Milia 2000 Begins in Cannes

France's premiere software-development trade show, Milia, opened its doors without much ado in Cannes on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2000.

The show has had significant impact on Europe's games industry since its inception seven years ago, as it gives European developers and publishers an opportunity to meet one another and do business; publishing and distribution deals are signed, and new games are announced. Although most of the exhibitors hadn't even set up their booths by the end of the day on Monday, a smattering of keynote speeches and even a cocktail party evidenced the passing of the first day of the show.

Such cocktail parties seem at least as significant to Milia as what's on the showroom floor. It's a show about making connections and mingling with industry colleagues. Although the show's international audience was mostly dressed in formal wear, the show nevertheless comes across as low-key. Schedules are kept loose and flexible, cigarettes are plentiful, and no one's ever in a hurry. As such, Milia seems like a very different show than America's fast-paced and frantic Electronic Entertainment Expo. The exhibitors and press attending Milia seem much more inclined to share an espresso or a cocktail over an informal chat with one another rather than to rush to get the scoop before anyone else, or to rush to play the latest build of the popular forthcoming games.

Milia covers all aspects of interactive entertainment, including both computer and console games. In addition to what's on the showroom floor, Milia also features open forums that cover everything from the future of games to possible ways of countering software piracy. Some of the keynote speakers include CEO and president of Infogrames, Bruno Bonner; and Shoichiro Irimajiri, president of Sega. GameSpot will report live from the showroom floor for the next four days to cover the keynote speeches and product announcements and also to give impressions of the new games being shown.