20,000 expected for ECTS

ECTS started in 1989 with a mere 2,000 visitors and has steadily grown with every show. Organiser Miller Freeman expects around 20,000 visitors at this year's show which is being billed as a 'must attend' event in the industry's calendar.

ECTS 97 will be staged over three days at London's Olympia and many of the biggest names in the industry are confirmed to attend. Sony, Nintendo, Sega, Electronic Arts and Virgin Interactive are among the companies exhibiting and, as a reflection of the growing importance of the PC games market, both Intel and Microsoft will have a presence at this year's event.

This year's event promises a heavyweight conference program headed by a keynote address from Chris Deering, Sony Entertainment's European boss. Other conferences and seminars have been confirmed, including Intel and Creative Labs presentations.

Spanning three days, ECTS will mark the start of the Christmas rush. Nintendo's N64 is starting to make up ground on Sony's PlayStation but with the advent of cheaper MMX-driven multimedia PCs, the battle is on to maximise sales over the busy fourth calendar quarter.

ECTS starts September 7.

Blenheim Exhibitions & Confrences: 0181-742 2828