Details of this years ECTS show are available HERE
you can register online HERE
It would be nice to see a SUN stand.
GD
*And ofcourse the GDCE details GDCE details
Seconded. But then, I say that every year, and even volunteered to set it up as part of being on the board.
So are people going? I’d like to, but it’d be nice to know there’d be a contingent of Java enthusiasts?
Kev
Ill be there, I hope Nandos is still round the corner ;D
Blah: If you convince Chris to make a handfull of JavaGaming shirts available Ill show you some Guerilla marketing in action (no stand required).
Im also dying to try out the new MS/Sun friendly alliance 
[quote]Whaddya mean? “you’re not willing to give us half your stand” !!! …Hehehe
[/quote]
GD
I’m thinking of going again this year, to meet some Dexterity forumers as well. Just down the Fulham road my friend is the manager of a bar too, so that’s where I’m going afterwards to get totally wankered.
Cas 
I’ll make my way down to the bar too (and I’ll pop into the ECTS). 
Well, I’m all registered, no sign of how much cash I have to part with to attend?
Kev
£0.00
Forgive me for not knowing what ECTS is, but what is it? How large is it, what do the focus on, etc?
European Consumer Trade Show (or is it Computer, I forget).
And the focus is interactive entertainment. i.e. games
It’s the UK’s answer to E3
[quote]European Consumer Trade Show (or is it Computer, I forget).
[/quote]
It’s not about consumers, like CES, it’s really the place to sign distribution deals for your game, or to get a new publisher, etc. There is lots of representation of retail outlets at ECTS.
More like the UK’s answer to GDC, IMHO, in that a lot of serious business get’s done, and there’s not much of a media circus ***. Yes, it doesn’t have talks and it doesn’t cost money, but ECTS show floor is pretty close to GDC’s show floor in size and breadth (a bit broader at ECTS IIRC). GDC-E is a damp squib.
(*** = although Sony’s continued attempts to attract the teenagers may be changing this)
Dunno about attract the teenagers, but one of the dev teams I was working in a few years ago got a ‘day pass’ to go to ECTS , and after we got bored wandering around, we spent a couple of hours at the huge Playstation booth they had down the far end of Olympia. Good fun.
Right. ECTS starts in 3 days time. Who else is going to be there?
I have some meetings planned for Friday morning at the show, so I have to be there then, and I’d also like to take a look at Wednesday’s “Independent’s Day” (groan!). Going on past years, though, I can’t usually summon the effort to turn up two days in a row ;D
There’s a couple of people from these forums I’d like to meet who said they expected to be there. The bar is quite tricky because it’s huge and of course I don’t know what you all look like (!). So, I suggest the Developer’s Lounge at 1pm on Wednesday (when the number of people at the show drops a bit as they go off to get lunch).
/me thinks it would have been a LOT easier if Sun had pulled their finger out and agreed to have a stand!
Unfortunately, my mobile got stolen, so once I get to the show I’m out of contact. (probably a good thing; reception doesn’t tend to be good there IME).
Unfortunately, even tho I’ve got all my stuff and arranged everything (for all 3 days) I can’t go anymore…
Kev
Il try and make it, but im all the way in in North Birmingham and ive got work at 5pm.
How long does it last?
DP
I’m going to be there on Friday afternoon, not quite sure exactly what time.
How do I recognise people? I think I know what Adam looks like unless he’s tamed his hair.
Cas
Actually, I have short hair now…
I’ll be around at 12am on friday too.
Unfortunately I’m too busy making enough money to cover my daily travel costs, but would have loved to go. Is the “trade” status easy enough to get around?
Hey, if anyone here drops in to see AMD at the show, please ask them what the hold up is on Athlon 64 3500+ chips. The UK shortage seems to have spread to the rest of the world, and my new PC is now delayed indefinitely. >:(
/me has Doom 3 sitting on his desk, but no machine to play it :’(
OK then, I’ll try to be there at 12am. Meet at the Intel developer lounge? It’s always fun subverting the machines to put Alien Flux and Super Elvis on them
Cas
Well, my favourite gimmick this year is the ActionStick - www.actionstick.co.uk - although there’s quite a few of these “wave your arms around in the air looking like a gimp” fighting peripherals around this year.
Unfortunately, it is TINY this year - perhaps the competition from the other events (GDC-E running in parallel, plus the ?IGF? running over at Excel) has kept most of the exhibitors away, but I’ve never seen it this small :(.
It would be hard to meet at the Intel lounge, because there isn’t one AFAICS ??? :P. It’s AMD this year @ the developers lounge (and free tea, coffee, and coke - no free alcohol this year).