“Can’t read my poker face…”
Comic-Con is a San Diego favorite and convention revenue bonanza. Drawing sell-out crowds for the last several years, Comic-Con has grown from its once humble beginnings in the basement of the US Grant Hotel almost 40 years ago, to an event that draws a capacity crowd of 126,000.
Fans and would-be superheroes eat, play & stay in our fine city for one stellar weekend of costume wearing, star sightings, anime meet ups, media promotion events, and oh yes, comics. Are they set to don their capes and fly off into the night sky in 2012?
Since 2007, the event has been selling out months in advance, with the coveted ticket event being the Saturday night costume contest. The 4-day passes for this July’s convention sold out by November of 2009. Some individual tickets are still available for Thursday or Sunday, but tickets for Friday and Saturday are long gone.
Comic-Con organizers have so far remained true to their founding city, and have agreed to remain at our Convention Center through 2012. Growth of the event however, requires new accommodations. As it is, the roster of exhibitors fills quickly and maintains a long wait list for access to the many attendees. Over time, Comic-Con has become a major marketing venue for Hollywood, perhaps to the exclusion of the fringe groups that helped make this event what it is today.
Los Angeles & Las Vegas have been courting Comic-Con. Now along comes Anaheim telling them they’re made for each other…
With lower lodging costs and approximately 500,000 square feet more exhibition space, the Orange County facility, now the largest convention center on the West Coast, offers a tempting proposition. In response, San Diego waterfront hotels including the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego Marriott and Hilton San Diego Bayfront have offered up an additional 300,000 square feet of space in their facilities, and have committed a higher number of rooms to conference attendees. However, these changes will not take effect until 2013. Will their good deeds fail to save the day?
San Diego’s Convention Center is the 24th largest such facility in the US. San Diego is the 9th largest city in the US. Isn’t it time to match our capacity to our potential draw for events such as Comic-Con? As recently as last year, a citizens task force supported a $753 million dollar proposal to enlarge our Convention Center by 1.27 million square feet – with exhibit and meeting space increasing by 385,000 square feet.
The timing is less than opportune in the eyes of the city. Other development projects, including a new Civic Center that would consolidate City Hall with other city offices, and become more of an asset to the city itself. The price tag? $432 million +/-. The San Diego Public Library is also seeking new facilities, which some consider could be combined with the new Civic Center into one central development project. The library is working to secure $185 million for their new facility. And then we have the discussion of a new football stadium, perhaps located near Petco Park.
This author, along with thousands of others, trust plans will be formulated before it’s too late. The exit of Comic-Con would not only be a severe blow to our cities’ coffers, but would be an epically sad day in the hearts of both fan & business owner. I mean really…
Who wants to see Captain America sitting at a blackjack table? Or Darth Vader yelling, “mama needs a new pair of shoes” at the craps table? Or Batman & Robin at Cheetah’s with a stack of dollar bills?
You get the picture.
SD hotels cost way too much…They really abuse the attendees with those over inflated prices.
Hopefully they’ll all work together to make the venue more palatable for both fan & exhibitor alike. I love Comic-Con and I would be sorely disappointed if it left us for another!