What Do I Think? Ask My Customers.......
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what I think of Wizard putting the Big Apple Con dates on the same weekend as New York Comic Con for 2010 and honestly, what I think doesn’t matter one bit. We run an event that serves the industry (and I mean industry broadly; comics, manga, Anime, film, TV, gaming). Our purpose is to grow the industry and serve the fans, exhibitors and guests. So what I think about it is far less important than what the fans, exhibitors and guests think.
Looking through blogs tonight and the emails I’ve gotten from our partners in the industry, I think it’s pretty clear what all of these groups think of the decision. Read a few comments on the articles from Newsarama, CBR, Robot 6 or The Beat. It seems pretty clear to me.
There is a fundamental difference in philosophies between our organizations. We approach our shows by thinking about the fans, the industry and the exhibitors first and ourselves second. We believe that if we serve the fans, the industry, the guests and the exhibitors first we will be rewarded with a good show thus a good business proposition. How does putting an event on the exact same dates as NYCC (or even C2E2 for that matter) do anything to help the fans, exhibitors or guests?
I am not claiming that we are altruistic and do everything s right all the time. Far from it. If you read this blog, I think you know, that I know, we screw a lot up, but we don’t run from our mistakes or criticism, we listen and we learn. And yes, we operate these events as businesses. But we believe our success comes directly from treating people well and helping them grow there business (Midtown Comics busiest 3 days of the year are during NYCC – that is success to us). Good business is not doing what you want for you and taking a short term gain.
There in lies the fundamental difference in why and how we run our events. I welcome having these differences on display directly against each other.
I am making an effort to speak about how we conduct ourselves as I think Wizard’s choices are clear based on the events they run. So what do we believe in?
- Pleasing the fansGrowing the business as a whole by attracting new customers
- Serving our exhibitors by doing what we say we will do and delivering an audience to them
- Giving our guests a great experience
- Honestly reporting our numbers
- Being accountable to our customers (fans, guests and exhibitors)
- The ticket you buy, gets you access to all of our guests, you don’t have to pay to meet everyone
- Investing in our shows to make them cool
- Not misleading our fans on guests, costs or the experience they should expect
- Using the talent our exhibitors share with us to grow THERE business, not just ours
- A firm commitment to the business of the business (education, networking, licensing, rights, retailers, etc)
So what do I think of the Big Apple dates? Ask Marvel. Ask DC. Ask Sony. Ask an artist alley participant. Ask a creator. Ask a fan. You’ll get a clear answer of just who these choices of dates are intended to serve.
-L
11 comments:
Now that that has been explaned....On with the guest announcements
Oh, Wizard, you're so silly!
exactly! the nyaf/nycc staff is always accessible to its base. <3
I wont Lie, I went to this past weekends Big Apple Con , now Run by Wizard & I've been to more then one Wizard World From Philly to Chicago, and far none NYCC is just a better Show & Product. It was nice to have more then one NY show a year to look forward to, but now that they want to Run up against NYCC .... Well all i got to say is I know were ill be NYCC ALL THE WAY !!!! Lance !!!! Do your thing man !!!!
You could care less about the fans! For you it's about making money.
I already got my NYCC tickets...choice made. VIP experience at NYCC this year was awesome!
Oh and I got founders tix for C2E2. I got faith Lance.
Just sitting and waiting for VIP tickets to go on sale and I'll be there. NYCC has more to offer than Wizard plus they treat the fans right and listen to us.
Heh the VIP experience has toned down a bit. In the beginning it was super expensive and you got the star treatment.
But as Lance said in his own words "The ticket you buy, gets you access to all of our guests, you don’t have to pay to meet everyone"
So they toned down the VIP's guaranteed access and lowered the price a little.
Hopefully NYCC's '10 VIP system won't be as bad as the screw over they gave at the NYAF '09 VIP holders. The ticket even cost more than NYCC '09 and they got pretty much nothing to show for it.
Hi Lance,
I this times with the economy, the customers really know that they not go to Wizard and go to the NYCC. At the NYCC you pay a normal price to enter and to see all of your favorite artists. One price for a great weekend. I'm back for the NYCC. Greetings Leo Netherlands (Europe)
i always have my thoughts on the nycc as far to how it was and what can be improved. i have a few unfullfilled "life-long" dreams. 1-to go to a Fango Weekend Of Horrors and 2-to go to a wizardworld event. as a native ny'er, i've always wanted to go to a wizworld event but didn't have a travel companion and wizworld wasn't brought here. now, i do have a con buddy in my protoge. i'm a (soon to be) 5 year nycc vet and "mini-me" is a (soon to be) 4 year nycc vet. as a matter of fact, he's been bugging me since the sunday of the last con (as he does every year) if i'm ready to go to the next one (despite it being more than a year and a half away). just yesterday i think he had an orgasm when i told him that tix were already on sale (despite the year difference). that is something we've always wanted (and a step in the right direction from a consumer standpoint). since the first nycc (where i was one of the first ticket holders) through now i wear my weekend pass like a badge of the law. (first nycc though smaller and con-fusing was the best,fyi). maybe someday lance and me can talk on how to work towards making this the best comic and pop culture event (even though in a few mind it already is and i KINDA agree) second to none except san diego (maybe, for the moment-there's always room for improvement). until then-the heck with big apple. MAKE MINE NYCC-'NUFF SAID!!! see everybody there! Spoken by a true fanboy!
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