On Sunday afternoon, the final day of Emerald City Comic-Con 2023, a five-person panel from showrunner ReedPop, headed up by Kristina Rogers, Vice President, Global Comics Portfolio shared their tackle what labored, what didn’t, and what they hope to do subsequent time at this Seattle popular culture conference. They additionally responded to feedback and questions from a comparatively small, however engaged group of present attendees who got here to the “Talk Back” session.
At the entrance of the room was Rogers, Chris D’Lando, Event Manager; Kylie Mason, Marketing Manager; Ryan Will, Senior Director, Global Sales; and Liz Jaite, Content Manager for ReedPop’s Comics Events. Each responded to feedback about numerous points of this 12 months’s present, together with the smaller-than-usual roster of comics creators as friends and comics publishers within the exhibit halls, snafus with the escalators and elevators within the new Seattle Convention Center Summit Building, and the “anemic” presence of manga and anime panels or friends on this 12 months’s present programming.
But that’s to not say that it was all complaints. As one attendee put it, “the difference between whining and complaining is being able to suggest a solution.” Several attendees provided constructive criticism and solutions for enhancements, alongside with kudos too. Here’s a few of the highlights and key takeaways from the ECCC 2023 discuss again session:
ATTENDANCE UP, BUT STILL NOT AT PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
When requested about ECCC 2023’s attendance numbers in comparison with years previous, Rogers replied, “2023’s attendance is up 10% compared to 2022, and 2022 was up 9% compared to 2021, but we still haven’t hit our 2019 (pre-COVID) attendance.”
NEW BUILDING, NEW PROBLEMS
This 12 months’s present was the primary main occasion held within the new Seattle Convention Center Summit Building. A blinding six-story constructing with a lot of considerate architectural touches like indoor steps/benches that look out onto Pine Street to the waterfront, alongside with pretty dependable free wi-fi, and extra USB/electrical plugs than most airports. However, there have been a number of issues with the constructing, together with escalators that had been shutdown throughout busy durations of the present, elevators that had been slower than traditional and had been generally too busy to accommodate attendees with wheelchairs or strollers.
Another ache level was that the primary exhibit corridor was on a decrease stage, Floor 0, a indisputable fact that was missed by many attendees who as a substitute went to Floor 2 the place artists alley and several other cubicles had been situated.
There had been lengthy traces for meals concession stands, partly as a result of there have been so few of them. All of those points and extra had been mentioned, and Rogers and staff promised to look into them and deal with them earlier than subsequent 12 months’s present.
WHERE ARE THE COMICS PUBLISHERS?
One attendee on the ECCC Talk Back panel remarked, “I see the comics side of Comic-Con going downhill.” While there have been a handful of publishers, together with MadCave, Xenoscope and indies like ShortBox and Bulgilhan Press exhibiting this 12 months, it’s additionally true that the foremost US publishers DC and Marvel, in addition to Pacific Northwest-based firms like Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics and Fantagraphics had been lacking from the exhibit corridor flooring.
“The relationships are still there, but staffing is an issue,” mentioned Will, Senior Director, Global Sales for ReedPop. Exhibiting at a present like ECCC implies that firms have to have folks to employees the sales space, in addition to the manpower and price range to plan, design and convey artistic expertise to the present. “(Publishers) are eager and excited to come back, but for this year’s show, the timing just didn’t work out.”
But even for the publishers that had been there, one large drawback was the present maps, which lacked sales space numbers on the printed maps and some omissions that left exhibitors questioning in the event that they missed out on gross sales as a result of folks didn’t know they had been there or the place they had been situated on the present flooring.
First time exhibitors Zach Clemente of Boston-based Bulgilhan Press and Zainab Ahktar of UK small press writer ShortBox had just a few issues to say about their ECCC experiences after the present:
Just landed again in Boston. We had a beautiful time in Seattle assembly comics makers and exhibiting off our books to new readers at ECCC. Unfortunately, our gross sales had been quite poor – hopefully we’re capable of work with ReedPop sooner or later to higher embrace small press publishers.
— Bulgilhan Press (@bulgilhan) March 6, 2023
When we emailed @emeraldcitycon a couple of refund, they informed us to suggestions to them how issues went they usually’d decide after the con with our enter. Received an e mail on Sat telling us somebody had walked by our sales space and it ‘looked busy’ in order that they wouldn’t be refunding us.
— ShortBox (@Short_Box) March 7, 2023
We’d like to do ECCC once more and reliablely desk at ReedPop reveals when it is sensible to take action, however this concern must be addressed for all small press/comics collectives. It simply will not be economically viable for us in any other case.
— Bulgilhan Press (@bulgilhan) March 6, 2023
NEW AND POPULAR: LARPING AND Okay-POP
“We increased community programming because you asked us for more ways for attendees to interact with each other. We did LARPing for the first time, and our K-Pop dance programing was very popular too. We really want to expand gaming next year, especially tabletop gaming,” mentioned Rogers. “We want to offer attendees value for their badges.”
The LARPing space on the third flooring was spacious and gave followers who received the required wristband to register their ‘weapons’ area to cross swords and spar. It was fairly the sight.
Other packages that had been properly obtained included the cosplay workshops, though one attendee was stunned to see that attendance required join prematurely. “The cosplay workshops came in pretty last minute,” mentioned Jaite, Content Manager for ReedPop comics occasions. “They’re really awesome, so they’re definitely coming back next year, but we’ll try to make it easier for you to sign up through our website and app.”
Kudos had been additionally shared for the varied “lounges” for attendees, together with the Pride Lounge, and a Quiet Lounge to chill out, away from the noisy and busy present flooring.
“ANEMIC” ANIME AND MANGA PROGRAMMING
One notable lack within the ECCC programming and exhibitor combine this 12 months was anime and manga. On Floor 0, there was a big Bandai Namco / Tamashii Nations sales space, alongside with a World of Ghibli sales space providing Totoro plates, plushies and extra. Meanwhile, on Floor 5, there was an ‘anemic’ Pop Asia space, with tables selling Japanese tradition and journey to Japan, a half-baked manga library with some beanbag chairs, cosplay meet-up areas and Okay-Pop dance classes.
When requested about this state of affairs, Rogers replied, “We wish to help the AAPI group right here, however we additionally don’t wish to come throughout as ‘othering.” I asked, “Why not work with Sakura-Con on this?” (Sakura-Con is the regional anime convention that’s historically held just a few weeks after Emerald City Con in late March / early April). “They never answer our emails,” replied Rogers. “It’s not like we don’t want to work with them.”
Another issue that received in the best way of inviting friends from Japan for this 12 months’s present is that “the US/Japan travel restrictions only loosened up a few months ago, so that made it difficult to make travel plans for those guests,” mentioned Rogers.
KUDOS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THE ECCC MOBILE APP
The ECCC cellular app received some good compliments for ease of use and options that made it simple to seek out the varied occasions the place the present’s particular friends could possibly be discovered all through the weekend. There had been just a few solutions so as to add extra options to make it simpler to navigate the present, however total, it received extra constructive feedback than “constructive criticism.”
YOU TOO CAN TALK BACK TO REEDPOP ABOUT ECCC
Want extra comics publishers and comics creators at ECCC subsequent 12 months? Fil out the survey (hyperlink despatched by e mail to all attendees). “Tell us who you want to see (as guests). The survey is how we plan our strategy for the show.” mentioned D’Lando.
“If you want to see your favorite comics creator at the show, tell us on the survey,” mentioned Will. “It helps us make a case to publishers when we can tell them 50 people told us they want to see someone here at the show next year.”
The survey arrived in ECCC attendee inboxes at the moment, so if you happen to had been on the present this 12 months, fill it out and make your voice heard about what you wish to see at Emerald City Comic-Con 2024.
Ready to make plans for subsequent 12 months? 2024 dates had been introduced this week too: February 29 – March 3. Sign up at https://www.emeraldcitycomiccon.com/ to get notified first when tickets go on sale.
Did you go to Emerald City Comic-Con this 12 months? What did you assume? What had been your highlights or ideas about what you would like was completely different about this 12 months’s present? Add your feedback beneath!
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