brian_michael_bendis.jpgWe know everyone is just settling in with some peppermint sticks and grog for the holidays, but next year’s convention schedule is fast approaching, and C2E2 is the first potentially big one on the horizon, coming March 18-20. The first guests have been announced, and they include Brian Michael Bendis as a Guest of Honor, and Featured Guests Franco Aureliani, Art Baltazar, Katie Cook, Geof Darrow, and Tim Seeley.

The press release notes that next year the show will be moving to the newish McCormick Place West, yet another area of the vast, lofty facility that has tons of meeting rooms and ballrooms and other amenities. Basically you won’t have to walk past the giant toilets and sinks to get to the comics this time.

Last year’s C2E2 was seen as an underperformer attendance-wise, but the show retains tons of potential and has much industry support.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Yup… For those who were there last year, McC-West is across the street from the other halls; it’s where you get off the bus if you come from downtown.

    It has Hall F, which has 460,000 square feet of space, and it’s own food court. Across the hall is the Skyline Ballroom, the largest in the city, with 100,000 square feet (and a theater capacity of 10,000!) On that level is also the sky bridge to the rest of McCormick Place. West also has it’s own parking garage, and there’s another food court, and restaurant, in that building. It also connects to the Hyatt.

    Forty-seven meeting rooms on Level One, twelve on Level Four. And… for those looking for that quintessential velvet rope (burn) experience, there’s a roof garden on Level Five for exclusive parties.

    For comparison, last year’s show floor had 300,000 sq.ft., 4300 seats in the theater, and 32 meeting rooms (which were a bit confusing to find).

    If you wish to plan ahead, go to:
    http://www.mccormickplace.com/floorplans/map_index.html
    and click on the West Building.

  2. it’s nice they want to straighten things up right away, but this kind of confusion will not lead to better attendence, imo.

    Until they get a permanent location, easy to get to for locals and make this an annual event, it will be more of a cluster**** than anything.

  3. I agree, the C2E2 name is unfortunate. Of course, before the first C2E2, Wizard changed the name of their annual “Wizard World” event (which no one in their right mind could call a genuine comic-book convention) to “Chicago Comic-Con” (even though it’s in Rosemont, a suburb). That’s double the irony! I’m guessing they did it to keep Reed Pop from having the name, which would clearly identify it as a sister con to Reed’s NYCC.

  4. That’s funny — I could’ve *sworn* that “Wizard World Chicago” was called “Chicago Comic-Con” for all those years I attended before Wizard bought it and publishers stopped having booths.

  5. Well sure, Dasbender. It used to be the Chicago Comic-Con, and Wizard bought it and turned it into something else. I’m all for Wizard having their own conventions; just don’t call them “comic cons” if that’s not what they are. What C2E2 appears to be doing is much closer to what the founders of the original Comic-Con built up for many years before Wizard transmogrified it. Which is why I wish that Reed Pop had the original name.

  6. Same location, just a different room. }] And a shorter walk. And I’m sure that when C2E2 fills the entire center, that people will look back wistfully to the Lakeshore con and complain.

    This will be the second show, so it will be “the second annual”. Apparently, the first show was successful enough that they rented more space.

    I’m from NYC, so can’t comment on traffic, but it seems easy to get to. I tried the commuter train from Millennium Park (nice but awful schedule on weekends), the city bus from Michigan Ave. (excellent), the hotel shuttle back (had to walk about five blocks), and the bus/shuttle to the El (C2E2 to Midway… very easy).

    As for traffic, McC seems to be as hard/easy to get to as Soldier’s Field, which is just up the shoreline. Parking is a pain in the wallet, but most convention centers seem to be like that.

    Shorter walk as well, either from the bus stop (seems like ten blocks to get to the other end) or the hotel.

    Like CCI or NYCC, if it’s an event, people will find a way to get there, either from Chicagoland or the Coasts.

    Aside from Rosemont which is near the subway, where else in Chicago could this show be? Where can you fit 20+K fans without a bottleneck like the first NYCC?

    A rose is a rose is a rose… “C2E2” is about as clunky as “Comic-Con International: San Diego”. Fans will develop their own name… most will probably just say, “You going to Chicago this year?”

    My biggest concern? Keep the wide aisles, especially in Artists Alley!

Comments are closed.