I’ve been blogging about BookExpo for almost 2 years now (well probably more like 18 months) and I’ve learned on a few occasions that what I write and how I write it can be easily misinterpreted if I don’t step gingerly. However, I also have a long history of not learning my lessons, so here I offer up my perspective on SDCC and in particular how it was viewed through the eye of a guy that runs a con…..Read it as it was intended, musings without much of an agenda.
This was my first trip to SDCC and I was wowed, impressed, challenged – but not blown away that New York Comic Con could never be in the same league. Let me try to put “not blown away” into context; I didn’t see anything at SDCC that we cannot realistically strive towards at New York Comic Con and hopefully achieve in a number of years.
I don’t say that out of disrespect to SDCC, or ego gone unchecked but rather out of the infinite possibility that exists with NYCC. It’s impossible to attend a show like SDCC and not measure yourself against it. And I did.
To be clear though, I don’t see SDCC and NYCC as competitors, but rather I see SDCC as model – something that if we here in New York do our jobs right, we can aspire to.
To compare and contrast a little - NYCC will most likely never have the same intense presence of Hollywood as we are across the country from the epicenter of that industry, but we do have the largest media market in the country and that will be, if we provide the proper venue and value, hard for Hollywood to ignore. At the same time however, SDCC does not have the base of being in the publishing capital of the world as we do in NYCC. NYCC will never take over the megalopolis of NYC the way SDCC takes over the smaller more contained SDCC. That has its up’s and it’s downs.
Each event has it's own strengths and challenges. It's own personality. Being in NYC – the birthplace of Marvel, of DC, and comic books – Comics and publishing will always be the center of NYCC, but we are eager to bring in more complimentary exhibitors and partners, including Hollywood, TV, and gaming (to name a few). The exciting new relationship we just announced with Penny Arcade is a great example of that or the partnership we have with IGN.com on working with Hollywood Studios. This is about building a truly global pop culture event cantered around comics.
My point is that NYCC is an incredibly different show than SDCC, and to a large degree always will be. We are at different times of the year, on different coasts, with different natural core constituencies. This is why I feel no competition towards SDCC whatsoever, but rather view that show as an amazing model of what a con, well run and embraced by the community, can be. And that is exciting…..and challenging. So when I said “not blown away” I felt like NYCC can be that kind of an event in time, it is not impossible.
As a comparison, while wearing my BookExpo hat I attend the Frankfurt Book Fair, it’s clear that BookExpo will never be the size or scope of that show (FFurt is over 1 million square feet in size compared to BEA’s 275,000) and that’s not because our BEA team are a bunch of slackers led by a goof ball (though the leadership may fit that billing) it’s a host of factors and many are beyond our control; political, geographic, historical, sociological, etc. At San Diego, I did not see those same limiting factors, instead I saw a model of a con that we can follow and apply to our own unique opportunities in New York.
I was overwhelmingly impressed by how SDCC organizes itself; they have clearly been doing this a lot longer than we have. Form the sheer amount of security to keep people moving to the organization of lines and signage. This is something we can learn from that con.
I was totally bowled over by the media presence. I walked away with the feeling that if there were 25% less fans, but the same amount of media, the studios and stars would still turn out in force. The step and repeat lines I observed were like a paparazzi scene outside of the Bowery Hotel when Lindsay Lohan is staying there.
I was also struck at how difficult it can be to do business there. Having a meeting was a real challenge and it points to another example of our differences. NYCC’s trade hours and soon to be added international business center is part of what makes NYCC different. Better? No. This is where I’m stepping lightly to steer clear of misunderstandings! It’s why there is a need for a different huge con on a different coast, with a different bend.
I left San Diego feeling energized on what NYCC can become if we learn from the best in the business – SDCC. After 3 years we are drawing over 64,000 ACTUAL fans. What will the show look like in another 3 years? How big can it get and what shape will it take? After seeing how the experts conduct themselves in San Diego I have a road map to follow, an inspiration into just what NYCC can become in its own way.
And oddly the biggest challenge facing both shows is the venue. SDCC is locked in by the convention center, where NYCC is struggling to get consistent dates and space from our friends (yes read that with some sarcasm) at the Javitis Center.
Bottom line is SDCC impressed me, inspired me and my job is to now go forth and do likewise – but different.
-L
