The hammer has been .. hammered! ?The folks who run Eurogamer Expo this year have come to a final conclusion after several?complaints?were received concerning the ?booth babes? at this year?s Expo.
The?Managing?Director at Eurogamer posted the official response on the?Eurogamer forums?earlier today.
We?ve always had an informal guideline regarding booth babes: we don?t think they are right for the Expo. When we talk to publishers and exhibitors, we discourage them from bringing booth babes ? and encourage them to bring developers.
Of course, exhibitors need to bring staff to the show, but they should be interesting, cool and exciting (Master Chief was /amazing/!) and knowledgeable (developers and publisher staff) rather than pretty girls in revealing outfits just for the sake of it. We want the show to be friendly, and all 50,000 attendees to feel comfortable.
At this year?s show three companies showed up with booth babes. Two in particular we thought were dressed inappropriately. As a short term measure we told them to move into the 18+ zone, and we asked some of them to put on leggings as well.
Although it was only a small number of booth babes, our regret is that we didn?t go further on the first day and just say ?this isn?t right? and ask them to change their clothes ? or not attend. Instead, with the huge pressures of putting on such a large show and everything that comes with it, we let it go. And that?s what has prompted this debate ? and we?re sorry it happened.
For future shows we will be issuing formal guidelines: Booth babes are Not OK.
Many have had an issue since the start of the expo, especially once everyone had caught a glimpse of the scantily clad booth babes that Virgin Media Gaming had brought with them.
Overall, three companies brought along their ?booth babes? to the Expo, with the idea that they will ?help create some noise for their games. ?Of the three only two of the parties were deemed to be wearing unacceptable clothing.