Game conferences expand into E3 vacuum

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is downsizing, but it appears that other conferences are getting bigger. The 2006 Austin Game Conference will have more exhibitors and sponsors than ever before, while the Indianapolis Gen Con hobby game convention is increasing its focus on video games and relocating its satellite Gen Con So Cal show to better accommodate the gaming industry.

The Austin Game Conference organizers today said they have tallied a record 100 exhibitors and sponsors for the show, which will take place September 6-8 in the Austin Convention Center. This year's show, the first to be stretched out over three days, will also feature more than 100 speakers. The Casual Games Conference, Game Writers Conference, and Game Audio Conference will take place during the same span of time and share space in the convention center.

Also this week, Gen Con organizers announced that their hobby game conventions will step in to fill the void left by E3--literally. Gen Con So Cal 2006 is set for November 16-19 in Anaheim, California, but starting next year, the show is moving into the Los Angeles Convention Center, longtime home of E3.

"This move will better serve the entertainment industry, so prevalent in the gaming industry and more importantly make Gen Con more accessible to consumers who wish to see the latest and greatest in all things gaming," the company said in a statement.

As for its main show, the Indianapolis, Indiana-based Gen Con Indy, the 2006 edition of which kicks off today and runs through Sunday, it too is expanding. The company will add an extra 43,000 square feet of space for the 2007 show "in order to better accommodate the video game business."

For more information on the shows, check out the official Austin Game Conference and Gen Con Web sites.