ReedPOP, the masterminds behind New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, and PAX have officially announced a new event in Seoul! [If you have access to Facebook, you can watch the press conference here!]
Comic Con Seoul will be held at COEX in Seoul, August 4-6, 2017.
Everything is still under construction online, so we don’t know how big, who’s coming, or anything else. (Or even a show logo!)
It’s being held at COEX, a convention center, exhibition space, and shopping mall in Seoul. According to Wikipedia, the mall section has a large area for events, as well as movie theaters, an aquarium, three hotels, and a casino. (And serviced by two different subway lines.) It might be the most perfect location for a comic con!
The convention center space
is comprised of four stories above ground with a total of 36,007㎡ of exhibition space and a floor area of 460,000㎡. Four specialized exhibition halls can be partitioned into a total of 12 separate rooms, and include a convention hall with space for up to 7,000 people. The Coex Center also boasts 54 meeting rooms and office space equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and a cutting edge building management system.
- Hall A [First Floor] has the space area of 10,368m², accommodating up to 520 booths. The space can be partitioned into 4 sections.
- Hall B [First Floor] consists of a 7,290m² exhibition hall and a swing space. The hall partitions into 2 sections. With only a minimum number of pillars on the hall, the hall accommodates up to 360 booths and can be used flexibly.
- Hall C [Third Floor] is a 10,348m² column-free exhibition hall. The space is ideal for events, banquets and exhibitions.
- Hall D [Third Floor] is a 7,281m² multi-purposed hall, accommodating up to 7,000 people. The column-free hall not only has a movable stage system, but also is fully equipped water, air, electricity, drainage and communication service outlet facilities. It is ideal for international meetings, opening/closing events, general assemblies, fashion shows and concerts.
That’s a grand total of 35,287 m2, or about 380,000 sq.ft. of exhibition space. (A little less than Halls A-F at San Diego.)
There are four performance spaces in the center, suitable for large events.
- Coex Artium is designed to vividly present the expression and sentiment of the actor by minimizing the seat and the stage. Also, thoroughly examining the dispersion and clearness of sound, it added richness having reverberation time of 1.3 second. Numerous Patterns and cutting edge stage allows various stage equipments and stage transitions. Not only the stage facilities but also other facilities for make-up, actors, director, staffs have been designed considering the flow. With easy accessibility based on public transportation, subway lines No.2(Samsung Station), 7(Cheongdam Station) and 9(Bongeunsa Station) and bus lines, it is playing a pivotal role in promoting performance culture not only to concert lovers but also the general public. From its opening in 2009, it is being loved by the visitors through popular Korean and international musicals. Working together with top celebrities, SM TOWN opened in 2015 being well received by its visitors.
- Located on the 2nd floor, Coex art hall is a small performance theater with 200 seats. It is also capable of performances of various genre from theater, dance to musical and Korean traditional music designed by the renowned architect Seok-cheol Kim who also designed Seoul Art Center and Korean Pavilion, Venice Biennale.
- Designed for Asia-Europe Summit Meeting, it can serve various events from awards, musical, concert and filming.
Ceiling embodying bird wings and fan shaped seat floor make beautiful and elegant ambience with subsidiary facilities such as dressing room and coak room.- Located on the 4th floor the theater type facility has 450 seats maximizing stage concentration making it optimal for middle sized performances including musical, concerts and show case.
ReedPOP is working with Reed Exhibitions’ Korea office to organize the show. Reed Exhibitions holds events in 30 countries, so who knows where’s next? Africa? South America? McMurdo Station?
Here’s the official press release:
(January 24, 2017, Seoul) Reed Exhibitions Korea, leading organizer of global exhibitions, hosted its first media day for ‘Comic Con Seoul’ on Jan. 24 at Yeouido CGV Business Hall. Comic Con Seoul will be held at COEX in Seoul this August.
Tyler Rasch, a smart and sexy man, fluent in Korean and a well-known broadcaster, hosted the event. Lance Fensterman, Global Sr. Vice President of ReedPOP, presented ReedPOP’s global vision, and spoke about the importance of the new show in Seoul.
“We are honored and excited to work with the Comic Con Seoul team to bring this iconic pop culture festival to Korea,” said Fensterman. “Comic Cons bring passionate fans together to enjoy the latest and best in movies, cartoons, games and other entertainment. We hope Korean fans will love it. We are certainly having fun creating the experience for them.”
Fensterman and his team founded New York Comic Con, now the largest comic convention worldwide, and produce shows like the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), the PAX video game shows, and Star Wars Celebration.
Son Joo Bum, Country General Manager of Reed Exhibitions Korea, introduced plans for Comic Con Seoul in more detail, led a question and answers session with the audience, and conducted a commissioning ceremony for ambassadors and advisors.
“Anyone who likes animation and games cannot help but be enthusiastic about Comic Con,” said Kim Hee-Chul, “I am excited to be commissioned as the first public relations ambassador for Comic Con Seoul.”
Comic Con is an abbreviation of Comic Convention. It is a cultural festival for fans, not only of comics, but also of games, movies, characters, and animation. Those attending Comic Con can listen to behind-the-scenes stories from the worlds of celebrities, entertainment and comics, see what is coming next in movies and drama, find exclusive collectibles, and share the overall experience with fans who also love pop culture.
Through Comic Cons, ReedPOP has hosted major celebrities like George Clooney, Paul Rudd and Sigourney Weaver. First looks at movies and dramas, rare appearances from legendary artists, and surprise performances and screenings are hallmarks of the events. The best cosplayers in the world compete in the Global Championships of Cosplay. At Comic Con Seoul, the winning cosplayer will be sent to Chicago to compete in the Global Championships next spring at C2E2.”I think Comic Con Seoul is famous enough to be on the bucket list for pop culture lovers of comics, games, movies and characters,” said Son Joo Bum, “and it is very meaningful because it is being introduced to Korea. I am confident that it will be a memorable event for the fans that enjoy an original Comic Con.”
For more information about Comic Con Seoul, please visit Comic Con Seoul website (give URL) and official Facebook (add URL). Early Bird Tickets will be announced on February 10th, with special benefits for those who purchase tickets early.
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Introduction of ReedPOP and Reed Exhibitions Korea
ReedPOP produces pop culture events as a part of Reed Exhibitions, the world’s largest exhibition organizer. ReedPOP plans the leading pop culture events around the world including New York Comic Con, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Emerald City Comicon, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, Comic Con Paris, Oz Comic Con, Comic Con India and more.
Reed Exhibitions Korea is the Korean branch of Reed Exhibitions, a global exhibition organizer. Reed Exhibitions holds more than 500 exhibitions and conferences in 43 key industries in 30 countries around the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, with more than 3800 exhibitors. Currently, Reed Exhibitions Korea organizes exhibitions in six specialized industries including the marine and shipbuilding industry, lifestyle industry, cosmetics industry, electronics manufacturing industry, broadcasting and franchise through 3 organizations: Reed Exhibitions Korea, Reed K. Fairs Exhibitors, and Reed-COEX joint venture.
