New details on the “GamePro Expo” have been revealed by the International Data Group (IDG), including a contest for renaming the show and official support from the ESA.
Hoping to fill the void E3 left behind, IDG is set to launch a new video game convention next October from the 18th to the 20th. Much like the Tokyo Game Show held in Japan, this new event will allow full access to the public. According to IDG executive VP Mary Dolaher, it won’t be free. “There will be a door fee, a ticket fee. It hasn’t been settled but I’m suspecting that it’ll be about $100 for each ticket and that would get you three days of full access to the show,” said Dolaher.
The ESA, the creators of E3, have backed the plans for the new expo. A former employee of the ESA, Mary Dolaher and IDG will be managing the upcoming “E3 Media and Business” event this July in Santa Monica, creating some ties between the two shows. While the new E3 will be a small event, the unnamed IDG expo in Los Angeles will attempt to carry on the tradition of a huge trade show.
“The decision was to refocus E3 into a hotel-type event where it’s B2B, and the members are going to be the ones to distribute the invitations to people, and there’s not going to be any general registration… So with them doing that, that’s a perfect solution for them and a number of companies at E3,” said Dolaher. “But if you look at the number of exhibitors – last year’s quoted number was I believe 500 – 24 members might want to do all of this in a hotel along with some ancillary companies but there’s still another 400 companies out there that have marketing dollars to spend on a trade show, and that’s why companies like CEA and others have looked at this market. And so we forged ahead to do it and I feel it’s very important that we have the ESA endorsement.”
The IDG is running a contest to name the new convention, the prize is a trip for two and hotel accomodation at the show next year. Head to the contest page for full details, the deadline is November 20th.
Source: Gamedaily
Published: Nov 9, 2006 01:30 pm