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Reminder: 24 Hours Left To Early Register For GDC Europe 2011

With just a day left until early registration ends on July 20 at Midnight UTC, GDC Europe 2011 organizers have chosen to reveal information on the show's Expo Floor and its gamescom-based Business Lounge, and recap some of the show's most notable lectures and panels.

GDC Europe's Expo Floor, located within the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost, in Cologne, Germany, will once again showcase the most cutting-edge technologies from the industry's biggest and most influential companies.

Unity Technologies, Crytek, Epic Games, Onlive, and Glu Mobile are but a few of the notable exhibitors at the show this year -- please visit the GDC Europe website for the complete list of the show's 35+ exhibitors.

The Expo Floor is open to all GDC Europe pass holders, and provides attendees with numerous opportunities to learn about upcoming products, interact with developers and publishers, and establish business relationships with some of the industry's top professionals.

In addition to the show's Expo Floor, GDC Europe attendees will also receive a 3-day pass to the major gamescom trade show, which takes place just after GDC Europe. As in previous years, gamescom will feature a specialized business-centric area for game industry professionals, also open to GDC Europe attendees.

In this dedicated area, GDC Europe will host its very own Business Lounge, providing gamescom attendees with a perfect venue for networking, gaining exposure, and more, even after GDC Europe proper officially concludes - with meeting rooms from many of GDC Europe's major exhibitors.

Of course, GDC Europe will also feature a healthy lineup of lectures, panels, and tutorials during the show proper, and show organizers will continue to debut new sessions as the event draws ever closer.

Most recently, the show revealed a keynote from Epic Games president Dr. Michael Capps, who will discuss the common production processes his studio implements in each of its titles. Capps joins Ultima creator Richard Garriott and Wooga founder Jens Begemann as the latest keynote speaker to be announced for the show.

In addition, GDC Europe organizers have revealed numerous new sessions within the show's Main Conference, which features tracks on Business & Marketing, Game Design, Production, Programming and Visual Arts.

Some highlights from these previously announced sessions include talks from the following influential industry professionals:

  • Industry veteran Mark Cerny will give a talk on the shifting landscape of the video game business and how past industry upheavals have affected the creative process, and what this means for our future.
  • SOE Europe's developer relations manager George Bain will discuss the business opportunities relating to the company's upcoming handheld, the PlayStation Vita.
  • GameStop general manager of digital Steve Nix will speak out on the retail powerhouse's strategy for the digital market.
  • Digi-Capital's Tim Merel will provide an overview of the games market in terms of mergers and acquisitions, teaching attendees about the ins and outs of selling or buying a company.
  • Mark Skaggs, the SVP of major social game developer Zynga, will outline the company's creative framework for creating titles like the popular CityVille and FarmVille.
  • Co-CEO of Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream, Guillaume de Fondaumiere, will examine the current state of games rating systems, noting their problems and why they must change.
  • Vatra design director Brian Gomez will cover the past, present, and future of Silent Hill, leading up to the company's upcoming title, Silent Hill: Downpour.

GDC Europe will also feature a suite of notable Summits, which host talks focusing on Social Games, Independent Games, Smartphone & Tablet Games, and Community Management. Examples of the talks within the show's numerous Summits include the following:

  • In the Community Management Summit, seasoned developer and Playdom VP and executive producer Gordon Walton will raise a call-to-arms for professional community managers, hoping to establish guidelines for community growth and development.
  • Also in the Community Management Summit is a humorous talk from Valerie Massey, senior director of PR and communication from EVE Online developer CCP, on how community managers can draw several lessons from the classic Stephen Spielberg film Jurassic Park.
  • Elsewhere, in the Independent Games Summit, thatgamecompany's president and co-founder Kellee Santiago will reflect on lessons learned from creating flOw, Flower, and Journey, offering tips on how to reach out to new audiences.

GDC Europe 2011 will take place Monday through Wednesday, August 15-17 at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost, just before the major gamescom trade show, and will again provide the essential pan-European perspective of game development and business trends.

For more information on GDC Europe as the event takes shape, please visit the official GDC Europe website, or subscribe to updates from the GDC Europe-specific news page via RSS, Twitter, or Facebook. GDC Europe is a product of UBM TechWeb.

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