2013 WonderCon will be in Anaheim — or maybe San Francisco

Dudes and Dudettes at comic con int’l — The bay area is so much more than San Francisco.

Boo!

I understand the reasons but still….boo!

So now that this domino more or less has fallen, does that mean the fine folks at Image will finalize an IMAGE EXPO II??

It should be noted that for the first 10 years or so, WonderCon was held in the Oakland Hyatt. It was only when comicCon int’l got it that greed got in the way of a good location. For a “non-profit” they sure seem to want as many benjamins as they can get their paws on.

Shark Jumper — I’d love to see another Image Expo, as well. I was there and it was a good show for a starting point. It could only get better from here if they returned to it.

As for Anaheim… It’s fine with me. I’d also like to see it in the bay area (that’s where I live), but I’ll also take it in So. Cal. I’m sure they are doing what they can with the choices they got.

@Michael, the reason the show was moved from Oakland to San Francisco was to accommodate more programming. You’ll remember that the Oakland facility had very little programming room and programming is a major focus of all our events.

In fact, the decision to make Hall H at Comic-Con a programming rooms was for the same reason. We opted to give up booth sales revenue for that space in favor of programming. And trust me, we would make more money by using that space as exhibitor space rather than programming.

I hope the show does return to San Francisco. It’s legacy is there, and I attended nearly every one (starting with the 2nd convention in Oakland).

Going to southern california for me for a comics convention is just not happening. However, I do wish all the best for the collectors and fans down there….

Oh I forgot, San Francisco is the end-all-be-all and we outside the county line are just fodder for such an Important City of Cultural Importance and nothing here can even compare with the ivory towers and gilded sidewalks of Bagdad by the Bay.

Very sorry, I forgot my place. I shan’t ever think that there could be anything outside of SF that could give me something to BigWow about.

ugh. anaheim is a miserable place for a con. wondercon in SF was always a blast and reminded me of how comiccon itself used to be.

There is no other space in the Bay Area which can accommodate WonderCon. They could try to hold a Dragon*Con style future con with the four major hotels near Moscone…

If WC in Fall, what about APE? What about NYCC?

CCI did trademark “Anaheim Comic-Con”, so it could be ongoing.

I attended the American Library Association annual conference last June. A lot of walking, but the weather was pleasant, the hotel affordable. A large ballroom held a packed conference, and a lower level hall can be used for media. Plus there’s the arena…

Oh, and if in october, Hollywood can use it to promote holiday and Oscar movies.

“Convictions makes convicts, whatever you believe imprisions you” is the cousin to “Tell a lie long enough and it becomes accepted as Truth.”

And such is the case with the East Bays “unsuitability” for [fill in the blank]. And that’s a crying shame because statements like that become a self-fullining prophesy that nobody questions because others with agendas say that it must be true then.

What’s even sadder, is that this is an example of not even trying to think outside the box that CCI has made for themselves. They have a good little groove and won’t vary from it, like an Artist who never expands or learns. The term “one-trick pony” comes to mind.

Anyway, I’ve had it with these too-big-for-their-own-good cons. I’m just gonna stick to local ones and watch as ComicCon Int’l implodes from their own weight of self-importance.

>>>Anyway, I’ve had it with these too-big-for-their-own-good cons. I’m just gonna stick to local ones and watch as ComicCon Int’l implodes from their own weight of self-importance.

These ignorant statements really bug me.

Did you not see the attendance figures? 40K+ people? Can you please supply the logistics of running a convention of this size at other venues.

After having asked around, its very clear that the “villain” if you will of this piece is the Moscone Center which is DELIBERATELY excluding WonderCon from its plans.

If you want the con back in the Bay Area I suggest you contact the Moscone and explain why WonderCon is part of the Bay Area culture.

Frankly, I’m amazed that they have treated the con so cavalierly.

I will admit that I’m not up on logistics or attendance, but what I do know is that quantity doesn’t equal quality. When Wondercon was in Oakland I met Gill Kane and others. I made contacts that I still have to this day. The Programming was good, 3 days of programming in 3 days of Con. Not like 8 Days of programming crammed in a mere 3 days of Con, so to speak.

It just seems to me, as a fan and attendee, that as soon as CCI got Wondercon they ditched Oakland. Instead of really looking at what made Wondercon special, they just re-booted it to fit into what they wanted it to be, which was their right (even if it may have been wrong).

I’m not against changing my opinions, I can admit mistakes, so where do I go to get educated so my statements won’t be ignorant? And I have no idea of logistics and such, but they’ve never really clearly explained in detail why it won’t work in Oakland beyond vague statements of there not being enough room for programming. That’s like saying “I paid my taxes.” I can’t help but to be ignorant if I’m not given access to facts. So, if there’s any URLS or such that I can check out, I’d be happy to follow them.

As for Moscone Center, hey It’s in SF, I am not surprised by their treatment of CCI at all. There’s a reason why I call SF “Snob Hills.” One reason why Moscone is treating CCI so badly is that, by CCI’s own admission, Moscone is the “only game in town” — so why should Moscone care. they probably got events lined up for years. What would a piddly comic con matter to them? Again, it’s what I’ve been saying about a self-fulling prophesy with a cup or two of San Francisco swagger added for seasoning.

I apologize for bugging anybody, it’s just that I feel that the East Bay was, and still is, being treated unfairly and unjustly, and that bugs me. And now it looks like Northern California is losing what was a great con to SoCal, and it feels to me like that was the plan all along.

Now’s a really good time for another Con promoter to move in and have a big show in SF. There is clearly a desire for it.

Wizard World SF would be hilarious. Or some sort of Reed Pop SF.

I don’t feel CCI is being completely honest here. I have nothing to base that on but a gut feeling. It’s just too convenient.

I’ve helped set up a vendor at WonderCon when it was in Oakland. There is very poor access for all those comic book dealers trying to move their merchandise to the dealer room. There’s a loading dock at the end of the block which will fit two or three trailers. There’s a freight door on the side if they open them. For a comic con, you have people arriving in SUV’s, pick up trucks, cargo vans, rental trucks, etc. At Moscone, they allow us to drive our vehicles onto the exhibit floor and the con pays for union workers to help us get stuff to the booths. No worries over rain there. In Anaheim, there was a long, narrow ramp to the exhibit hall. Dealers unloaded onto pallets in the parking lot and waited for forklifts to move them to the booths. It’s not too bad moving in spread over Thursday and Friday morning, but Sunday night was terrible with everyone trying to get out at once.

Michael Rhodes:

>>>I will admit that I’m not up on logistics or attendance,

Well perhaps you should educate yourself before you make long, accusatory, insulting emails.

IN FACT, I can recommend Mike Scigliano’s regular COLUMN on the logistics of running a show. you might just learn something.

https://www.comicsbeat.com/?s=comicon-versation&submit.x=23&submit.y=10&submit=Go

There are other venues big enough to hold WonderCon in the Bay Area. The Oakland Coliseum has a large convention center between and under the stadium and arena and is designed to accomodate tens of thousands of people. Parking included. Plus it is near the airport, local freeways and BART. Then there is the Cow Palace in San Francisco. And then there’s the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Moscone is far from the only game in town. The only question is if these other venues have been explored at all?

And, Ms. Beat, I thank you for giving me the URLs and for the dressing down I deserved.

I still feel like the Bay Area got the bad end of the stick and we should have a decent Con. The recent Stockton Con was very well attended and blew out expectations that the organizers had, so there is demand here. Maybe not to the Ginormous levels that ComicCon Int’l seems to prefer. And I hope that BigWow returns next year, so Wondercon is dead and buried, as far as my world is concerned.

I was wrong in my previous postings and apologize sincerely for any and all hurt feelings that those statements may have caused. I’ll do my best to not repeat that behavior again. And again, thanks Ms. Beat for being patient and encouraging polite and intelligent discourse. (and I am sincere and not being sarcastic, I am using “Ms. Beat” as an title of respect and nothing else).

@Michael Rhodes – I too am a bit disappointed at your statements. David & the rest of CCI deal with so much more than you think to put on a great show. No decision, whether it be location , dates or whatnot happen in a vacuum.

Hopefully you read the column (thanks Heidi) and learn something you can apply in your next comments thread discussion about comicons.

Also, knowing the facts about how WonderCon has all but been pushed out of Moscone would help in this case as well.

I think we all understand you have fond memories of the Oakland version of WonderCon. Those days are behind WonderCon. If and when CCI returns to the Bay Area you can choose to support their efforts to return despite very difficult odds or you can decide not to.

@The Dagman – Yeah, there may SEEM like there should be other venues available but there are number of aspects that go into choosing a location. Dates available, dates that don’t conflict with other events on the calender, dates that don’t conflict with SDCC, hotel space available, panel room space available, COST of the space available… OK I think you get the picture. Like I said, a lot goes into it. David and the CCI team have certainly done their due diligence and know exactly what realistic options are available.

@TheBEAT – thanks for pointing out the column, Heidi! Great response as well. The treatment of WonderCon is pretty amazing.