Emerald City Comicon joins ReedPOP family of conventions

In an announcement on the Emerald City Comicon site, it’s been announced that the show is joining the ReedPOP family of conventions.

As announced, this is not s straight out acquisition, as the ECCC team will continue running the Seattle-based show, and also work on existing Reed shows, presumably including C2E2, New York Comic-Con, PAX and so on.

ReedPOP has been expanding across the globe, teaming with the Paris Comic Con and Comic Con India.

This is a strong deal for both sides. ECCC gets the administrative and marketing resources that ReedPOP offers; ReedPOP gets one of the nations biggest and most admired shows, as well as a staff that is in touch with their fanbase in a very close way. ECCC also has a great track record for diversity, an area where ReedPOPO hasn’t always been out in front (although they are getting way way better.)

So, yeah…2015 the year of consolidation?

We are excited to announce that Emerald City Comicon and ReedPop are joining forces, and ReedPop will help us continue producing the premier comic book and pop culture convention in the Pacific Northwest!
 
ECCC is one of the most fan-oriented and comics-focused conventions in the U.S., and ReedPop is a fan-based group of professionals putting on pop culture events throughout the world, including New York Comic Con, PAX, C2E2, and Star Wars: Celebration. A classic superhero team-up is what we have here, and we even skipped the messy misunderstanding and battle scene that usually comes before a team-up!
 
Moving forward ECCC will still be produced by the same people who have made this show great, but with the added benefit of having a ton of rad people from ReedPop helping out to make it even more awesome. The Emerald City Comicon team will also start working on ReedPop’s events to help make them bigger and better. It’s win-win!
 
All that said, we’re working hard on finalizing all the details for the upcoming ECCC, so please keep checking this website, along with all our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram) for the latest news on what’s in store for our 2015 show! See you in a few short months!

UPDATE: The announcement interview with ECCC’s Jim Demonakos and ReedPOP’s Lance Fensterman is at Comcis Alliance and confronts worries that ECCC “family” vibe will get absorbed by ReedPOP’s sometimes more corporate vibe:

Jim Demonakos: I get that concern completely, and the initial conversation we had with ReedPOP was very much along the same lines. We have a certain feel to Emerald City that is hard to put into words. And one of the things that ReedPOP wants is us – not necessarily just Emerald City Comicon, but they want the people. So that’s the big thing I want to convey: it’s not just some corporate acquisition where we’re just being swallowed up, but everybody who’s working on Emerald City is going to not only continue to work on Emerald City, but actually start working on C2E2 and New York.

Lance Fensterman: Yeah, ReedPOP now has 24 shows around the world, and we’re working in a lot of different markets with different partners. We’re in a position where we’re not looking to grow period, we’re looking to grow sensibly, with great people. I’ve known Jim for ten years through various people and various things, and a year or so ago, we talked about this. I admire what he’s done and what he’s built, and he was just like “you’re in India and Australia, you have Star Wars, you have PAX events, and how much fun would it be to have that broad a palate,” and I was saying “how much fun would it be to be in business with a friend, and also somebody who I immensely respect for what he does.” I think any good deal is about having complimentary pieces, you know? There’s some stuff that we do super well, and there’s some stuff that they do amazingly well, and the best relationships are those where we compliment each other. And having known Jim for a long time, I think we’ve found that.

JD: They like what’s going on over here, and what they’d like is more of that as part of their other shows. It’s actually, weirdly the flip of that thing you talked about – they would like more of what makes Emerald City so much fun for creators to be infused into New York and C2E2.

And the PR:

ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, is adding another show to its portfolio with the Emerald City Comicon (ECCC). Today, the company announces that the ‘premiere comic book and pop culture convention in the Pacific Northwest’ has joined its family of leading experiential fan events. The partnership will take effect for next year’s eagerly anticipated event taking place March 27-29 in downtown Seattle.

ECCC, known for being a super fan-first and fan-oriented show, was founded in 2003 by local comics retailer Jim Demonakos and opened to 2,500 fans its first year. Since then, the show has grown exponentially reaching a record 70,000 in 2014 and an expected 80,000 in 2015, with 3-Day Tickets already sold out!  With new comic and celebrity guests each year, ECCC stands out for providing a unique experience for fans with a heart. Additionally, ECCC creates a charity art book each year since 2009 – Monsters & Dames – that has raised more than $75,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Demonakos had this to say about the partnership, “We are huge fans of what ReedPOP is doing across the globe in this pop culture space that ECCC also occupies and are excited to have them help us continue to deliver an amazing fan experience to our attendees. Moreso, we’re very much looking forward to bringing the ECCC brand of fan-focused attention to help amplify their events even further as well.”
Since ReedPOP’s first event in 2006, the sold-out New York Comic Con, the group has sought to produce exceptional experiences for passionate audiences and grow the industries surrounding these passions, and this philosophy has led to burgeoning attendance, the support of major creators and publishers and partnerships with leading entertainment brands including Lucasfilm (Star Wars Celebration), UFC (UFC Fan Expo) and Penny Arcade (PAX).     

In recent years, ReedPOP has turned its attention internationally, recognizing pop culture audiences emerging throughout the world, where it has produced once-in-a-lifetime experiences for these new fans and connected exhibitors to these hungry, unexplored markets.  ReedPOP’s previous global events have been set in London, Germany and Singapore, and the company planted its biggest global flag to date last year in Australia, creating an Australian team to launch PAX Australia and partner with the Oz Comic-Con series of events. ReedPOP’s efforts in India were recently announced through a partnership with Comic Con India — with events in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The company also added Paris Comic Con into its fold as announced at last month’s New York Comic Con. 

”The addition of ECCC to the ReedPOP family is a huge win and we couldn’t be more excited to see how we can make each other better,” said Lance Fensterman, ReedPOP’s Global Senior Vice President. “The ECCC team is tremendous and have put together an amazing show. I know there are things we can introduce to the mix and look even more forward to what the ECCC team can bring to all our events around the globe.”