Interview: Trent Weekes, The man behind EB Expo 2013

As a company, EB Games has grown substantially from a few stores, to over 500 stores in Australia. They like to do things big, and their EB Expo is no different. I attended the initial EB Expo on the Gold Coast and was introduced to a new and amazing experience. Cosplay enthusiasts and gamers united at the Exhibition center to get their hands on the latest games. No longer did we have to wait for news from overseas gaming expo's... we had our own. Since the Gold Coast Expo, EB have moved it to Sydney, making it a bigger and better experience. Here at What's it like, we were fortunate enough to catch up with Trent Weekes, the Event Manager for EB Games, and the man behind Australia's first Gaming Exhibition.

What is your role in bringing the EB Expo to gamers?

I am the Event Manager for the EB Expo and with a small team I plan the event from the ground up. It involves a lot of planning and liaising with third parties months beforehand to get the show on the road.

What can gamers expect from the EB Expo?

You can expect to be in the biggest room of gamers ever with the juggernauts of the industry, plenty of games to gets hands on with and amazing presentations. You won’t be disappointed.

What major players in the industry will be there?

Playstation, Xbox, Activision, Disney, EA, Namco Bandai, Sega, Ubisoft and Warner Brothers are just SOME of the big guns - you can find more information on our website about who exactly will be rocking up. We’ll have some exciting content announcements coming up really soon, too.

Will the EB Store have any great deals you can tell us about?

I can’t reveal any of the awesome deals just yet – but we can tell that there’ll be rare editions of games, heaps of collectibles and specials running all weekend. It’s our BIGGEST EB Store in Australia; there’s a lot more of offer than any of our stores.

The initial EB Expo Gold Coast was a huge gamble, did you find it hard to convince developers/publishers to take part in it?

Many of the vendors were just as excited as were to unite the Australian gaming community like never before. The EB Expo is an extension of our own internal conference for our employees – so although we already had a lot of the puzzle pieces in place, it was still an exciting challenge filling in the blanks and making the Expo something we were proud of.

Since the initial EB Expo, we have seen it move from the Coast to Sydney, what was the main factor behind the move?

Sydney allows access to more of the population as not only is it the most populated city in Australia, but it’s also a tourist hub. Our location at the Sydney Olympic Park offers a huge space, fantastic facilities and nearby accommodation.

EB Expo seems to get bigger and better every year, are there any new additions this year to the Expo?

You’re right; every year we strive to make the EB Expo bigger and bigger. Not only will there be more attendees, this year we’re also holding our first every Video Game Heroes parade. There’s plenty of awesome new stuff in the works at the moment, but you’ll just have to find out when you get there!

Will the next generation of consoles be at EB Expo? If so, will they be playable?

We’re thrilled to be providing the public a chance to get hands-on with the next generation of consoles before release. Both the Xbox One and PS4 have been confirmed as playable at this year’s EB Expo.

Would you say that the next generation consoles have boosted sales for EB Expo tickets?

The EB Expo is gaining popularity in the Australian gaming community and definitely has a substantial pull on its own, but the game-changing announcements of the Xbox One and PS4 have undeniably attracted more interest.

Since EB Expo started in Australia, we have seen other Gaming Exhibitions come to our shores, would it be safe to say

EB Expo paved the way for Australia to be taken seriously as a gaming nation?

We would certainly like to think we have had a big influence in showing off Australia as a gaming nation to the rest of the world. It’s Australia’s chance to get noticed. Every year we have big industry names come from all over the world to attend at the Expo. We still pride ourselves on still being an original event and unique to anything else on our shores.

What are you looking forward to seeing the most at EB Expo?

I personally can’t wait to see what Next Gen has to offer – I’ll be trying it for the first time alongside the lucky attendees at Expo!

Thank-you for taking the time out of your busy day to answer these questions. I know a lot of our readers are attending and can't wait to see what's in store!

So there you have it gamers, Next gen confirmed to be playable at EB Expo 2013, some awesome gaming deals, and you can be the first to play upcoming games! Personally, I can't wait for Battlefield 4. Will you be attending and what are you looking forward to? Sound off on our Facebook page!

-Sarge