Mighty Con – A Future Convention Powerhouse

2012 is almost at its end but there is one last “must attend” comic con that I know will continue to grow as the years pass simply because of the man who is doing everything possible to make this into a future convention powerhouse – and that man is Bill – the driving factor behind Mighty Con

I had an opportunity to get in contact with Bill who is the founder of Mighty Con and ask him some questions. If you live the Chicago area or even surrounding states, I strongly urge to make it out to this years Con – This is not your average small gathering of guys in a hotel room. Mighty Con goes above and beyond your typical con.

What is Mighty Con and why should everyone inIllinoisand theMidwestattend?

Mighty Con is a new comic convention, with our next one taking place on December 15th at the Dupage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  It’s free parking and only $5 to get in, with kids 12 and under free, making this a great way to spend the day with the family.  You can find stuff for yourself or get some Christmas shopping done for the fanboys and fangirls in your life.

How can we get more info related to Mighty Con – twitter, facebook, website. When did Mighty Con start? Who founded it?

Well first and foremost is the website, www.MightyCon.com.  There, you can find info about the show as well as articles related to comic news, reviews, movies, TV, etc.  You can also sign up for our newsletter there, which we use not just to talk about Mighty Con but to promote other local shows as well.  Our facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Do-You-Like-Comics/253177364798246?ref=hl, keeps people up to date on our show as well as other local events and all kinds of happenings in the comic world.  Plus lots of fun stuff I find all over the web. 

 

As for the origin story of Mighty Con, I started selling comics at shows a long while back and started to notice that most shows were very similar, and not in good way.  It was hard to find a show where table costs were low but the traffic was high, which meant that I had less room to make deals than I would have liked.  I also noticed that the promoters for the vast majority of shows did very little, if anything, to promote them.  My day job is digital marketing specialist, which means I spend all day every day working to get the word out to people about products and brands, so I knew just how easy it was for these people to promote their shows if they really wanted to.  But, since they didn’t, I worked shows that had just a dozen or so people show up, after I’d spend hours driving to a location and setting up.  While I always priced my stuff out aggressively enough to make sure that I made sales, I knew tons of vendors who would have shows where they wouldn’t even make enough to pay for their tables.  So finally, if you want something done right sometimes you have to do it yourself.  I started looking around for venues, and decided it was time to go big or go home.  I didn’t want just another hotel conference room show with 5 guys selling stuff in it, so I found a place that could fit dozens of vendors and artists.  We began promoting, and our first show was a success.  The vendors who came out made some great sales, and the people who came out found some great deals.  The December date will be our 2nd show, and next year we’re looking to take our brand to cities like Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, and more Midwest locations.

How did you come up with the name for the event – Mighty Con?

Honestly, we needed a name that wasn’t tied to a region, as we plan on taking this show first to several different states and eventually across the country, so something like “Chicago Comic Show” wasn’t going to work.  We also wanted it short and simple, as our online marketing is aggressive and the easier a URL is to type in, the better it does.  So, I sat down with a list of comic related words and themes, and eventually came up with the name Mighty Con, and so far people seem to like it.

How does Mighty Con appeal to the average attendee?

First and foremost, as mentioned before it’s low cost.  Tables and booths are cheap for the vendors, and admission is low for attendees, so everyone on both sides of the aisles can be happy.  We actively try to get as wide a variety as we can, from indie comics and artists to large publishers, from comic dealers to toys and video games and statues, to fun things to do like a large video game setup and a Lego show.  We even have a DJ and on site food and drinks, plus raffles and giveaways.  The idea is to have more than just a bunch of the same people in a small room selling the same stock you’ve seen at a dozen other shows.

I’m sure everyone wants to know this – How did you actually create your own comic con? Do you know people in the industry? Is it hard for someone to create their con? What are some of the flaws of other comic cons that Mighty Con excels at?

After working as a vendor at comic cons for a while, I started to get to know a lot of other people in the industry.  So, once I set a date and found a venue for my own show I had a solid list of contacts to start with.  It’s definitely not easy to create your own con though, it takes time and patience, and definitely money.  It’s not too tough to put on a small 1 room show at a hotel for instance, as half a dozen vendors can make for a full show.  But we wanted something bigger, and that’s where it got tough, as you need to find a large number of people who are willing to try out a new show that hasn’t been started yet, so it’s kind of like trying to find a good job right out of college when your resume is blank.

I’d say one of the biggest flaws that I see at other shows that we try to improve on include things like selection.  There was a show recently in a nearby city that I missed going to, and when another fan I know asked me why I didn’t go I told him because I already knew what was going to be there, and then rattled off the vendors who were there (which wasn’t hard since it’s always the same 8 people at this show), where they were in the room, and what kind of stock they had.  We try to get new vendors with stock that the average fan hasn’t seen before, making this a whole new experience.  Another huge flaw is just simple entertainment.  I used to work in the bar/restaurant industry for a long time, and I learned quickly how important background noise can be.  I’ve been to cons that feel like they’re in a library people are so quiet.  And it just doesn’t feel welcoming.  We bring in a DJ, set up multiple TVs for free video game play, and try to create an ambiance that makes you happy to be there.

What makes Mighty Con different than the average comic con?

A lot of behind the scenes stuff like advertising, but what really matters to the fans is going to be the ambiance, the entertainment, and the overall cost.  We keep entertainment running all day, from the music and video games to one of the most amazing Lego shows you’ll see anywhere (I probably spent 4 hours at the last show just going over this setup inch by inch to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and I still found some crazy little Easter eggs each time I looked).  We create a fun environment where you can actually spend the whole afternoon hanging out, and we make sure that you’re not going to empty your wallet to do it.  Plus by making setting up affordable for the vendors, we make sure they have room to offer you the best prices they can, unlike some larger events (Wizard World being a prime example) where table costs just don’t leave any room for the vendors to give you that great deal you’re looking for.

Besides comics, what other attractions will there be for this years event?

Toys and statues, buttons and Legos, video games and board games, card games and Heroclix.  We strive to get the widest variety of vendors possible, and for this show we’re adding in an Artist Alley, which will feature big and small artists and creators, and even the Illinois Art Institute will be on hand to talk to aspiring young artists about how they can get on the path to being a professional.

What can we expect to see at this years Mighty Con? Do you have any special guests attending?

We’re working on a few bigger companies that I can’t quite announce yet, but we do have confirmed Big Dog Ink, whose title Penny For Your Soul is getting huge, and Legend of Oz has everyone talking now.

How are you spreading the word about Mighty Con in order to make more people aware of this con?

Well, as I mentioned before my day job is digital marketing, so we’re really going all out.  From basic stuff like craigslist ads to paid Facebook and Google ads to press releases.  Then we have the real world campaigning, which includes setting up at other shows all over the Midwest (last week we were in Detroit for Fanfare, the week before that was Kokomo IN and Milwaukee) to hand out flyers, as well as putting flyers in every comic shop we can in Northern Illinois. 

What is the goal for next years Mighty Con?

Growth, plain and simple.  Yeah Chicago area cons are fun, and we’ll still have those, but I’ve been to some places around the Midwest that are just starving for good shows.  I’ve had people in places like St. Louis and Indianapolis straight out ask me to bring a good show there.  We’re hoping that by this time next year, you’ll be able to go to www.MightyCon.com and see a selection of cities where our next show(s) will be.

Who would you love to have as a guest at the next event?

Wow, so many people I’d love to have.  Obviously we’re not at the size of a show that can draw the huge movie stars or a Stan Lee level, but I think if I had to pick someone right now personally I’d go with Brian Michael Bendis.  I’ve just loved almost everything of his I’ve read over the last few years, and I’d love to just shake his hand and thank him for the excellent work.

What is one thing you would change about the comic con industry as a whole?

Variants.  Variant issues are fine if they’re a once in a while thing done to promote a special issue or event, but it’s gotten to the point where the industry is just trying to create value in something that otherwise may not have any.  Value is a product of supply and demand, and they’re using limited supply to create larger demand, which can work except that in doing so they’re flooding the market with other regular copies of a given issue, which floods supply and lowers demand.  Amazing Spiderman 700 will have a 1:700 variant, meaning there will be shops that normally would only need a few dozen, maybe even 100 issues that will order 700 just to get that one variant, and now we end up with new issues that are destined for quarter bins before they even hit the shelves, which is what got us all into trouble back in the mid 90s

 

I want to personally thank Bill for his time and wish him the best – Feel free to leave comments below with any questions and Bill or I can answer them. Also, if you do make it to the event make sure to say hello if you see me – I’ll be wearing my blue SDCC.CO T-Shirt 🙂

 

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