E3 2011 expecting 45,000 attendees, 200 exhibitors

This year's E3, which commences tomorrow, is expected to draw around 45,000 attendees, claims organiser the Entertainment Software Association.

"We are going to look to replicate the success of the past two years," ESA boss Michael Gallagher told VentureBeat, "which means an attendance figure right around 45,000 through turnstiles."

This was, he claimed, because, "we are very focused on the quality of the experience of E3 as opposed to the quantity of the experience."

However, exhibitor numbers were rising, he offered - "We have over 200 companies that are going to be present and exhibiting at the show." In addition to this, attendees would be subjected to over 35,000 video monitors at the three-day show, and the conference would entail five miles of duct tape and ten miles of extension cords.

Pre-E3 conferences from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, EA and other publishers are due over the next 24 hours, with the show itself kicking off tomorrow.