Comikaze Expo: The New Con on the Block

After much work and hype, November 5^th marked the true beginning of the Comikaze era of conventions. Taking up over 165,000 square feet of the Los Angeles Convention Center, the very first Comikaze Expo brought fun, excitement, and hope for a consistent LA con. As anyone who has followed me on Twitter (@The_Con_Fluence) knows, I’ve been excited about this show since a little before March. So, did it live up to my expectations? Simply, the answer is “yes”. Admittedly, as the weekend approached I had some trepidation. I started thinking about how many friends and colleagues (17 in total) I’d sold on coming to this con. In most cases these individuals had either never been to a con before or had not been to one in many years. I also began to think of how I went out on a limb for the show with my followers on Twitter. What if Comikaze couldn’t’ deliver? What if vendors couldn’t move merchandise? What if my friends/followers didn’t enjoy themselves? My wife frequently reminded me that this wasn’t my show and it would be what it would be. In the end, I was on the showroom floor from 30 minutes before the doors opened on Saturday and until 10 minutes after the con ended on Sunday (yes, I nearly slept there) and I just could not get enough. And although I am happy to report that I enjoyed the show, more importantly those 17 non-con-going friends I spoke of loved it. So, why did Comikaze work for so many?

Leading into the show, it was obvious that CE (“CE” is the term I’m coining for the show) was focused on connecting with its fans. From a party at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) to partnering up with evening events at places like Meltdown Comics, it was always clear that CE wanted this show t be about outreach to the fans. In many ways, they approached the con experience as if it would be a party-like atmosphere with friends. I’ll admit, this was one of the things that worried me the night before the show. What if the show was too familiar, and not professional? Thankfully, this wasn’t a problem. While the show maintained a high level of familiar energy (did you see how many cosplayers they had at the show?), it didn’t compromise anything in the area of professionalism. There were some complaints I’ve read online about things like line management and the knowledge (or lack thereof) of the volunteers, but I can’t think of a show where this isn’t a problem. Is it an area for CE to work on for next year? Yes, but it is also something that SDCC needs to work on for next year. In short, the greatest asset of the show was its focus on connecting with the fans. I spoke to countless individuals outside of my personal group that said they were at their first show and loving it. These weren’t hardcore con-goers like myself that will make an eight hour drive to a show, but rather total speculators that in many cases hadn’t bought a comic in years (if ever).

So, beyond the many outreach efforts that CE made prior to the actual show dates, what were some of the ways they connected on the day of the event? Here are the four areas that I thought were most notable:

1. Diversifying Vendors: By opening the doors to a broad group of vendors, it allowed a little something for everyone. We all know that there is an old guard of con-goers that wants to see nothing more than comic bins and comic artists at a comic show. That being said, the con boom has occurred because so many shows have embraced diversity and culture over the simple focus on comics. The variety of vendors they brought to the show allowed hard core comic collectors to have their fun with bins of comics and creators all over the place, but at the same time there were plenty of vendors selling shirts, animation cells, art supplies, toys, tattoos, and a variety of other things. Simply, there was something for everyone.
2. Embracing Cosplay: Although all cons are okay with cosplayers (although, not always with their weapons), few push it the way CE did the week prior to the show. They utilized Facebook and Twitter to make sure fans were thinking about their costumes leading into the weekend. The importance of cosplay to the energy of a con cannot be overstated and it was clear that CE knew this. Although you’ll never see me in a costume at a show, nor will you see me taking many pictures of cosplayers, I do understand and appreciate their contribution to the energy and excitement of a show. Simply, they are critical.
3. Keeping Prices Friendly to Families: One of the critiques I read online of CE was that they did not provide programs at the door. Some wrote that they hadn’t been to a show that didn’t provide these hard copies, but I also wondered had they ever been to a show that they could get a family of four into for a total of $24. Furthermore, has anyone ever been to a show with a $12 adult ticket price that provided panels? Have they been to a $12 show that had icons like Stan Lee, Elvira and Mark Hamill? Simply put, the value for this show was amazing. A $12 adult ticket? 12 and under are free? $5 hero discount tickets for those in “heroic” professions? CE showed an understanding that the future of a con (or anything for that matter) is in the children. I do not have children (and am often not even a huge fan of them), but I know there is no better sight than to see a child picking up a comic book and becoming interested in this culture that people such as you and I love so much.
4. Focus on Quality: Anyone that has worked at all with branding knows the adage, “fake it till you make it”. CE knew that their future as an organization would be built on the quality of this first show. Being the new kid on the block, they did all that they could to fan the flames of interest. In the end, they were able to get people at their show that made believers of their attendees. They needed Stan Lee. They needed Elvira. They needed mark Hamill. They needed DC52 creators. Each of these names made it so that they could cover a little bit more of their show with legitimacy. The names brought vendors and attendees and made it so that there was a legitimate chance for big business for both the talent and vendors. I do not know the individual “take” that each vendor had at this show, but I know I haven’t seen such frenzied buying since SDCC. We waited with cash-in-hand to pay at booth after booth, because the vendors were too busy collecting cash from others. This focus on quality made it so that there were many happy vendors that will tell their friends. The outcome? I think we will see an even larger group of vendors and talent at next year’s CE

 

In the end, Comikaze Expo made quite a splash last weekend. Earlier in the year I made a call that I thought it would become a consistent show on the LA circuit for the foreseeable future. Happily, I can say that I feel even more confident about this prediction and advise that if you missed the first CE, make it a point to make sure to not miss the second.