 in terms of who had the best booth."


For its various clients, Creative Technology integrated equipment by Barco, Grass Valley, Stewart Filmscreen, Vista, Sony, and L-Acoustics, among others. Jeffrey Meyer, general manager at Creative Technology Chicago, notes that processing video is becoming easier, thanks to advances that have been made in show control technology. "That is the primary benefit of systems like Vista Spyder and Barco Encore, although we still utilize independent show control systems like Fresco to control playback into those systems," he says. "Windowing has been made easier by both Spyder and Encore, but we are still controlling a lot of intricate playback with a dedicated show control product."


As exhibitors continue to search for new ways to stand out from the competition, video systems will grow more sophisticated at events like E3. Mike Janetzke, a project manager at Creative Technology Los Angeles who worked with Webzen this year, believes that high definition video will become more prominent in the years to come. "High definition is going to play and even larger role in the coming years," Janetzke says. "As more of the gaming consoles are offering high definition output, we are going to see more high definition displays on the show floor."