Dates announced for Edinburgh IE Festival 2006

The organisers of the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival have announced the dates for this year's event, which will be overseen by former Sony Europe president Chris Deering.

EIEF 2006, the fourth festival of its kind, will take place between August 21-22. There will be two days of conference sessions, and the Industry Conference will take place at the Royal College of Physicians (August 21st) and the Odeon, Lothian Road (22nd August).

Industry figures will gather at the Jam House on 21st August for the annual Edge Award and networking party, and game screenings - which will be open to the public - will be held at the Odeon the following day.

Deering, who founded Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and later became president of Sony Europe before joining Codemasters' management board, will take on the role of chairman for the event.

"My intention is to preserve the spirit of the festivals gone by but also add some new elements in order to keep the festival fresh and interesting, not only for those in the industry but also for the gaming enthusiastic public," said Deering.

"For the festival this year we are focusing on timings and location. We are aware that people are busy and have little time to spend travelling which is why we are making it possible for EIEF06 delegates to spend just one night in Edinburgh."

"We have also organised the festival in a way that enables an easy transition for those who wish to attend the Leipzig Games Convention," Deering continued.

"In addition, we have decided to move away from the traditional rather bland conference venue of previous festivals in order to revitalise and refresh the format."

More details of EIEF 2006 are set to be announced in the near future.