ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO SEEN CHARGING INTERACTIVE FIELD

DAN ALAIMO

LOS ANGELES -- With dramatic growth in attendance and several key product announcements, the second annual Electronic Entertainment Exposition, held here May 16 to 18, may have been a watershed event in the development of the interactive entertainment business. Attendance grew more than 40% from last year's show, from 40,851 to 57,795, according to a show spokesman. Having outgrown the space available in the Los Angeles Convention Center, E3 will move to Atlanta next year, June 19 to 21. The show, held by the Interactive Digital Software Association, Washington, and Infotainment World, San Mateo, Calif., has also begun to draw supermarket executives. "It's very exciting. It's very hands-on," said Clifford Feiock, video coordinator at Nash Finch Co., Minneapolis. "You can try the new games, like Nintendo 64 and some of the 16-bit games being introduced."

Kirk Mueldener, director of video operations at Hy-Vee Food Stores, West Des Moines, Iowa, said he was looking for what "direction the game industry is going in." This became especially important when game rentals fell off precipitously last year. "It used to be good, but now it's hard to chase the dollars," said Mueldener. Gregg Wright, president of Video III, Orem, Utah, which racks supermarket video rental departments, said he was there for much the same reason. "Video games have been pretty much dead for about 18 months, if not longer. People have been waiting for the new dominant platform to come out," he said. Of the trade shows Wright attends, E3 has become second in importance only to the annual Video Software Dealers Association convention, which also will be held in Los Angeles this year, July 10 to 13.