GamePro Expo name to stay?

Last month, the confusion surrounding the new E3 (owned by the Electronic Software Association, or ESA) and the then-named GamePro Expo (owned by International Data Group, or IDG) built to epic proportions.

The old E3, reincarnated as the more petite E3 Media and Business Summit, would be managed by the old E3 team, now employed by IDG. While at almost the same time during the year, that very same group--led by former ESA vice president Mary Dolaher--would produce its own game event, endorsed by the ESA.

One element that added to the confusion was IDG's naming of its new consumer event. The show was to be called GamePro Expo, although the event had no ties to the IDG-published magazine of the same name (GamePro).

To put the confusion to rest, IDG launched a competition to rename the show--offering a prize to the individual who suggested the best new name. The winner was to have been announced November 21, but as the work week closed out, no winner had been picked, nor had e-mails to IDG been returned.

[UPDATE] Over the weekend, IDG alerted GameSpot that it had received over 3,000 entries in the contest to rename the show and that a trademark search was in progress to be sure there would be no conflicts with the chosen name--which it intends to announce shortly. "I hope to have the news ready to break this week," IDG's Mary Dolaher said by e-mail.