Comic Book Conventions
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
Comic Book Conventions
Excerpt from a recent large group email from Chuck Rozansky.
The reason for my lengthy preamble is that I am going to reveal to you a primary reason for why the Board of Directors of the San Diego convention decided to jack up 4-day ticket prices for 2012 from $105 (in 2010), to $175 in 2012. Simply put, they desperately need a financial war chest to back up their full-contact negotiations with the City of San Diego. To clarify that statement, it has been widely reported in all manner of news sources over the past few years that the Board of Directors has been threatening to pull the convention out of San Diego. What has not been widely known, however, is that all this bluster has been nothing more than a huge bluff. To this point in time, there has never been a viable financial capability that would have allowed the convention to actually be able to relocate out of San Diego.
To illustrate what I mean by a lack of financial capability, consider for a moment that a great deal of the manpower for this immense convention comes from volunteers, most of whom live in the San Diego region. Expecting them to contribute their time in as generous a fashion if the convention moves to Anaheim or Las Vegas is completely unrealistic. Barring a successful push to find equally talented volunteers in whatever new host city was selected, the Board of Directors would have to hire (and pay) a novice crew completely unfamiliar with comics, and the vagaries of comics fans. Good luck.
Hiring a new workforce aside, there is the necessity of finding a facility with available dates. It has been reported that Anaheim, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles have all sought to lure Comic-Con from San Diego. But, can they provide similar levels of service as compared with San Diego? After decades of completely ignoring the convention, the city now is taking a very active role in helping with critical issues, such as public transportation. As a case in point, a new pedestrian bridge now allows fans to safely cross the very busy roadway that separates the main downtown transit center from the convention center. This has not only eliminated the very dangerous crosswalk situation that existed previously, but also encouraged everyone who lives in town to take the trolley. Traffic congestion near the convention center is thus vastly less than in the past, which is definitely a win-win for everyone.
All of the above having been said, the continuing preeminence of San Diego as the greatest pop culture/comics event in the world is now threatened not only the rapidly expanding New York Comic-Con, but also by a major new media show backed by Disney, being held in Anaheim in August. San Diego needs both more room, and additional days to be able to use in the San Diego convention center, if it wants to have any hope of remaining on top. Only the political leaders of San Diego can grant and/or facilitate either of those two wishes, however, and at least for right now no firm solutions are at hand. It is thus critical to the convention Board of Directors that they actually have the cash on hand to pick up and move, if that becomes the only option.
Returning to the news that I reported yesterday about the annoyance, piqué, and rage being felt by long-time supporters of the convention when they discovered that 4-day advance tickets for the 2012 convention were being restricted to only 2400 per day, and could only be purchased at a special booth being set up in the neighboring Hyatt hotel, the true situation turned out to be even more aggravating than I first believed. A fan who arrived at the Hyatt at 5 AM on Thursday reported to me that he was able to purchase his limit of two passes, but that the hundreds of fans who arrived shortly after 6 AM was sent home empty-handed. Larger families were also struggling to get enough tickets for themselves and their children not only from a financial perspective, but also from sheer availability due to the two ticket limit. As a direct result, I had several fans tell me yesterday that, after many years of attending the convention, that they would never return. With as much as I love this great annual gathering, hearing that bitter news makes me very, very sad.
The reason for my lengthy preamble is that I am going to reveal to you a primary reason for why the Board of Directors of the San Diego convention decided to jack up 4-day ticket prices for 2012 from $105 (in 2010), to $175 in 2012. Simply put, they desperately need a financial war chest to back up their full-contact negotiations with the City of San Diego. To clarify that statement, it has been widely reported in all manner of news sources over the past few years that the Board of Directors has been threatening to pull the convention out of San Diego. What has not been widely known, however, is that all this bluster has been nothing more than a huge bluff. To this point in time, there has never been a viable financial capability that would have allowed the convention to actually be able to relocate out of San Diego.
To illustrate what I mean by a lack of financial capability, consider for a moment that a great deal of the manpower for this immense convention comes from volunteers, most of whom live in the San Diego region. Expecting them to contribute their time in as generous a fashion if the convention moves to Anaheim or Las Vegas is completely unrealistic. Barring a successful push to find equally talented volunteers in whatever new host city was selected, the Board of Directors would have to hire (and pay) a novice crew completely unfamiliar with comics, and the vagaries of comics fans. Good luck.
Hiring a new workforce aside, there is the necessity of finding a facility with available dates. It has been reported that Anaheim, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles have all sought to lure Comic-Con from San Diego. But, can they provide similar levels of service as compared with San Diego? After decades of completely ignoring the convention, the city now is taking a very active role in helping with critical issues, such as public transportation. As a case in point, a new pedestrian bridge now allows fans to safely cross the very busy roadway that separates the main downtown transit center from the convention center. This has not only eliminated the very dangerous crosswalk situation that existed previously, but also encouraged everyone who lives in town to take the trolley. Traffic congestion near the convention center is thus vastly less than in the past, which is definitely a win-win for everyone.
All of the above having been said, the continuing preeminence of San Diego as the greatest pop culture/comics event in the world is now threatened not only the rapidly expanding New York Comic-Con, but also by a major new media show backed by Disney, being held in Anaheim in August. San Diego needs both more room, and additional days to be able to use in the San Diego convention center, if it wants to have any hope of remaining on top. Only the political leaders of San Diego can grant and/or facilitate either of those two wishes, however, and at least for right now no firm solutions are at hand. It is thus critical to the convention Board of Directors that they actually have the cash on hand to pick up and move, if that becomes the only option.
Returning to the news that I reported yesterday about the annoyance, piqué, and rage being felt by long-time supporters of the convention when they discovered that 4-day advance tickets for the 2012 convention were being restricted to only 2400 per day, and could only be purchased at a special booth being set up in the neighboring Hyatt hotel, the true situation turned out to be even more aggravating than I first believed. A fan who arrived at the Hyatt at 5 AM on Thursday reported to me that he was able to purchase his limit of two passes, but that the hundreds of fans who arrived shortly after 6 AM was sent home empty-handed. Larger families were also struggling to get enough tickets for themselves and their children not only from a financial perspective, but also from sheer availability due to the two ticket limit. As a direct result, I had several fans tell me yesterday that, after many years of attending the convention, that they would never return. With as much as I love this great annual gathering, hearing that bitter news makes me very, very sad.
-
Dr. Solar
- Spanked like a 4 year old in K-Mart.
- Posts: 10898
- Joined: Sat May 15, 2004 8:09 pm
- Favorite character: Sven
- Favorite title: Psi-Lords #2
- Location: Los Angeles Surviving Sectors
blah blah blah, wah wah wah.
Go ahead and cry, Chuck.
Boo hoo, Comic-Con needs money to make sure that this show continues to be the best comic book related show in the country (the world?)
Boo hoo hoo, I can't get in to comic-con.
SDCC is not hard to get in to for the proactive fan.
It seems that the people that complain are the people that sit back and have a "the world owes me" mentality. If those people don't get in to comic-con, they have received everything they have worked for.
The world has certain realities. It takes time and money to make things happen. Sometimes it takes more money. It seems like Chuck is casting these "realities" as "evils". The end result is a more negative, less understanding world.
Mission accomplished Chuck!
Go ahead and cry, Chuck.
Boo hoo, Comic-Con needs money to make sure that this show continues to be the best comic book related show in the country (the world?)
Boo hoo hoo, I can't get in to comic-con.
SDCC is not hard to get in to for the proactive fan.
It seems that the people that complain are the people that sit back and have a "the world owes me" mentality. If those people don't get in to comic-con, they have received everything they have worked for.
The world has certain realities. It takes time and money to make things happen. Sometimes it takes more money. It seems like Chuck is casting these "realities" as "evils". The end result is a more negative, less understanding world.
Mission accomplished Chuck!
-
IMJ
- I have a Quasar collection. And I love it. So there.
- Posts: 4752
- Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 12:05 am
- Valiant fan since: VH1 X-O Manowar #1
- Favorite character: VH1 Sting | VH2 Rai
- Favorite title: VH2 Rai
- Favorite writer: Kurt Busiek
- Favorite artist: Sean Chen
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Comic Book Conventions
This part of the commentary is completely ineffective because the convention will still be a sell out event. Until attendance drops to the point that there is massive ticket availability, it doesn't matter who says that they aren't "ever" going to attend again or not.StarBrand wrote:Excerpt from a recent large group email from Chuck Rozansky.
As a direct result, I had several fans tell me yesterday that, after many years of attending the convention, that they would never return. With as much as I love this great annual gathering, hearing that bitter news makes me very, very sad.
While there I spoke with a few (5+?) comic dealers, they were talking about not attending because the event is being taken over by things other than (oh my 
) comics and reporting that they are not doing well in sales. One of the other points of conversation was about tickets to the Con or lack of them, it is an issue (no puns intended) but I also heard plenty of talk about expanding the actual convention center to accommodate not only Comic Con but other groups of geeks that invade SD during the year. Hey that is cool but they better work on expanding the hotel accommodations as well.
I do not know where all the chicks are coming from and I am not complaining at the many brushes with boobs against my arm (except for you fat men out there that blew all yer money on comics instead of antiperspirant) but holy geez, there are some quality 'alone time girls' getting Con tickets as well. I say "chicks get to attend for free. You must be 18 or older to ride."
Oh and Chuck can go blow it out his @$$... Boo hoo.
) comics and reporting that they are not doing well in sales. One of the other points of conversation was about tickets to the Con or lack of them, it is an issue (no puns intended) but I also heard plenty of talk about expanding the actual convention center to accommodate not only Comic Con but other groups of geeks that invade SD during the year. Hey that is cool but they better work on expanding the hotel accommodations as well.I do not know where all the chicks are coming from and I am not complaining at the many brushes with boobs against my arm (except for you fat men out there that blew all yer money on comics instead of antiperspirant) but holy geez, there are some quality 'alone time girls' getting Con tickets as well. I say "chicks get to attend for free. You must be 18 or older to ride."
Oh and Chuck can go blow it out his @$$... Boo hoo.
-
X-O HoboJoe
- Bradley is not unsupervised anymore.
- Posts: 22413
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 7:07 pm
- Valiant fan since: 1991
- Favorite character: Aric
- Favorite title: Shadowman
- Location: Adrift on the Seas of Fate
-
Blood of Heroes
- I only beat my wife when I'm sober.
- Posts: 5074
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:23 pm
- Location: 619
Knightt wrote:While there I spoke with a few (5+?) comic dealers, they were talking about not attending because the event is being taken over by things other than (oh my
I do not know where all the chicks are coming from and I am not complaining at the many brushes with boobs against my arm (except for you fat men out there that blew all yer money on comics instead of antiperspirant) but holy geez, there are some quality 'alone time girls' getting Con tickets as well. I say "chicks get to attend for free. You must be 18 or older to ride."
Oh and Chuck can go blow it out his @$$... Boo hoo.
I agree with all of this.
