In late January, just before the polar vortex hit the Midwest, and Measles hit the Pacific Northwest, I was in Seattle attending the Midwinter Conference hosted by the American Library Association at the Washington State Convention Center (and nearby hotels). During that time, I took a stroll up 9th Avenue to check out the construction […]
NYCC 2018 Update: How’s that Javits Center construction going?
We’re three months out from New York Comic Con, scheduled for October 4-7, 2018. Most of us here at The Beat are slowly getting into that special mindset required for Comic-Con in San Diego, except for me. I’ll be a Designated Survivor, ensconced at a secret location here in NYC, scanning the newsfeeds while Comic-Carnival […]
NYCC 2017: New York Reboots the Javits Center
Way back in January 2016, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $1 Billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. The North Hall (site of Artist Alley) will be torn down, and in the space to the north of original convention center will be built: 90,000 square feet of permanent […]
$1 Billion Expansion of Javits Center Announced by Governor Cuomo
This morning, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $1 Billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Torsten AdairI’ve been writing for The Beat since July of 2010. I’ve been reading comics since 1974, collecting since 1984, and spreading the graphic novel gospel since 1994. I’m a bookseller, a librarian, […]
Convention Center Scorecard: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Boston
It’s not just San Diego which is having problems funding convention center growth. Many other cities, citing city pride and tourism dollars, are trying to attract a finite (if not shrinking) market of trade show business. If tourism boards are smart, they will start to mentor local promoters to stage annual consumer shows, which will […]
Convention Center Scorecard: San Diego: Marriott Builds a New Ballroom
As was mentioned in a recent Comic-Con blog post, the Marriott Hall in San Diego has been demolished to make way for a new, larger ballroom facility. Torsten AdairI’ve been writing for The Beat since July of 2010. I’ve been reading comics since 1974, collecting since 1984, and spreading the graphic novel gospel since 1994. […]
Convention Center Scorecard: San Diego Stumbles, Las Vegas Dreams Bigger
Via Mark Evanier’s blog, I discovered two tidbits of interesting news: The Riviera Hotel and Casino, one of the oldest on the Vegas Strip, was sold to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for $182.5 Million. The San Diego Convention Center Corporation decided to default on a final payment due of nearly $13.8 million […]
New York Comic Con 2014 was the biggest US comic con yet—and one of the most diverse
With attendance of 151,000, this year’s NYCC is now the biggest reported North American comics convention, surpassing the San Diego Comic Con’s 130,000. According to show runner Lance Fensterman, the increase of 20,000 from last year was due to selling tickets for a full day Thursday, which was previously a half-day “pro day.
I’m told neither number includes pros and exhibitors and ‘industry support” however, so the exact number of numb and yet enthused people wandering the halls of either Comic-Con has not been released. Given the number of lookie-loos who hang around in San Diego, that event would still seem to be the biggest.
Many people wondered how NYCC could be bigger than SDCC when the Javits Center is smaller than the San Diego Convention Center. I’m sure Torsten can give us the exact dimensions, but on most lists I’ve ever seen, the Javits is actually larger than SD Convetion Center. This stat is misleading however.