LA Convention Center

E3's Legacy and Planning a Visit to the Convention Center

For many years the LA Convention Center was best known to gamers as the home of E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Publishers and platform holders used the show floor and the surrounding press events to reveal new consoles, trailers and playable demos, and the South and West Halls became familiar backdrops for some of the industry's biggest announcements. E3 has since been discontinued, so it is no longer an event to plan around, but its history still shapes how many players think about the venue and about Los Angeles as a gaming city.

The convention center continues to host a rotating mix of entertainment, pop culture, technology and trade events. Their lineups and formats change from year to year, so the venue's official calendar and each organiser's own site are the only reliable sources for dates, badge types and exhibitor lists.

Practical tips for attendees

• Book early. Badges and nearby hotels in the downtown and South Park area can sell out or rise in price close to big shows.
• Plan transport. The venue sits beside the L.A. Live district and is reachable by Metro rail. Event-day parking fills quickly, so public transit or rideshare is often simpler.
• Pace yourself. The halls are large. Comfortable shoes, a refillable water bottle and a charged phone make long days easier.
• Map your priorities. Check the floor plan and any panel schedules ahead of time so you don't spend the day queuing for one booth.

Connecting with the community

Big expos are a good chance to meet people you only know by username: modders, private server developers and tool authors. If you are heading to an event, it helps to arrange meetups in advance on the RageZone forums. Keep the community rules in mind when you share contact details or photos of other members.