ed_fleming

I don't post too often, but I need to point to a few reviews that show what people in Classic Gaming are saying about VGXPO and RetroCon... Also, please feel free to check out the VGXPO website www.videogame.net and blog http://www.videogame.net/vgxpo/blog/ -- lots of fun photos can be found on each. In regards to the IGN article... From Jay at J2 Games: I was kinda suprised this afternoon to have received a copy of an email from Ed Fleming to a writer at IGN with an explanation for a number of "issues" from this years VGXpo. The writer was alerting Ed to the fact that he was NOT going to post a good review of the show. Part of the email and posting by this IGN writer just confused me. I have never been a part of nor visited the Philly Classic shows that people always go on about. Having said that, I have no frame of reference for what happened at these shows. I know Ed "took over" in all or in part this show and has evolved it into something that has his own spin on it. It just annoys me that people always compare this show to Philly Classic. As last years VGXpo has virtually NO retro vendors, I think the fact that we had 8 solid retro vendors for the fledgling 2008 RetroCon was a pretty decent turn out. Most of the participants seemed to be happy as I heard OVER AND OVER again. Maybe it's time to put Philly Classic in the category of "things fondly remembered" and lets move onto a new show with new and varied items and interests. As we've already seen, Atari 2600 systems and games are no longer collectible as much as they are "antique" and many of the oldest systems warrant a place more in a museum then on a store shelf. Just watching my own store sales I can plainly see that the generation that remembers the NES is slowly now making room for the generation that remembers the SNES. Time changes things and even us retro vendors need to be somewhat "contemporary" in order to have a survivable business model. Here is a link to the IGN posting, I'm curious for your thoughts: http://retro.ign.com/articles/933/933285p1.html Now, I will agree on some of the disorganized comments as we all saw that about the main show. But I thought RetroCon ran pretty tightly. From Bill Kunkel: You can't please everyone, especially if they're looking for apples in an orange grove. However, I will be even more strongly urging Ed to go heavier on consoles next year -- I don't care if he makes a deal with Gamestop. There were consoles, but not enuf. They should have had many more Wiis with Wii Music (just released and lotsa fun) and not just the old sports games that everyone has seen. They also should have done more with game trailers and movies (actually running "Postal" would have helped). But the fact is that VGXPO was finally an undeniable success and that seems to rub a lot of people the wrong way. //// Ed Fleming and VGXPO have finally made it to the big leagues, and no amount of cliquish animosity, personal jealousy or cynicism can deny that VGXPO is now a Major Player in the game convention world, based solely on attendance at this year's show. Everyone -- the vendors, exhibitors. attendees and even Ed and the VGXPO Players -- was overwhelmed by the number of people who descended on the PA Convention Center (PACC) today (Saturday). J2, which officially ran the RetroCon area, was deluged all day by crowds that were wrapped around the block by 9 AM (the attendees began to be admitted at 10 AM), as were Video Game Trader, Digital Press and a dozen or so other vendors who saw locust-like purchasing activity on the part of gamers. Joe Santulli admitted that he had packed light coming from his legendary NJ game store, but with his inventory pretty much stripped to the bone, he was on his way back to Jersey tonight to lay in another load for tomorrow. (As late as 4 PM today there were still gigantic lines waiting to pay for a weekend pass, so while most conventions are pretty much comatose by noon on Sunday, this baby may well be blasting through closing time tomorrow.) In the main room, meanwhile, despite a lack of cooperation by all three hardware manufacturers and the two software giants, an army of state-of-the-art PCs kept the LAN activity buzzing after a breakdown on Friday night, and just enough 360 and Wii activity was available to keep battalions of gamers waiting in line to play. I gave a bunch of interviews with people and sites including Stephen J Wilfong (who is engaged in a fascinating series of studies regarding subjects such as the game industry's failure to market its creators) to Gamenook (or was it Gamenookie?), a site that combines gamer chat that can lead to actual personal interaction. That's right, Facebook meets Final Fantasy meets Match.com. They could be on to something, especially after Rob pimped me to them with a shamelessness I could not help but admire. I personally came back to the hotel tonight spent as Michael Jackson's credit, but it's been great getting to spend time with the Two J's, Chris, Dave, Rob and more new and old friends than my feeble memory could ever compile. And seeing product disappear off our table as if being harvested by illegal immigrants was not a bummer at all. Of course it wasn't perfect. There were a lot of operational breakdowns (after being postponed, the organizers couldn't get it together to show "Postal" despite folks who literally waited hours in two different locations), the hotel never believed VGXPO when they told them they were getting saturation TV advertising in the Philly area from NBC and, as a result, a whole lotta people could very well show up. Thus, despite VGXPO having 300 people there to help staff the event, hotel security was woefully inadequate. There were also a lack of panels and individuals talks and Q&As. These events may not have been the reason the people came, but they sure missed them when they kept getting canceled and they are the biggest issue VGXPO will have to address over the next year. Ed Fleming was the first to admit the show's breakdowns but let's face it, it's a wonder the show's unexpected turnout didn't cause the poor guy's head to epxlode. Even the huge attendance itself had its downside in the Disneyland-like waiting times to register and actually get your hands on a game. But the public interest in Northeastern cities -- given appropriate marketing -- has been established beyond debate. Oh yeah, they also had a booth that sold the best strawberry lemonade I have ever tasted. I'll be back on Monday with a show wrapup but the big news from Philadelphia at 9:15 PM on Saturday night is already very clear -- VGXPO, in its make-or-break year, made it by a mile. From Joe at Digital Press: Back from my first day at VGXPO. I'm back early because I didn't exhibit or speak today. Tomorrow begins the "RetroCon" portion of the event. The show floor looked great and for a Friday, had a good turnout and good energy. My buddies from PBC Productions were there, as was Mike Chassin from Collector's House (who is apparently being re-located to the RetroCon area tomorrow). If you're a tournament person there is a LOT to do. There were many, many clans in the house. My favorite was a group that travels with a pillow under their arms. If you're a "classic gamer", well, we'll see about that tomorrow, but the RetroCon area is rather tiny compared to the high-tech VGXPO main floor. I was pretty impressed with the arrangement for day 1 overall! I shot some video, of course. Should be at the top of the YouTube page here unless you're reading this thread in 2009. The "From the Market..." shows you the whole scene from outside to behind-the-scenes. //// Just back from Day 2 (technically Day 1 for Digital Press as RetroCon started today) of the show. Props to Ed Fleming for pulling this off. I went to this event with very low expectations and fortunately very prepared regardless. I loaded up the van with a dozen boxes of shit that I knew would sit in my store's basement for years. I blew it out for as low prices as I could (all of the XBox 360 games I sold were $5 and there were some good games in there like Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell that I have way way too many of in overstock) and I put a smile on a lot of faces and came home with a van full of empty boxes. I have to resupply 80% of what I brought today for tomorrow's show. If you've ever been a vendor, you know there's no better feeling that leaving "empty handed". I got that. The vibe in the RetroCon room was GREAT. It reminded me a lot of the FIRST PhillyClassic. 8 or so vendors but everyone knows everyone and everyone has GOOD stuff. The VGXPO NON-RetroCon side of things certainly pleased a lot of people as well as it was jam-packed all day long and I saw nothing but happy faces and kids playing Guitar Hero, driving simulators, LAN parties and what I'd estimate to be 30 or so arcade cabinets (which, by the way, were all working... and this wasn't Retrotopia stuff, either, was it?). And despite being a vendor and now a pretty seasoned retailer I STILL had a good time selling things all day long. It was great catching up with old friends, meeting forum members for the first time, seeing "Uncle Bill " Kunkel and most importantly, really making a lot of people happy. This show was as much a successful promotion effort for Digital Press as it was a financial success for the store. Big thumbs up and I'm actually looking forward to the final day tomorrow. This, after driving back and forth from north Jersey to Philly for two days in a row already. Again, major props to Ed Fleming and the abundant staff and volunteers, as well as Jay from J2games who obviously oversaw the RetroCon portion of the show. From Jay at J2 Games: WOW! How do you explain this years show other then WOW! Retrocon (the retro part of VGXpo) started with a bang today and the dozen vendors were literally overwhelmed by the numbers of gamers looking for games, systems and accessories. As I'm sure Joe will be telling you shortly, if Day 1 is any indication of what Day 2 will bring, we are guaranteed to be exhausted by the end of this show! See Bill Kunkel's posting on the show here: http://www.j2games.com/new/forum/index.php?topic=2921 I'm exhausted and hitting the sack early. Between the show and after party we're beat but the energy from today will carry us through to show's end! From the organizors at Too Many Games: I was EXTREMELY impressed by the turnout, and major kudos go out to Ed and company for their work on putting the show together! My original thought remains tho', it's not so much a Video Game Expo as it's a PC gaming expo. It's obvious that Intel sunk a great deal of cash into VGXPO, and a lot of the other exhibitors seemed to be PC-centric as well. I hope for future events they can pull more in from the console side of the equation, as it is right now it's VERY lopsided, and to be honest I didn't find much to do being a console gamer. Overall, VERY impressive looking show tho', and I hope everyone who went had a great time! from RCM on the Digital Press Forums: As I told Ed on Saturday, he finally delivered. I've enjoyed myself at all of his shows, but this one should give the man some cred. in the community and beyond. What a huge improvement. As for some of the negative comments and nitpicking in this thread, two come from a competing area show (I love you guys, but come on) and another from GAC and his encounters with unidentified show goers. Seems a little fishy to say the least. This show had something for everyone and was strong all around. Perfect? No, but show me a show that is. Bottom line, this year’s VGXPO was absolutely the best game con I’ve been to since PC5. From Frankie Says Relax on DP Forums: While there were a lot of LAN party stuff and some non-gaming booths (colleges and schools featuring digital art/game design programs ... and some CRAZY ren-faire booths with swords, knives, crystals and the like) the classic arcade cabinet section should have been enough to keep any classic gamer happy for a good chunk of time ... and the Retro-Con section had something for everybody sales-wise. I picked up a pair of BRAND NEW from old stock Ms. Pac-Man drinking glasses (the kind with the 4-color silk screen paint ... think 80's Burger King Star Wars glasses) and a Ms. Pac-Man TOMY wind-up (also 20+ years old & still brand spanking NIB) for a total of $17. There weren't a lot of modern console stuffs there, but you could literally get anything else from a boxed Oddesy to a Vectrex, to an Atari Stunt Cycle to a top-loader NES at (for the most part) reasonable prices. There were lots of desirable imports and there were PLENTY of classics from 2600 through PS1 at just about every table. I can't see how anybody could walk away from this and say that it was anything less than a fun day full of neat stuff to see and do. I just wish more people that come to conventions would bathe and/or wear clean clothes/cologne/perfume.

Hi Folks! It's been a good while since I last posted, but I wanted to say hello before the big show. So here goes the pitch... Over 45 companies will be at VGXPO (we're 90% sold out), and I want to let you know that while the show has grown to include more modern gaming, classic games will be at the show. Please know, we've invited Digital Press to be at the show and they are attending. In addition, there will be a few other retro groups at the show, including Vidiotopia. Here is the hard truth... We do not know if Atari Age will be at the show, we've invited Al, but he has not let us know if he'll be there. If Atari Age wants it, we are giving Atari Age a booth - but Al needs to let us know ASAP. If you have a chance to talk with him, please ask him to call us. We want you guys to be at the show, and please know, there are NO fees for you to be there. Atari Age is my first retro fan site, I love you guys - I hope you can be at the show. None the less, there is less then a week to the show and we can only hope AA comes to the event. I am a HUGE fan of your site and I am a HUGE retro gamers - and there is no reason that you should think otherwise. Sure, there are a few folks out there that don't want VGXPO to include modern and retro games, but the truth is, a game show today needs both. So, I've said this before, VGXPO is all about gamers, retro and modern. I am, and so are my employees, Retro fans, but we also like modern gaming. What's more, VGXPO needs to include both modern and classic gaming to make it. VGXPO is not just about making money, but let's face it there are 4 full time employees, and we need to be able to make rent, buy food and have a little fun on the side. If you think we're all corporate, you're wrong. All of us, in our adult lives have had to live through hard times. All of us are normal people. All of us have had to ender things that were life changing. All of us have had a time in our life were we missed bills and had to pay late fees. All of us are like you - we're normal people that want to do good things. VGXPO is our vision of what a gaming expo should be - an event that mixes all games, classic and modern, into an awesome event. In any case, we want to give Atari Age and Digital Press members more reason to be at the show, and I want to give you all a huge discount to the event. If you email me (or Dave), we'll send you a web-link that gives you $10 weekend passes to VGXPO, just let us know via email (with your AA or DP account name) by this Wednesday. In addition, if you want to help us out with the show as a volunteer we still need help. By volunteering you'll be providing a great asset. As a vol at VGXPO you'll get a great t-shirt, free access to the show, access to some great people in the industry, and many thanks from us. Let us know if you're interested in helping out. Thanks, Ed edfleming@vgxpo.com

We've made a MAJOR website update and put pre-registation tickets are on sale... Just $12.50 for adult tickets. Be sure to check it out.

Too Many Games was a lot of fun. Great show Chuck! Make sure to keep a table for VGXPO for your next show.

We wanted to provide an update for exhibitors about exhbit pricing for this year's show. For the thrid year in a row, our base-level table prices start at $180, with discounts for multiple table orders. In addition to table tops, we're also providing 10x10 and 10x20 exhibit packages. VGXPO’s organizers believe that every company, large and small, should have the opportunity to participate with an exhibit at the show. Game industry “Mom and Pop” organizations can take advantage of subsidized exhibit rates that making participating in the VGXPO an easy decision. VGXPO Market Place rates are designated for small companies, start-ups, retailers, and online businesses only. To qualify for Market Place exhibition your annual revenues must not exceed $250,000. Exhibit space for larger company's is $20 per square foot. As a value bonus, any small companies that have exhibited with us at ANY past VGXPO will recieve a 10% discount on thier package if they order before June 1. VGXPO Values – Table Top Packages with 6 ft. Table(s) Package # ---Price ---Size ---Tables ---Electric ---Carpeting Table Top 1 ---$180 ---N/A ---One ---None ---None Table Top 2 ---$350 ---N/A ---Two ---None ---None Table Top 3 ---$500 ---N/A ---Three ---None ---None Table Top 4 ---$650 ---N/A ---Four ---None ---None VGXPO Small Business Exhibiting Packages with 8 ft. Table(s) Package # ---Price ---Size ---Tables ---Electric ---Carpeting Package 1 ---$1400 ---10x10 ---One ---3 AMPS ---None Package 2 ---$1700 ---10x10 ---Two ---3 AMPS ---Yes Package 3 ---$3000 ---10x20 ---Four ---10 AMPS ---Yes For larger companies we offer the following: Standard Exhibit Space Price: $20.00 per square foot Size: 10x10 (minimum), 60x80 (maximum) Booth Includes: 1. Description and Web Link 2. ID Sign 3. Exhibitor Passes 4. Complimentary Event Passes 5. VGXPO Co-Marketing Materials 6. Company Listing in Program Exhibitor is responsible for carpeting, electricity, staffing, shipping, drayage, installation, removal, and all booth decorations

Hi folks. We're 8 months out from VGXPO 2007 and we need your help. This is a call for volunteers in all areas. By helping us you get into the show for free (all weekend), a cool t-shirt, behind the scenes access to the show and its planning, the chance to meet some really cool people, and many thanks from us for helping out with the show. We are looking for helpers and team leaders in the following areas: - Volunteer Coordinators - Speaker and Pannel Director - Pannel Support Staff - kiosk and arcade support staff - DDR and rythem game trainers - Wii game trainers - Auction Officials - Greeters - Game Historians to staff a new mesuem - Tournament Officials - Madden Football - Halo 2 - DOA - Guitar Hero - Wii Sports - Arcade Challenge - Nintendo 1990 Challenge - plus others - Web Marketing Support - Web developers - Web site monitors - College Marketing Agents (pre event) - Highschool Marketing Agents (pre event) - Audio and Visual Techs - Registation & Info Desk Team Captian - Registation and Info Desk Support - Assistants for Ed Fleming - Assistants for David Kramer - Assistants for Jennifer Johnson - Assistants - General Assistants and Runners - Guest Relations Assistants - Set up and break down labor Interested in helping? Just let us know what you can do, provide your contact info, age and days that you think you'll be able to help us. If you're interested please email us at volunteers@VGXPO.com Thanks, David Kramer VGXPO Show Manager and Ed Fleming VGXPO Executive Director

Here's a preview of the Press Release that goes out next week (website update goes online Monday too). AMERICA’S VIDEOGAME EXPO 2007 ANNOUNCED Video Gamers Across America Rejoice: VGXPO Returns November 2 – 4, 2007 ________________________________________________________________ San Francisco (from the GDC), March 5, 2007 – Lunar Tide Communications, Inc. announces the return of America’s VideoGame Expo (a.k.a. VGXPO) November 2 through 4, in Philadelphia, PA. “America’s VideoGame Expo is three days of videogame revelry,” stated Ed Fleming, founder and executive director of VGXPO. “Our convention is an annual gaming destination - where gamers and industry insiders can come together to celebrate videogames.” Now entering its third year, VGXPO is a high-profile consumer convention, and is the largest gathering of video and computer gamers in North America. Attendees come to VGXPO to experience the newest games, encounter game industry legends, compete in tournaments, buy games and meet with friends. To make room for its incredible growth, this year VGXPO organizers plan to more then double its size. To expand America’s VideoGame Expo, in both floor space and attendance, the expo has moved to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Utilizing over 100,000 square feet of convention space, VGXPO’s show floor is now nearly twice the size of previous events. The new location, in the heart of Philadelphia, is located just a few blocks form the city’s historic Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and the Philadelphia riverfront. "As an attendee of this event over the years, I've really enjoyed the history and community aspect that VGXPO creates,” said Tommy Tallarico, video game composer and creator of Video Games Live. “Each year it gets bigger and better and this year is no exception!" Hosting VGXPO at the Pennsylvania Convention Center locates the event above one of the North East’s largest transportation hubs. This station will provide railroad access for attendees coming from the suburbs and regional cities like Boston, New York, Trenton, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. Easily making VGXPO the perfect day or weekend destination for over 100 million people. “We have one rule for VGXPO - no gamer should be left out. We want to make VGXPO accessible to everyone,” said Fleming. “So to do this, we’ve made single day passes $15.00 and additional discounts can be found online. These passes will include access to the expo hall, the VGXPO Arcade, VGXPO gaming kiosks, and keynote speakers.” "As the game industry continues to grow, so does the involvement of its consumers. They're getting more involved in not just playing but also helping test, design and steer where major projects are going,” said David Perry, CEO of GameConsultants.com. “This kind of event is very special as it brings together the talent that makes these games with the people that matter most, their audience." VGXPO was designed from the ground up to be the perfect convention for game fans and marketers. In 2006, over 50 organizations participated in the VGXPO, including: NVIDIA, Atari, Comcast, Microsoft, Nyko, Tips and Tricks magazine, Game Crazy, 1UP Network, Game Developers Conference, Nubi/Pelican, Nintendo, and many others. This year, the event’s organizers plan to attract even more companies to the event. "VGXPO provides a fantastic showcase for the NVIDIA-equipped PC as a mass-market consumer gaming platform," said Bill Rehbock, Senior Director of Content Partner Relations at NVIDIA. "VGXPO is a great venue for consumers to come and learn how NVIDIA-based PCs are the perfect platform for the gaming capabilities of Microsoft's new Windows™ Vista operating system." This year’s VGXPO will feature: game publishers and developers will showcase new products, pro and armature tournaments, videogame music concerts, COS-Play, guests from the videogame industry, and vendors selling new and retro-classic games. Additionally, VGXPO will host the largest videogame job fair on the east coast, a conference seminar for students, and many other exciting events to be announced in the coming months. For more information regarding America’s VideoGame Expo, visit us on the web at www.VGXPO.com ### America’s VideoGame Expo, based in Philadelphia, is part of Lunar Tide Communications, Inc. a company that develops videogame related events and educational services. It’s core service, the VideoGame.Net Experience, is an educational program that teaches students in 6th through 12th grades videogame design and production. Since 2003, the VideoGame.Net Experience curriculum has been taught to over 2500 students.

I hope this posting finds you well. Over the past few months, David and I have been negotiating with convention centers regarding the 2007 event. America's VideoGame Expo 2007 will take place November 2 through November 4, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia. To help the expo grow, in both size and attendance, we've moved VGXPO to the PA Convention Center. The new venue is in the heart of Philadelphia and is located above one of city's largest train stations, the Philadelphia's Hard Rock Cafe, the Reading Terminal, and the Market East Mall. In addition, the convention center is just a few blocks for Independence Hall and the Philadlephia river front. At the convention center we will be using Hall C, a 90,000 sq. foot expo hall, nearly twice the size of our expo hall in 2006. In addition to Hall C, we plan to utilize a number of meeting and ball rooms. In the future, if we continue to utilize this facility, we can grow the event size to use over 650,000 sq. feet of expo space and countless number of meeting and ball rooms. VGXPO 2007 single day ticket prices will be $15.00 at the door and will include access to the expo hall, the VGXPO Arcade, VGXPO gaming kiosks, and keynote speakers. In addition to vendors selling new and classic games, the expo will feature a videogame companies showing new product, game tournements, videogame music concerts, COS-Play and special guests from the videogame industry. We'll be making an official announcement about the show next week at the Game Developers Confernce. In addition, the www.VGXPO.com website will be updated in the next few weeks with more information about the show & provide the ability to buy passes at a discounted rate. Kind regards, Ed Fleming

LAST CALL FOR VENDORS We have almost sold out VGXPO's vendor space. We have a couple of Market Place tables left - each table is $185 We have two 10x10 lefts - each booth is $500 If you want in email me on by the end of day Wednesday: edfleming@vgxpo.com.

BIG NEWS: Chris Satchell, Microsoft's GM of the Game Developer Group, will provide the VGXPO Keynote on October 27 Consumers as Creators: Ready, Set, Create! Millions of gamers around the world enjoy video games, but only a select few get to participate in the creation of them. In films and music, YouTube and MySpace are showcasing extra-ordinary creations that come from the community. The creativity of consumers turned creators is amazing and powers these vibrant communities. The key enabler for creators is the widespread availability of easy-to-use, low cost tools – something that has been missing from the gaming industry in general and specially from the closed world of console development. This holiday Microsoft seeks to end this exclusivity with the release of XNA Game Studio Express. For the first time ever Microsoft will demonstrate their next-generation community development system working on Xbox 360. Come learn the strategy and vision that is driving this sea-change in thinking around who gets to build games and how they do

This year VGXPO will feature 2 huge arcades. Here is a sneak peak of the games we will be featuring: I, Robot Arabian Pole Position Klax Tetris Dragon Spirit Centipede Crystal Castles Marble Madness Road Runner Road Blasters Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom Missile Command A.P.B. Assault Escape From the Planet of the Robot Monsters Shuuz Vindicators Blasteroids Gauntlet Gauntlet 2 Xevious Dig-Dug Food Fight Moon Patrol Defender Blaster Stargate Robotron Joust Tron Gorf Rally-X Ms. Pac-Man Pac-Man Galaxian Galaga Tapper Timber Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr. Frogger Zaxxon Pengo Q*Bert Super Off-Road Track & Field Computer Space Pong Gunfight Jaws Fire Truck Sky Diver Breakout Space Attack Space Invaders Night Driver Destroyer Dragon's Lair Lunar Lander Asteroids Asteroids Deluxe Red Baron Battlezone Tempest Space Duel Gravitar Quantum Black Widow Star Wars Major Havoc Tac/Scan Eliminator Star Trek Warrior Space War

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN VGXPO print ads start hitting newsstands. If you have a subscription to EGM, VGXPO ads featuring Ben Franklin started to hit mailboxes today. We have 2 ads in this month's edition of EGM (Guitar Hero is the cover). Our ads can be found in September copies of: - Electronic Gaming Monthly - Computer Gaming World - Official Playstation Magazine - Play Magazine - VideoGame Collector - Tips and Tricks The LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN ad will be printed on over 3 million pages of enthusiast magazines. www.VGXPO.com

This is the official forum topic for VGXPO at Atari Age. America's VideoGame Expo (aka VGXPO) October 27-29, 2006 Valley Forge Convention Center 15 minutes from Philadelphia www.VGXPO.com

Our exhibitor and sponsor list is growing! We are already as large as 2005... We have 78 days to go and have even more announcements to make in the coming weeks. Here is the latest list: # 1UP Network # Action Figure Factory # Atari Museum # Awesome Arcades # Chris Chandler # Collectors Cards and Games # Computer Gaming World # Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) # Free-Games.com # Future Shock Creations # Game Daily # Game Developers Confernce # GameDev.Net # GameJobs.com # Game Tapes Unlimited # Games-To-Go # GameVideos.com (Ziff Davis) # Intellivision Productions # J2 Games # Moby Games # My Cheats (Ziff Davis) # Official PlayStation Magazine # Penn State University - VideoGame Camp # Play Magazine # RetroGaming # PSI Productions # Rolenta Press # The VideoGame Museum # Tips and Tricks # Video Game Collector Magazine # Video Games Live # VideoGame Trader # VideoGame.Net # Videotopia Let the Revolution Begin www.VGXPO.com

Summer time is hard... However, there is a lot to consider to convention planning. Time of year drastically affects the cost of a convention center, and each region has is peak times. For example, most northern states, the winter months are low cost, but in Orlando and Vegas the costs are the highest. In Philly, we would save some big $$$ if we did it in the winter, but then, it would be hard for many people to get to the show. We are looking at Orlanda, So Cal and a few other sites for the future. With E3 dead, it's looking like So. Cal might be our next location. As for Dallas, that market is overloaded... There are three other cons and one of them QuakeCon, is in the middle of the summer.

I wanted to let everyone know that Jeff has confirmed that he'll be back to VGXPO with VIDEOTOPIA! Last year Jeff and his team brought 40 of the best retro arcade games of all time. We've asked the VIDEOTOPIA team to come back to VGXPO and bring even more great games. We expect 60 to 80 of the best arcade games ever to be on site. PLUS the game room will be open for 48 HOURS! Yep, from 6pm on Friday, through 5pm on Sunday (with an extra hour on Sunday for Daylight Savings) -- all weekend pass holders can play the VIDEOTOPIA games for FREE all night long! No tokens, no quarters, 100% FREE! For single day pass holders, you can play til 2am on Friday and Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. In addition to the VIDEOTOPIA, we'll be inviting a few other arcade providers (let me know if you want to bring your games to VGXPO) to come to the show too, and we also have 30 VGXPO console kiosks ready to go. That's over 100 games, set on free play. Let the Revolution Begin! www.VGXPO.com Ed Fleming

I don't know yet... I hope they will be. Many of the vendors last year waited until September and October to sign up. When talking with promoters of other events, be it game releated or otherwise, people often wait until the last minute. Truth is, we have a limited amount of space, so for anyone that wants space, it's better to reserve it as early as you can. In addition to the sponsors and exhibitors listed above, we have a number of other things that we haven't announced yet. For example, there is one company that will be at VGXPO with a 30x40 booth. These guys are a semi-big player in the industry and are best known for providing technology, not games. In addition to exhibitors, we are working on things like the VideoGame Battle of the Bands and the VGXPO Game and Animation Festival, plus a few other cool events. We also expect a much larger crowd for 2006. We have ads running in EGM, CGW, Play, VG Collector, and Tips and Tricks. We are also doing other kinds of marketing and PR with TV, web and radio. With all of the issues surronding E3, we think that will give VGXPO a small push for this year and a HUGE push for 2007. The future of the show looks bright. I hope to see you at VGXPO! Ed www.vgxpo.com

Hi guys... This press release was sent out in response to E3 being canceled. I wanted to add it to the forums so that everyone can see it before it gets posted all over the web. The release does say that games are for sale, but that's not the focus of the press release anyway. The mention of it is here: "When a gamer comes to VGXPO he will have the opportunity not just to play & buy the latest games (and the retro classics) but also have the opportunity to meet the people responsible for their creation." Next month we are running ads in Video Game Collector, EGM, Tips and Tricks, Play Magazine and CGW. These magazines will hit the news stands mid September. All of the ads say "thousands of games for sale". The crowds at VGXPO 2006 know that they can buy games, meet game makers and have a good time. The price for passes to VGXPO start at $20, and we've already pre-sold over 1000 tickets. We are trying to grow VGXPO, and I think we doing a good job at it. Here is a list of current exhibitors and sponsors: # 1UP Network # Action Figure Factory # Chris Chandler # Collectors Cards and Games # Computer Gaming World # Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) # Free-Games.com # Game Daily # Game Developers Confernce # GaneDev.Net # GameJobs.com # Games-To-Go # GameVideos.com (Ziff Davis) # Intellivision Productions # J2 Games # Moby Games # My Cheats (Ziff Davis) # Official PlayStation Magazine # Penn State University - VideoGame Camp # Play Magazine # RetroGaming # Rolenta Press # The VideoGame Museum # Tips and Tricks # Video Game Collector Magazine # Video Games Live # VideoGame Trader # VideoGame.Net There are other vendors at VGXPO that I cannot announce yet. But believe me, VGXPO 2K6 will be just as fun as last year and much bigger too. If any potential vendor wants to talk with me about VGXPO, feel free to give me a call. I can be reached at 610-668-1636 Ed

There really are no options again (like last year) for people who just want to get rid of their extra stuff, packing and pricing everything for just one day is rediculous when you have all common stuff and can maybe top 200$ minus expenses (and gas is a biggie too anymore). You can have a lot of stuff and while it may be fun the actual dollar amount may not be a lot. It would have been nice. Good point. We have plans for what you are talking about, but haven't announced it yet. Essentially, will have a small, low cost swap zone. Since money transactions can take place there, our biggest hurdel is the tax man. Once we resolved this I'll make an announcement.

Philadelphia, August 2, 2006 -- With the recently announced changes to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Lunar Tide Communications, Inc., is pleased to offer America's VideoGame Expo (VGXPO) as an alternative venue where the game industry can communicate directly with their target audience - the consumer. Publishers and developers searching for additional locations to show off their products can look to VGXPO as a perfect opportunity to put the hottest games in the hands of gamers at a reasonable cost. "VGXPO organizers and its advisory board members lament that the videogame industry has matured past the need for a mega-event such as E3," said Ed Fleming, Director of the VGXPO. "However, we see this as a transformation-catalyst for the industry – what the industry needs now is something that can be used to showcase products, promote game makers and celebrate the rich history of the industry directly with consumers." "We believe that America's VideoGame Expo offers a new kind of value proposition and is an opportunity to do more with marketing dollars. We looked at other industries for inspiration - the shows with the most impact and longest lasting power are consumer-focused direct marketing events," stated Fleming. "Be it the International Auto Shows, Comic-Con, TGS, or localized events such as hobby shows or home and garden conventions; these are huge events that have survived for decades and run the gamut of industry players. Direct marketing at events such as these are a proven return-on-investment." "As the professional organization that recognizes excellence in games among its members, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences supports the efforts of America's VideoGame Expo to create a venue that promotes interactive entertainment directly to consumers," stated Joseph Olin, President, AIAS. "Providing game players an opportunity to see and experience the widest range of games possible benefits all of us who love great games" "It seems we've come full circle... I started making games over 20 years ago, back then the ONLY kind of expo was for gamers. I have very fond memories of being shoulder deep in gamers all eager to be the first to try a new game. The energy and excitement they generate fuels the passion that makes game development so fun," said David Perry, CEO of GameConsultants.com. Unlike any other event, VGXPO is a gaming festival that celebrates the positive impact that videogames have on American culture. When a gamer comes to VGXPO he will have the opportunity not just to play & buy the latest games (and the retro classics) but also have the opportunity to meet the people responsible for their creation. "For NVIDIA consumer-oriented game shows represent an important part of our marketing strategy," explained Bill Rehbock, Director of World Wide Publisher Relations and Consumer Awareness at NVIDIA. "Consumer events such as VGXPO are a great fit with our strategy, and will become more and more important for the industry as a whole." "It's time for a show that's about games and the people who play them, and not just a giant party where everyone's showing off their best pre-rendered video and earning kudos for best booth babes," offered game industry veteran Bill Kunkel. "It's time for an event where the smallest developers are considered just as important as the big publishers, and both groups get to show their wares directly to consumers and receive direct feedback from those same consumers. In short, it's time for a show like VGXPO." VGXPO is scheduled to take place from October 27-29, 2006 at the Valley Forge Convention Center, outside of Philadelphia, PA. For tickets or exhibiting options be sure to visit on the web at www.VGXPO.com

Prices... We cut our ties with NBC10 - so we had to rent the space without their help and we also have to cover new marketing costs that we didn't have last year. Because of this we can no longer open the show to the public for free. We charging $35 for a pre-reg weekend pass and $20 for day passes. The LAN event is 48-continous hours and is $60, the resone for this cost is that we have to spend a large amount of money for each unit that uses electricity and for security. We baed the pricing model on sci-fi and comic book convnetions. The table prices for VGXPO start at the same prices as last year and there are new options for larger vendors. We are advertising in 2 issues of EGM, Tips and Tricks, OPM and Play magazine. We'll also be marketing in more news papers and doing a lot of other pre-event activities. During the show we'll have a number of events that last long into the night. In essence, when VGXPO opens at 6pm on Friday Oct, 27 - there will be activies that lat until 8pm on Sunday, Oct 29.

FYI: We've given away over 10,000 of these and it looks like the offer will be pulled next Friday (July 21). The free subscription has no strings attached - so tell your friends about it, and please also mention VGXPO too. Thanks, Ed

Please note the above post was updated. Be sure to click on the image, we've already given 1000 of these away. Ed

Free 1-Year Subsrciption to EGM We've just launched our first major promotion for VGXPO 2006 and are giving away 10,000 free subscriptions to EGM from now thorugh July 31. :::::UPDATE:::: We just got a call from Ziff Davis and the've upped the number of free subscriptions to 15,000! And they want us to give the subscriptions away with no strings -- just click the image above and go right to the magazine subscription form. For those of you that are planning to attend this year's expo be sure to buy your tickets early. You can save $15 when you buy the weekend pass online, and we have a great selection of other packages to select from. For example, with the VIP Platinum package you can get the royal treatment: 2 nights at the hotel complex (attached to the convention center), preferred seating at the VGXPO events, an invitation to the VGXPO Banquet, passes to the VGXPO Halloween party, VGXPO t-shirt and much more. Buy your tickets and passes here Thanks, Ed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AMERICA'S VIDEOGAME EXPO FORMS ADVISORY BOARD PHILADELPHIA, PA - June 2, 2006. America's VideoGame Expo (VGXPO) today announced the formation of its advisory board. The board was created to steward the evolution of VGXPO and help it become the premier event for videogame consumers. Comprised of experts in videogame development, marketing communications, and journalism, Ed Fleming, Director of the VGXPO, named eight industry luminaries as charter members: # Bill Rehbock - Director Developer Relations, Nvidia # David Perry - Founder Shiny Entertainment; Founder GameConsultants.COM # Howard Phillips - Design Manager, Microsoft # Jamil Moledina - Executive Director, Game Developers Conference # Jo Clowes - Producer, Microsoft Games Studios # Joseph Olin - President, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences # Bill Kunkel (a.k.a. The Game Doctor) - Co-Founder, Electronic Games; Game Designer; College Professor # Tommy Tallarico - Co-producer Judgment Day and The Electric Playground; Founder of Video Games Live, Founder; President of the Game Audio Network Guild To move VGXPO to the forefront of the gaming industry Fleming assembled a strong team of industry leaders and visionaries. "These folks are at the top of their game and this advisory board is America's VideoGame Expo's 'Dream Team'," stated Fleming. "The key asset each of these people brings to VGXPO is their love of videogames and belief that game players should have an industry event dedicated to them." The mission of the Advisory Board includes three core areas: # Provide evangelism to the game industry for a consumer-oriented videogame convention. # Develop avenues to publicly honor game industry stars, icons and legends. Including selecting Life Time Achievement Award recipients and inductees in the VideoGame Hall of Fame. # Define the overall scope and direction of future VGXPO events. "It is so important for our industry to have events which help to preserve our history and promote the amazing community of fans," said Tommy Tallarico, founder of VideoGames Live. "VGXPO does both successfully and I look forward to helping it grow even bigger over the next few years." "Imagine a videogame expo that examines the industry from the perspectives of the past, present and future. Now think about getting a chance to meet and greet the largely mysterious creators who shape these games. Toss in hundreds of arcade, PC and home game systems, and areas devoted to every aspect of the videogame universe. Sound like fun? Then I'll see you there," said game industry veteran Bill Kunkel. "If America is going to get the open-to-the-public national videogame expo it deserves, this is the organization and these are the people who will do it." "Most popular forms of entertainment, be they films, comic books, or TV shows, have conventions for fan communities to gather and meet with each other and some of the creators of their passion," said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference. "Videogame fans deserve this access too, and VGXPO delivers that experience for them -- and fills a critical gap in modern popular culture." For more information regarding America's VideoGame Expo, visit us on the web at www.VGXPO.com ### America's VideoGame Expo, based in Philadelphia, is part of Lunar Tide Communications, Inc. a company that develops videogame related events and educational services. It's core service, the VideoGame.Net Experience, is an educational program that teaches students in 6th through 12th grades videogame design and production. Since 2003, the VideoGame.Net Experience curriculum has been taught to over 1000 students. Now in its second year, America's VideoGame Expo was created to provide US game players with conventions on par with similar international game events, such as the Tokyo Game Show, Korea's G-Star convention and the German G|C expo. In 2005, VGXPO attracted 17,000 attendees and over 40 exhibitors. For 2006, VGXPO will take place, October 27-29, at the Valley Forge Convention Center, in Philadelphia, PA.