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E3 conference sessions info

by: John -
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Seeing as we're there every year, this year's E3 should be pretty big with all the new consoles. Anyways, here's the sessions information in case you will be attending and plan on going to one.
E3Expo Unveils 2005 Video Game Business Conference Program; More Than 150 Prominent Industry Leaders to Participate; 34 Sessions Spotlight Current Trends and Evolving Business Models

E3Expo 2005

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) today announced the agenda for its 2005 conference and workshop program, scheduled to take place May 17-19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 2005 program will present more than 150 of the industry's leading experts who will discuss the latest trends, innovations and business practices that define today's thriving global computer and video game industry.

This year's conference tracks focus on the following topics: Creativity and Technology, Business Strategy, and Marketing Analysis. Conference sessions will delve into the most important issues facing the business today and shaping the industry of tomorrow. Sessions focus on a wide variety of critical areas, such as strategies for next-generation consoles, in-game advertising, the mobile marketplace, digital distribution, and international opportunities. (Please see full list of sessions below.) In addition to these sessions, the E3Expo conference program will open with a series of in-depth workshops and special luncheons on Tuesday, May 17, during which attendees can learn directly from, and interact with, the industry's top creative and business leaders.

Attendees can register for the conference program by logging on to www.e3expo.com, where daily schedules and additional information about the conferences are posted. Please note that space is limited. The Web site also contains general registration information about E3Expo, which takes place May 18-20.

The following conference sessions will be held May 18 and 19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Please note that speakers are being added daily -- please check the E3Expo Web site for the latest additions.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

TRACK 1: Creativity and Technology: Building the Framework for
Innovative Gameplay

-- Developing Better Characters, Better Stories: How a Game
Character's Emotion, Passion, and Intelligence Makes the Game
Experience Real

Moderator: Ian Davis, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, Mad Doc
Software; Panelists: Toby Gard, Game Designer, Crystal
Dynamics; Marc Laidlaw, Writer/Game Designer, Valve (Half-Life
2); Tim Schafer, Founder, Double Fine Productions
(Psychonauts); Joe Staten, Cinematics Director, Bungie Studios
(Halo 2)

-- Think Different and (Still) Succeed: Finding Success with
Games that Fall Outside the Familiar

Moderator: Ted Price, President and CEO, Insomniac Games;
Panelists: Jack Emmert, Creative Director, Cryptic Studios
(City of Heroes); Tom Fulp, Co-Founder, The Behemoth (Alien
Hominid); Atsushi Inaba, CEO, Clover Studio/Capcom (Viewtiful
Joe 2); Peter Molyneux, Managing Director, Lionhead Studios
(Fable, The Movies)

-- Game Content Spreads Its Wings: A Conversation with the
Leaders Behind Multi-Platform, Cross-Media Game Creation

Moderator: Chris Marlowe, Editor, New Media/Technology, The
Hollywood Reporter; Panelists: Todd Hollenshead, Chief
Executive Officer, id Software; Samantha Ryan, CEO, Monolith
Productions; Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and
Audio, Electronic Arts; Robert Tercek, Chief Marketing
Officer, (M)FORMA; Stephen Youngwood, Senior Vice President of
Media, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products

-- Closing the Gap in Wireless: Lessons from the Front Lines of
Mobile Game Innovation in Europe and Asia

Moderator: Matthew Bellows, Vice President, Mobile
Entertainment, GameSpot; Panelists: Mathieu Castelli, Chief
Operating Officer, Newt Games; Norbert Chang, CEO, Enorbus;
David Collier, Namco Japan; Kristian Segerstrale, Head of
Products and Services, Macrospace

-- Genre Blending: Careening Beyond the Status Quo Toward New
Levels of Innovation

Moderator: Richard Rouse III, Design Director, Surreal
Software (The Suffering); Panelists: Lorne Lanning,
President/Creative Director, Oddworld Inhabitants (Oddworld
Stranger's Wrath); Yoot Saito, President, Vivarium (Odama);
Alex Ward, Director of Design, Criterion Games (Burnout); Greg
Zeschuk, Joint CEO, BioWare (Jade Empire)

TRACK 2: Business Strategy: Navigating New Avenues of Success

-- Game Plan for the Next Gen Consoles: The Risks, the Costs, the
Opportunities

Moderator: Michael Gartenberg, Vice President and Research
Director, Jupiter Research; Panelists: Scott Cronce, Vice
President and Chief Technology Officer, Electronic Arts; Mark
DeLoura, Manager, Developer Relations, Sony Computer
Entertainment America; Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA;
Michael Pachter, Senior Vice President of Research, Wedbush
Morgan Securities; Marcel Samek, Technical Director, THQ

-- How to Structure a Successful Independent Development or
Publishing Enterprise

Moderator: Gus Tai, General Partner, Trinity Ventures;
Panelists: Trevor Chan, CEO, Enlight Software; Jon Goldman,
CEO, Backbone Entertainment; Gene Mauro, CEO, Myelin Media;
Ray Muzyka, Joint CEO, BioWare; Alex Seropian, Founder,
Wideload Games

-- The Upcoming Forecast for Online Games: How Visionaries and
Pragmatists are Betting on the Future

Moderator: Jessica Mulligan, Executive Producer, Turbine
Entertainment; Panelists: Michael Cassidy, CEO, Xfire; Richard
Garriott, Executive Producer, NCsoft; Richard Kim, CEO,
Gravity Corp.; Michael Sellers, Founder, Online Alchemy;
Gordon Walton, Consultant

-- Behind the Negotiations: How the Modern-day Game Deal Gets
Done

Moderator: TBD; Panelists: Pascal Bonnet, Director of
Licensing, Ubisoft; Joe Keene, Co-Chairman & CEO, Perpetual
Entertainment; Ariella Lehrer, CEO, Legacy Interactive; Lori
Plager, Senior Director Licensing, Activision

-- New Trends in Funding: How to Locate and Participate in
Current Financing Opportunities

Moderator: John Welch, CEO, PlayFirst, Inc.; Panelists: Jeff
Anderson, President and CEO, Turbine Entertainment; Seamus
Blackley, Agent, Creative Artists Agency; Trip Hawkins,
Founder and CEO, Digital Chocolate

-- How to Keep Growing: Ways to Determine the Right Strategy for
your Company's Next Step

Moderator: Paul Heydon, Managing Director, Unity Capital;
Panelists: Ian Baverstock, Business Development Director, KUJU
Entertainment; Mark Gagne, Executive Vice President and CFO,
Mythic Entertainment; Jason Hall, Senior Vice President,
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; Mitch Lasky, CEO,
Jamdat

-- Digital Distribution Update: How the Direct-to-Consumer
Pipeline Works, Why it is Relevant Today, and How to Profit
from its Expanding Reach

Moderator: Gabe Zichermann, VP, Strategy and Communications,
Trymedia Systems; Panelists: Craig Priddle, Director of
Marketing, BioWare; Jamie Berger, Vice President/General
Manager Consumer Products - IGN Entertainment; Alex St. John,
CEO and Co-founder, Wild Tangent; James Regan, Director of New
Business Development, Ubisoft; Scott Young, Vice President,
Digital Entertainment, Best Buy

TRACK 3: Marketing Analysis: How to Read the Market Ahead of the
Competition

-- Is My Game Fun? The Process Behind Answering the Most
Important Question of All

Moderator: Jessie Schell, Professor of Entertainment
Technology, Carnegie Melon University; Panelists: Brian
Allegeier, Design Director, Insomniac Games; David Braben,
Founder, Frontier Games; Nicole Lazzaro, President, XEO
Design; Neil Young, Vice President and General Manager,
Electronic Arts, Los Angeles

-- Identify and Understand the New Consumer of Digital
Entertainment: Adapt to the Latest Rules of Fun or Get Left
Behind

Moderator: Alex Pham, Reporter, Los Angeles Times; Panelists:
John Geoghegan, Vice President, Marketing, LucasArts; Sharon
Lee, Co-Founder, Look-Look; Rishad Tobaccowala, President,
Starcom IP; Haden Walling, Entertainment and Licensing
Analyst, Ubisoft

-- Smart Marketing: How an Intelligent Approach to Research can
Boost your Bottom Line

Moderator: Craig Relyea, Executive Vice President, Marketing,
Creative Domain; Panelists: Steve Allison, Chief Marketing
Officer, Midway Games; Sean Denny, Senior Manager of Strategic
Marketing, LucasArts; Carolyn Feinstein, Vice President of
Marketing Communications, Electronic Arts; Yasmin Naboa, Vice
President of Sales, Ubisoft

-- Global Market Briefing: Stories from the Front Lines of the
Hot Markets in Asia and Europe

Panelists: John Lee, Executive Director, International
Business, Turbine Entertainment; John Needham, Chief Financial
Officer, Sony Online Entertainment; Jon Niermann, President
and Managing Director, Electronic Arts Asia

-- New Practices in Licensing and Ancillary Rights: Understand
the Twists and Turns in a New Game Development Value Chain

Moderator: Aaron Loeb, Producer, Director of Business
Development, Planet Moon Studios; Panelists: Cody Alexander,
Co-Head of New Media and Technologies, William Morris
Consulting; Sandi Isaacs, Vice President Interactive, Viacom
Consumer Products; Ames Kirshen, Director of Video Game
Development, Marvel Enterprises; Robert Walsh, CEO, Krome
Studios

-- In-game Advertising Takes Off: Preparing for the Rush Ahead
and How to Make it Work for Everyone, Including the Gamer

Moderator: Amy Bernstein, Executive Editor, Business 2.0;
Panelists: Dave Anderson, Director of Business Development and
Licensing, Activision; Mitchell Davis, CEO, Massive, Inc.;
Michael Dowling, General Manager, Nielsen Entertainment;
Monika Madrid, Senior Manager, Strategic Sales and
Partnerships, Ubisoft; Julie Shumaker, Director of Advertising
Sales, Electronic Arts

-- The Mobile Marketplace: How the Traditional Game Industry is
Moving into Uncharted Territory and What it Means for your
Business

Moderator: Levi Buchanan, Editor-in-Chief, IGN Wireless,
Chicago Tribune Columnist; Panelists: John Batter, Vice
President and General Manager, Electronic Arts Mobile; David
Gosen, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Bridges; Ichiro Otobe,
President and Chief Operating Officer, Square Enix; Larry
Shapiro, Executive Vice President of Business Development,
Walt Disney; Tim Walsh, President, THQ Wireless

In addition to conference sessions, the following twelve in-depth
workshops will be offered on May 17.

WORKSHOP SESSIONS

-- Fine Tune Your Platform Strategy

Moderator: Richard Ow, Interactive Entertainment Industry
Analyst, The NPD Group; Panelists: Rory Armes, Managing
Director, Electronic Arts, UK; Karthik Bala, CEO/Chief
Creative Officer, Vicarious Visions; Rob Lightner, Director,
Research and Analysis, SEGA

-- In-game Advertising Workshop: Five Case Studies Get Inside the
Art of the Deal

Moderator and Panelists: TBA

-- From Original IP to Powerhouse Franchise: How Publishers Judge
a Game's Potential

Moderator: Jason Della Rocca, Program Director, International
Game Developers Association; Panelists: Chris Charla, Senior
Producer, Backbone Entertainment; Philippe Erwin, Vice
President of Production, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment; Gregoire Gobbi, Director, North America Content
Strategy, Ubisoft Studios; Patrick Soderlund, CEO, Digital
Illusions CE; Dusty Welch, Vice President of Global Brand
Management, Activision

-- Three special lunchtime sessions

Jim Banister, CEO, Spectrum MediaWorks, and author of "Word of
Mouse: The New Age of Networked Media"; other speakers to be
announced shortly

-- How to Target the New Niche Market of Value-priced Games

Moderator: Chris Kantrowitz; Panelists: Bill Gardner,
President and CEO, O-3 Entertainment, Inc.; Ken Gold, Vice
President of Marketing, Majesco Games; Danny Hammett, Senior
Vice President, Value Line Publishing, Vivendi Universal
Games; Paul Rinde, CEO, Destineer

-- Mobile Games: Taking Advantage of What's New in Handset
Technology

Moderator: Greg Costikyan, Co-founder and CCO, Unplugged,
Inc.; Panelists: Phil Cooke, Chief Technology Officer, Digital
Bridges; Satoshi Nakajima, CEO and Founder, UIEvolution/Square
Enix; Brian Wolkenberg, Games Lead, Global Entertainment
Solutions, Motorola Mobile Devices

-- Tap the Global Market to Tame Costs and Amass Talent

Moderator: Jason Robar, Founder, AisA Group; Panelists: Xin
Chung, CEO, Vykarian; Rajesh Rao, Chief Operating Officer,
Dhruva Interactive; Tobi Saulnier, Vice President, Product
Development, Vicarious Visions; Richard Vogel, Vice President
of Product Development, Sony Online Entertainment

-- Finding the New Sweet Spot in Casual, Downloadable Games

Moderator: Daniel James, CEO, Three Rings Design; Panelists:
Geoff Graber, General Manager, Yahoo! Games; Don Ryan, General
Manager, Microsoft Game Studios; Monte Singman, Chief
Operating Officer, Shanda; Wade Tinney, Founding Partner/Game
Designer, Large Animal Games

-- The Path to Creating AAA Games: How Successful Designers Learn
from Experience, or Decide to Break from It

Moderator: Carly Staehlin; Panelists: Todd Howard, Executive
Producer, Bethsoft; Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Chief Creative Officer,
Q Entertainment; Tim Willits, Lead Designer, id Software

-- Pitching Update: How to Give Your Game Idea Legs

Moderator: Trent Ward, Creative Director, Backbone
Entertainment; Panelists: Timothy Campbell, Director of
Business Development, THQ; Jeremy Gaffney, Vice President of
Product Development, NCsoft; Lee Jacobsen, Vice President of
Business Development, Midway Games; Dan Kitchen, Vice
President of Game Development, Majesco