In fact, there’s some land at the I-8/I-15 interchange that’s going to open up in the next few years that would make a perfect site for a new convention center.

156 acres. New convention center. Dare to dream.

http://www.sandiego.gov/mayor/contact/

Personally, I demanded a public apology amongst my vehement remarks.

Take it from me – that Vegas con held three years back totally sucked ass! It was run by a few renegade San Diego Comic Con committee members thinking they could have done a better job ( like I should talk ) – Anyway – they had placed my booth right next to a pair of con artist psychic fortune tellers who kept pickpocketing the wallets off a few ( not exaggerating when I casually throw out that word) attendees – just goes to show what happens when you try to expand the horizons beyond usual comic book convention merchandizing.

~

Coat

I’ll be careful the next time I get a drink from a punchbowl.

Anybody who thinks that Jerry Sanders doesn’t really love Comic-Con doesn’t know about his history with this convention. When he was chief of police he helped make this one of the most secure and fun conventions to attend in the world. Since being elected mayor, Jerry has gone to opening day for each of the past two years.

In his first year as mayor, Jerry joined Comic-Con president John Rodgers to help unveil the DC Comics Super Heroes stamps, saying to a packed house of more than 3,000 in attendance:

“Comic book Superheroes continue to capture the imagination of people young and old, and the Superheroes of DC Comics are some of the mostly widely recognized icons in the world. I can’t think of a more fitting subject to be memorialized in a U.S. Postage Stamp Series, and I couldn’t be prouder that these stamps are having their exclusive First Day Stamp Issue here in San Diego.

You can’t help but get caught up in the energy and buzz that takes over San Diego each year when more than 100,000 participants flock to Comic Con. This is truly the one convention that everyone talks about each year, and I’m so pleased that Comic Con continues to call San Diego home. I hope you continue to come back for many years to come.”

Then just last week, as he kicked off the Yu-Gi-Oh! World’s Fair and International Championship Tournament sponsored by Upper Deck and KONAMI, the mayor said:

“We also appreciate how Yu-Gi-Oh and all its players add to our local economy and to our status as one of the world’s leading creative communities. I’m proud to say that in addition to everything else Upper Deck and the KONAMI Corporation bring to San Diego, they also bring jobs.

That’s a great local business connection and just a small example of how important creative games and creative companies like Upper Deck and KOMAMI are to cities like San Diego.”

The mayor went so far as to declare opening day at Comic-Con “Yu-Gi-Oh! Day” in the City of San Diego and gave Upper Deck’s John Sepenuk a special resolution commemorating that declaration.

The mayor gets it, the mayor likes it, the mayor has a good time, and like everyone else who attends, he enjoys the excitement, the energy, and, yes … all the costumes and hoopla that are such a big part of what Comic-Con has become.

The mayor in no way meant to disparage the talent and attention to detail shown by anyone attending Comic-Con. He loves you guys and looks forward to seeing you next year, and is sorry for the misunderstanding.

“The mayor in no way meant to disparage the talent and attention to detail shown by anyone attending Comic-Con. He loves you guys and looks forward to seeing you next year, and is sorry for the misunderstanding. ”

The whole statement is at My Site

http://40yearoldfanboy.blogspot.com/

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=39;t=000059

Scroll down a bit until you get to this:

REVIVE LAS VEGAS: The recent “Extrosion” convention In Las Vegas seemed to prove two adages:

#1– Throwing a comic book convention in Las Vegas is never a good idea.

#2 – Naming a convention something that’s sounds like a medical procedure is never a good idea.

lwk

The above link is to a newspaper story that points out that since the San Diego Comic Con is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charity, it pays less to the city in traffic-control fees. It’s worth checking out.

Las vegas does conventions right, you betcha. The monorail was a good addition but from what I understand (Evanier knows, I bet), it has had some severe problems. But since SDCC signed a contract to stay in San Diego for several years beyond this one, it’s unlikely there’s any move in the immediate future. More hotels and parking on their way over the next couple years may help a little next year, but yes indeed, those train tracks are poor city planning.