By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/10/2016
ReedPOP head honcho Lance Fensterman has been doing the interview rounds of late including this podcast for More to Come where I interviewed him as he was boarding a plane. (he’s a busy guy.) In our conversation he hedged a bit about this year’s Special Edition, NYC, and in his interview with Comicbook.com, it was […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/4/2015
The second Special Edition: NYC comics-only show from ReedPop runs June 6-7 at Pier 94, and ReedPOP has just announced the first guests: Amy Reeder, Chris Claremont, Alex Maleev, Mark Texeira, Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, Kevin Maguire and Marguerite Bennett.
Tickets for the event go on sale Wednesday, February 4 (THAT”S TODAY) at 12:00 PM EST.
Unlike it’s loud, tumultuous and pulse-pounding big sister New York Comic-Con, SE:NYC is planned as a more mellow comics focused event with more Special Guests from the pages of mainstream, alternative, indie, international and web comics.
“We launched Special Edition: NYC last year, because we knew fans were clamoring for a more exclusive event aimed specifically at comic books since New York Comic Con has grown into the massive success that it has,” said Lance Fensterman, Global Senior Vice President of ReedPOP in a statement “and we felt that it answered this call. Fans and artists were able to interact and the overall environment fostered such a strong community of comic book fans. We’re excited to see what this year brings in a new location with an even better lineup.”
Special Edition is ideally suited for smaller markets.
Javits North has 80,000 square feet of space. (Which is also the size of 1C, site of the first NYCC dealers room.)
Many convention centers across the country, in under-served markets, have halls which can accommodate a smaller comic con. (For example, Omaha has 194K sq.ft. of hall space.)
ReedPOP could easily use Special Edition to compete with Wizard World without having to create a new brand from scratch (like C2E2). If the locale grows to fill the entire convention center, then it can be rebranded into an event.
Like Wizard World, RP could create a circuit of shows, signing talent and exhibitors to exclusive agreements, or offering bulk discounts for multiple rentals.