#ThrowbackThursday: Tech-Filled Ideas and Activations from E3

E3 2019 took place June 11-13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event drew more than 66,000 video game-industry professionals, investor analysts, and retailers, plus 200 exhibitors (50 of which were first-time exhibitors). Epic Games' wildly popular Fortnite once again had one of E3’s largest and most eye-catching booths, taking over a 15,000-square-foot space on the show floor. Paying homage to the game’s use of neon during season 9, design and production company FG|PG used miles of neon lighting, covering everything from shopping carts to the famous Fortnite bus.

After hosting a Miami Vice-inspired party in 2018, GameSpot’s after-party had a “retro-futuristic disco theme,” according to producers The Visionary Group. Located on the rooftop of the Standard Hotel, the evening event had an LED-lit disco pool, branded topiaries featuring robots and unicorns, an infinity dance floor, and a green screen photo booth. See more: E3 2019: Check Out the Coolest Booths, Parties, and Brand Activations

E3's 2018 event drew more than 69,000 video game-industry professionals from more than 100 countries, plus 3,250 products and video games from more than 200 exhibitors. New that year, the show added the 7,500-square-foot E3 ESL Arena Stage, a live esports competition inside the convention center’s South Hall. T-Mobile built an attention-grabbing lounge on the show floor where fans could relax, recharge, and watch live interviews with esports competitors. A bright-pink bus was hollowed out and used to sell T-Mobile merchandise.

PlayStation drew attention to its booth with a series of massive panels that showed off colorful images from a variety of its upcoming games—including Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, and Death Stranding. Large mirrors allowed the artwork to be seen from all angles. Also in the booth, a massive screen played clips and trailers from the highly anticipated game The Last of Us Part II, and additional decor was inspired by controller buttons. See more: E3 2018: 18 Unconventional Booth Ideas From the Splashy Video Game Expo

About 70,000 people participated in the events surrounding E3 2016, which ran from June 13-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and showcased 1,600 products from more than 250 exhibitors. Lil Wayne performed a surprise show for fans at the Samsung exhibit to promote his mobile skateboarding game, Sqvad Up. As part of the production at Samsung's exhibit, six skateboarders skated behind the rapper.

Nintendo's exhibit included backdrops and arched set pieces that resembled a castle to promote its latest in the Zelda franchise: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Similarly, a green grass-like floor sprawled underfoot, and trees and foliage decorated the area, including under gaming stations, for a lush outdoor look. Within the exhibit, celebrities like DJ Steve Aoki posed with life-size interactive set pieces that mirrored elements from the game. See more: 22 Ways Exhibitors Got Attention on the E3 Show Floor

As far as gaming news goes, the biggest story out of E3 2015 was likely the ascent of virtual reality. During the show, Disney Interactive hosted the Only in the Toy Box Experience: Using augmented-reality technology, the digital media company's activation invited fans to step into a virtual environment and interact with Disney Infinity characters. In a demo section, Disney constructed a three-dimensional version of its signature castle and used projection mapping to display game images across the façade.

Activision’s booth touted four of the brand’s big titles: Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Skylanders SuperChargers, Destiny: The Taken King, and Guitar Hero Live. In the Guitar Hero Live area, attendees started their journey into the booth as fans watching performers onstage, then continued through the line toward becoming performers themselves: Attendees moved through a mock-up of the side entrance of a club, where they checked in and were led backstage where they waited to perform a gig. As attendees got ready to go on stage, staff pretending to be stagehands and groupies pumped them up. Then, booth visitors entered the game-play arena with a display of lights, smoke, and applause. They were guided to center stage—prominently at a visible and heavily trafficked area of the booth—where a live audience cheered them on. A green-screen stage dive was also part of the experience. See more: E3 2015: 18 Ways Video Game Brands Attracted Attention on the Show Floor