The Top 5 Video Game Conferences in North America

gamers at video game event

The gaming industry has developed rapidly over the last two decades, as gaming has become less of a niche hobby and more of a pastime enjoyed by a wide variety of people of all ages. With new tech like virtual reality and mobile gaming, that growth has taken off in a big way. As the industry has expanded and matured, gaming and tech conferences have too. Now industry professionals have several different video game events they can attend every year, providing even more opportunities for exhibitors.

While B2C gaming events are aimed primarily at gamers and other consumers, the B2B events below are attended by industry professionals, including programmers and developers, artists, publishers and distributors, marketing and advertising professionals, and others.

1. Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3®)

Organized each year by The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is the biggest event of its kind in the U.S., with over 66,000 in attendance at the show’s most recent live event in 2019. This event is where it all happens in the video game industry. Top studios such as Blizzard®, Sony, and Nintendo® showcase their newest games and content and, often, where the year’s biggest industry announcements are made. The next E3 is scheduled for 2023 and will take place in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center. There’s no word as yet on whether it’ll be a live-only event or a hybrid, but it’s likely there will be at least some digital content available.

E3 is attended by a wide range of people, both in the gaming industry and in peripheral sectors. Attendees include:

  • Software developers
  • Game programmers and designers
  • Distributors, buyers, and retailers
  • Importers and exporters
  • Financiers and venture capitalists
  • Financial and industry analysts
  • Researchers and educators
  • Gamers

And both the media and the entertainment industry are well-represented.

For exhibitors, opportunity abounds. There’s always lots of interest in emerging companies and new products and tech at this event. With E3’s reputation for being the place to launch something new, even young brands can do well here if they have something great to offer.

LEARN MORE: https://www.e3expo.com/

2. Game Developers Conference (GDC)

Another of the country’s biggest and best-attended video game events is the Game Developers Conference. With five days of conferences and a three-day expo featuring hundreds of companies, there’s a huge amount of content to draw large attendee numbers every year. The Game Developers Conference also features the Independent Games Festival, the largest independent games festival in the world, along with the IGF Awards.

The next GDC is planned for March 20 to 24, 2023, in San Francisco, CA at its usual venue, the Moscone Center. After its 2021 and 2022 success as a hybrid event, it’s also likely that the hybrid format will return in 2023. In 2023 featured Summits include sessions on tabletop gaming, independent games, and community management.

Plenty of big brands routinely exhibit at this event, including:

  • Amazon
  • Blizzard
  • Google
  • Intel®
  • Nvidia®
  • Oculus
  • Sony

Attendees include game designers and programmers, along with game producers and studio managers, visual artists, sound engineers, and composers. Marketing and business professionals working inside the industry also make up a big chunk of the people who come to GDC. The 2022 hybrid event drew a crowd of 12,000 live attendees, with a further 5,000 attending the virtual event.

While the Game Developers Conference is on par with E3 in many respects, it’s aimed more at industry professionals who are tightly involved with video game development. Where E3 is just as much about the business side of the industry as the development side, GDC is solely a game developer conference, with little focus on the business end of things. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about which events to mark on your calendar!

LEARN MORE: https://www.gdconf.com/

3. Game Connection America (GCA)

Game Connection is a smaller event than many others on this list, with only a few thousand attendees. But it’s no less valuable. This niche event typically runs around the same time as GDC, and while at that event the conference is just as important as the expo, at Game Connection, the focus is all on making deals.

Game Connection is attended by game developers, publishers and distributors, and a wide variety of service providers. Around 750 companies are represented, with hundreds of buyers from over 50 different countries and around 220 exhibitors. According to event statistics, over 7,700 deals are made at every event! And attendees report an average ROI of $300,000, making it a potentially lucrative opportunity. The most recent GCA event ran over March 21 to 25, 2022 in San Francisco. No word yet on the 2023 date, but it will likely return in the spring, as usual. Keep an eye on the website for information as it’s released!

LEARN MORE: https://www.game-connection.com/

man plays video games at a video game event

4. GamesForum Seattle

With just a few hundred attendees, this is the smallest event on the list. But if you’re operating in the right industry niche, it could be as beneficial to exhibit here as at a larger conference. While only 600 or so people attend the event, they represent around 300 individual companies—so there’s lots of scope for making new contacts and getting leads. And with a smaller collection of exhibiting sponsors, there’s much less competition to contend with.

With mostly publishers, developers, and managers, this is a senior industry audience, heavily populated by high-level reps and decision-makers. In fact, 80% of attendees are CEOs, directors, founders, and senior managers. So while it’s a very small event, there’s a lot of potential to connect with people who could become clients and customers.

GamesForum Seattle 2022 happened on October 26 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, WA.

LEARN MORE: https://www.globalgamesforum.com/seattle-home/

5. PAX East/West

The PAX event series is consumer-focused. As such, its exhibitors are typically gaming studios, developers, publishers, and retailers, rather than companies that serve the gaming industry. But considering it’s one of the biggest gaming conventions in the country, it deserves a spot on the list. The PAX schedule now includes multiple events every year, including an Australian edition, as well as the two largest events, PAX East and PAX West. There’s also an “Unplugged” edition focused on tabletop gaming and board games. PAX video game events typically attract tens of thousands of attendees, but the consumer focus means it’s more useful for networking and bolstering brand visibility, rather than making lucrative B2B deals.

The PAX schedule of North America video game events includes:

LEARN MORE: https://www.paxsite.com/

Get Ready to Succeed at One of These Top Video Game Events!

Video game industry events can help take a business to the next level by putting your brand in front of new leads, clients, and customers. If you haven’t exhibited before, attending a game developer conference may just be the next big thing for your company!

Wherever you plan to exhibit, be sure to work with an experienced trade show company. They’ll have all the vendor, venue, and service connections you need to maximize your event potential and help ensure you achieve your goals.

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