What E3 and San Diego Comic-Con Can Learn From Each Other

They're two of the biggest events of the year, and they exist only about a month and 125 miles away from one another. They both center on some of entertainment's hottest, and most lucrative, industries. Both have, at one time or another, been called "nerd prom," a cliché so overused it has lost all meaning.

And yet, E3 and Comic-Con International: San Diego (often called San Diego Comic-Con or just "Comic-Con" for short) are incredibly different, from the foundations of their presentation on up. Despite their differences, however, we think these two events could make each other better. As E3's 2015 presentation comes to a close, and Comic Con International looms ahead, we offer some of our suggestions.

First, my qualifications for such suggestions: I've worked as an entertainment journalist in the "geek" fields of comics, movies, TV shows, and video games for nearly eleven years now. In that time, I've covered countless conventions of all stripes, from small regional shows to the biggest of them all. As a journalist, I've attended and covered E3 seven times and SDCC six times.

San Diego: Have a Press Day

San Diego is a massive venture, bringing in about 150,000 folks to attend the show, while also having events all around the city throughout the five days of insanity. The show also grants press passes to hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees. That means that press don't really get much, other than a chance to get on the show floor. While certain press can get access to individual panels and events if they're high up enough on those particular publicity lists, there's something to be said for the press and industry-only nature of E3. There, press have no problems being a part of the action, as the event is built around them. Yes, this is an extremely selfish suggestion, but it could help: if Press had a day for SDCC where they had set press conferences, with embargoes and early access, then the seats they'd normally take up during the other panels could be used for more fans. It's a win-win that would allow for more complete coverage while also making the major panels a fan-only event (which in turn would let press use that time for coverage of the show floor, perhaps even talking to *gasp* comic book creators).

E3: Fans are the Best Press

The first one was self-serving, so this one is going to be less so; it's also one that E3 is already experimenting with this year, by letting a few thousand fans into the show. Just as I'd argue for San Diego to have a Press Day, I would likewise suggest E3 have a fan day, a day truly open to ticketed sales for the public. The word of mouth from fans cannot be matched by articles in magazines and on websites, and the easiest way to get that is by giving them direct access. The streaming online of the E3 press conferences is a huge leap in the right direction, but a fan day – heck, even a fan afternoon, if you didn't want to add a whole additional day to the admittedly exhausting schedule. Giving everyday fans just a small taste of the E3 experience could only be good for business – as long as it doesn't take away from the cramped, insanely busy time for press and industry.

San Diego: Find (or Admit) a Focus

Yes, Comic-Con is in the name of this convention, but it clearly hasn't been focused on comics for several years. E3 has one purpose, and is focused on that. Maybe it's time for San Diego to follow suit? Really, here, we're more interested in something like what Dragon Con has: tracks. If you want to focus on movies, there's a set grouping of rooms and an area on the show floor just for you. TV? Same. Comics? Yup, a whole dedicated section. At E3, it's all about games, of course, but even they have things broken up a bit, with individual sections for the latest tech, and segregated booths for each brand. Now obviously there are plenty of people who want to see a little bit of movies, a little bit of TV, a little bit of comics, and play a game or two – choosing a track wouldn't mean you are limited to that, just that you have an easier way to actually seek out what you want to be a part of. This would especially be helpful in not having to run halfway across the convention center between two panels, not that I've ever done that (I've done that. Every show.).

E3: Don't Be Afraid to Grow

One thing San Diego does at perhaps an alarming rate that E3 just doesn't seem to do at all is grow. This year saw a little bit of growth when it came to the press conferences, with new ones from Bethesda and Square Enix, but the show floor remains basically unchanged, with both halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the meeting rooms in-between. It's the same basic major areas on the show floor as well, with little change over the last, well, nearly a decade now. So where does expansion come for E3? Is it in the form of an extra day, or a full first day at least? Is it in the form of more new off-site exhibits, or off-site places that act as a hybrid for press and public opportunities? Maybe it's an expansion of the "judges pre-E3 week" for more press to get involved? No, we don't have the exact answers here, and there's the natural thought that "if it ain't broke…" but E3 has stayed essentially the exact same expo for 8 years now, since coming back from the brink of its own destruction, while the industry it is built around and supporting has grown exponentially in that time.

Those are our suggestions for the two biggest and most newsworthy conventions on U.S. soil – what are yours? Sound off in the comments!

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