Sega and THQ end joint trade event

Sega and THQ’s annual Business Partners Summit has been retired after two successful years.

MCV understands that both companies wanted to find alternative routes to showcase their products to European retail in 2009. Sega has confirmed to MCV that it will be switching support to this year’s less US-centric E3.

Sega Europe President and COO Mike Hayes told MCV:

Sega Europe will now be supporting the revised E3 event in LA. Sega encourages all of its customers and media partners to support the E3 event in June via their attendance.

As ever, Sega will also support local European territory events which will include IDEF and the Cologne Convention. There is a consensus between both companies that the Business Partners Summit is now no longer required.”

The Summit has been a key date for retail and distribution over the past two years. 2008’s show in Lisbon, Portugal, attracted nearly 400 trade delegates from across Europe, Africa, Australia and beyond.

THQ and Sega launched the first dual show in Malta in 2007, after retail questioned the time efficiency of attending single-publisher events.