The 2014 Calgary Comic Expo Thread

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by photon

Hopefully not rainy, last year was so nice out was great to see everyone outside with their costumes.

FFS, snow today. Sub zero temps at end of April.

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I wish there was more of a gaming presence at the show... it's all movies, TV shows, and comics. Which is great and cool, but if there was a heavy gaming presence I'd make a point of going every year.

It'll come as the show gets better and with bigger profile over time. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Capcom, EA, Activision, Bioware, etc. have a yearly presence at conventions like SDCC and NYCC. We still have a large number of small store/individual manned booths looking to dump old surplus stock items.

I've never been to PAX myself, but it certainly seems like a good time if you are looking for that sort of thing. And they just announced a new yearly show in the US.

[WhiteTiger]

Another one in the books. What a hell of a good time!

[KTrain]

If anyone is looking for more photos Russic and I put together a little site to pull the Instagram feed from the Expo: http://calgaryexpo2014.com/

[MrMastodonFarm]

Joan Rivers was there, that was an odd sighting.

Just took in Sunday this year and these guys continue to put on an impressive event. They've really out grown that space, it's incredible. Bring on a new arena and entertainment facility so this thing can go to the next level.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Just took in Sunday this year and these guys continue to put on an impressive event. They've really out grown that space, it's incredible. Bring on a new arena and entertainment facility so this thing can go to the next level.

Yeah that Agrium building was looking mighty good as far as potential future expo space is concerned. Hell on Wheels panel on Saturday was a little chilly in the Expo Pavilion tent they had to set up haha. Definitely maxed out for space as it currently stands but glad to see it growing so fast.

Another fun year, can't wait for the next.

[The Goon]

A couple of links on io9, showing Calgary's getting some big attention:

http://io9.com/the-most-sensational-...-fa-1568088819

http://io9.com/even-more-mind-blowin...014-1568373216

[The Goon]

And the weirdest picture I took, which I titled Worst Porn Ever:

[Regular_John]

So how were the crowds this year?

Truth be told I've avoided the event since the cluster fata in 2012, but it seems 2013/14 have both had better received, thinking about hitting it up next year.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

So how were the crowds this year?

Truth be told I've avoided the event since the cluster fata in 2012, but it seems 2013/14 have both had better received, thinking about hitting it up next year.

Not bad. Saturday got packed enough around 4 PM in the main hall that I couldn't find space to shoot, but for the most part the crowds were okay. They ran out of seats for some panels, but that's to be expected.

[czure32]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

So how were the crowds this year?

Truth be told I've avoided the event since the cluster fata in 2012, but it seems 2013/14 have both had better received, thinking about hitting it up next year.

It will always seem crowded when you bring in 85,000 ppl over the 4 days. The queueing for panels seemed to be better organized this year.

They pre-sold autographs for some of the bigger name guests like Bruce Campbell, Bill Paxton and Sigourney Weaver to try to alleviate some of that congestion as well. Though I did hear complaints that they did end up overselling the first Bruce Campbell photo op on the Saturday at 11:30 and some people didn't get their pictures as his panel was starting at 1.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by czure32

It will always seem crowded when you bring in 85,000 ppl over the 4 days. The queueing for panels seemed to be better organized this year.

They pre-sold autographs for some of the bigger name guests like Bruce Campbell, Bill Paxton and Sigourney Weaver to try to alleviate some of that congestion as well. Though I did hear complaints that they did end up overselling the first Bruce Campbell photo op on the Saturday at 11:30 and some people didn't get their pictures as his panel was starting at 1.

"Overselling" is a tricky concept when it comes to photo ops. A certain amount are sold...and if the guest goes "slow" during the op, it stretches out. If the tech fails (I heard they had some epic server hiccups for Friday's ops) it stretches stuff out.

With a photo op, no one wants a "grin and grab". Everyone wants 30 seconds or more of the star's time...which adds up when multiplied by 100's of people.

There were bumps and bruises, to be sure. But they've learned a lot over the last 2 years. The lines to get inside (after you got your wristband, that was) moved really fast. Folks were lining up 2-2 1/2 hours early. The line I was in on Saturday had over 3000+ people in it (I asked). When the doors to the BMO opened...it took less than 20 minutes to get everyone inside. They are coming along really well, imo. Are they done? No, there are still lessons to learn and stuff to work on/fix...but they have done a great job recovering from 2012, as attendance numbers show.

[Julio]

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

Yeah that Agrium building was looking mighty good as far as potential future expo space is concerned. Hell on Wheels panel on Saturday was a little chilly in the Expo Pavilion tent they had to set up haha. Definitely maxed out for space as it currently stands but glad to see it growing so fast.

Another fun year, can't wait for the next.

The Agrium Western Events Centre won't have tons more exhibition space...maybe the equivalent of one level of the Big Four. I can see them using the arena area as a better version of the seating they had in the expo tent for panels, and then the exhibition space for maybe photo ops?

[Julio]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Joan Rivers was there, that was an odd sighting.

Just took in Sunday this year and these guys continue to put on an impressive event. They've really out grown that space, it's incredible. Bring on a new arena and entertainment facility so this thing can go to the next level.

Don't know that an arena/dome would have more room...BC Place advertises just under 250,000 square feet of show space...that is about the same as the BMO Centre by itself, not including the Corral or Big Four. As I noted above, the new Ag Building will add some space, and so would the extra hall of BMO Centre that is eventually planned. Maybe with the Global Petroleum Show being every year now, and the Expo doing so well, Stampede will move faster on that faster than they had planned?

[WhiteTiger]

Yeah, I was eyeing up the Agrium building, and wondering if that might not be a good place for the wristband exchange/photo op/autograph sales. A space about the size of a Big 4 level would be pretty good for that, I'd think.

I was wondering about the Saddledome, too...but really...what would they do with a hockey rink? Unless they were able to use the Saddledome for wristband exchange, since you could 'wrap' the lines around the inside of the concourse.

They really are about as big as they can get without newer/better space it seems.

[KTrain]

They can't book the Saddledome for the whole weekend though. There might be playoff hockey to be played...

[Troubamaker]

Wow. They just released this weekend's attendance numbers on facebook. 97,000 people! This would make it the 3rd largest con in the world behind San Diego and New York and the largest in Canada.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Troubamaker

Wow. They just released this weekend's attendance numbers on facebook. 97,000 people! This would make it the 3rd largest con in the world behind San Diego and New York and the largest in Canada.

Toronto claimed 100,000+ in 2013.

[WhiteTiger]

That number would put Calgary firmly into the Top 5, and it's now the biggest independent Comic Expo

[Troubamaker]

Originally Posted by SebC

Toronto claimed 100,000+ in 2013.

I guess this chart has some old info. They also just announced on facebook they are starting a Saskatoon show in September.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo
MIND = BLOWN!
We have our official attendance figures, and WOW!!! Over 97,000 attendees to our (not-so) little show this year!

From their Facebook.

Wowza