Attending E3

This year is the first year my company has sent me to the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3, the video game trade show. I have attended one E3 previously and so while I am not new to the experience, I am reminded that it is not for the weak. I arrived Monday afternoon and shared a shuttle bus with a bunch of young video game enthusiasts. When they found out I worked for a large video game company, they were excited to talk to me and see if I knew any exciting things that were going to be announced. Unfortunately I honestly didn't have any.

I checked into my hotel before heading over to the show. The only real activity on Monday was a number of press conference events. I enjoyed one and then headed back to my hotel to get some of the work done that I missed because I am out of the office. I know, I am a real party animal. Then I spent today at the show meeting with a large number of people. As luck would have it, I ran into one of the young kids from the shuttle bus who seemed to be enjoying the chaos that is E3. I was looking for a quiet place to rest.

My time at E3 lasted past 5pm and then I started walking back to my hotel. They have shuttle buses but after my ride this morning I felt I could walk the distance faster. I was right. Besides, I needed the walking exercise. I was able to have a nice dinner with a work associate and then he asked me if I could attend one of the after parties in his place. He had a late-night conference call to attend but promised the party organizer he would be there or send someone in his place. I was that someone and couldn't let him down.

The party venue was only about a mile from my hotel and I debated walking or taking a cab. My wife told me I needed the exercise and so I took her advice. Fortunately it was still light outside as my path took me through a sketchy part of Los Angeles. When I walked passed a toothless hooker, I decided I would be taking a different way back to the hotel after the party.

They were checking names at the party venue so I threw out my coworker's very Asian name and said he asked that I attend in his place. He was on the list so they gave me an elite-black wristband. I then took a special elevator to the roof of an exclusive LA club with an open bar. I found an empty space with a bartender that looked rather bored. I asked her for something without alcohol and without sugar. She stood there thinking for a moment as if I had asked for the secret of the universe. Finally she poured me a glass of sparkling water and threw a lime in it. I thanked her and worked my way through the crowd for a place to sit.

After spending all day walking around the conference, it was good to get off my feet. I strategically found a place where I could watch the Warriors basketball game and caught the last four minutes. It was an important game and so those four minutes of play took more like twenty minutes of actual time. It was well worth watching as the Warriors won. Naturally there was a lot of cheering. Unfortunately nobody could hear anything other than the loud music being blasted by the club DJ. As trying to find our company contact and having any valuable conversation was out of the question, I descended the elevator and walked a very different way back to my hotel.

I am only two days into E3 and am so ready to go home. Unfortunately I have meetings all the way until Friday and so I am stuck here for the rest of the week. I'm not sure I have the energy for many more days like today. I have decided that even though the bus may take the same amount of time to get to the conference, it beats walking.