NEWS - Wednesday, November 8, 2006
New E3 Officially Goes Public
The media company behind GamePro magazine has officially announced that it will be holding a consumer-focused gaming event at the massive L.A. Convention Center—is this E3’s real successor? International Data Group (IDG), which is also responsible for the MacWorld Expo and many other events, will be holding the show on October 18-20, 2007, confirming previous reports. Unlike E3, the event will be open to the public. IDG representative Howard Sholkin also confirmed to Next-Gen that the Entertainment Software Association, which held past E3s and the upcoming E3 Media and Business Summit, would be endorsing the new IDG event. According to Sholkin, the ESA wouldn’t be financing the event, rather they would assist in the marketing of the show. “[ESA’s] members will be aware of [the IDG event], and there will be some marketing support," he said. While comparisons to the traditional E3 have run rampant (including here at Next-Gen), it appears that there are just as many differences as similarities between the two shows. Namely, IDG’s show will be a consumer-centric event, as opposed to the trade-focused E3. Similarities between the two events have been primarily drawn from the fact that IDG’s expo will take place at the “old” E3’s former stomping grounds at the L.A.C.C. IDG’s expo is also expected to host tens of thousands of attendees. According to initial reports, the event was to be called the “GamePro Expo,” although IDG has now launched a contest in which anyone 13 and over can submit an idea for the expo’s name. The contest lasts until November 20, and the winner will land round trip airfare for two, hotel and local transportation for the upcoming expo. A name will be decided upon by the end of the month.Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/
