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UPDATE: I’ve learned that this show could have been the victim of Wizard World’s own aggressive scheduling, as there is an existing SC Comicon, which will be held at the exact same venue next week. Possibly the locals wanted to support the local show.

Although this sounds like a change in planning and not part of the Great Con Contraction, even Wizard has decided to postpone one of it’s show by a year. Wizard World Greenville, SC was scheduled for May 29-30, 2015 but has been rescheduled for July 15-17, 2016. The reason for the move was given as a scheduling conflict. The TD Convention Center in Greenville was only available for two days, and “Wizard World feels that the fans of Greenville would be best served by a weekend, three-day show for the full Wizard World Comic Con experience.”

Wizard World Greenville’s dates were previously a Friday-Saturday event; the current Wizard schedule shows several such events, although most are 3 day affairs.

This is a first year show in a new market for Wizard, but when the rookie does reappear, it will be a David v. Goliath event as the show will be smack dab in the middle of Comic-con month. While the dates for the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con haven’t been announced, it’s been speculated that the dates will be July 20-24th. Even if it isn’t the exact same dates, it isn’t likely too many major comics professionals will have much time or attention to even think about another smaller show.

Wizard has hitherto avoided direct conflict with San Diego’s dates; only the traditional Rosemont/Chicago Comic-Con is held in early August.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Judging by my Facebook feed this weekend, there isn’t a CONtraction. Wizard Raleigh, Kansas City, a small show in New Jersey, Dallas… (and many of these FB Friends are local to NYC!)

    Given:
    Wizard has its own “usual suspects” which attend each show
    The media buzz surrounding CCI that week, which will fuel interest nationwide
    The 2200 miles separating San Diego from Greenville
    The number of creators who will not be able to attend CCI

    …I think they won’t have a problem selling tickets.

    Now, more problematic… Greenville is only 90 minutes from Charlotte. Which hosts Heroes Con one month earlier, in the middle of June. Father’s Day, if I’m not mistaken. And WW already lost the last battle, in 2005.

    Were I in charge, I’d move it to … Well, they just had Raleigh, which is four hours away. So Spring is out. There are a few weekends in October or November, and the other nearby southern shows are states away. Also, this allows Wizard to get the college crowd. (90 mins to Columbia, 40 mins to Clemson, 5 mins to Bob Jones)

  2. Greenville is more like 2 hours from Charlotte, but Greenville is cooler cause I perform comedy here. (self plug).

  3. Monster Con said something about this last year when they announced leaving Greenville. That was the big celebrity show in town, and in July too. They 45 minutes away now but still a July show and a whole lot cheaper than wizard. I’m betting that’s the show wizard is trying to knock out. Nothing against SCC but it’s not a con with a lot of good guests.

  4. SC Comicon was awesome last year and will be this year. Glad Wizard moved. Anyone I talked to said SC Comicon was a great first year show. Big named guests or not, it was a show for us the fans.

  5. It was postponed because the local vendors were not going to it. Blame it on the local vendors who believe WW Cons are not vendor friendly. Thus, hurting us consumers. Every show that has been in Gville for the last umpteen years has been lame. You have to go to Charlotte or elsewhere for the larger, more robust Cons…truth hurts…but it’s the truth.

  6. If WW wanted local vendors they’d charge less for the space. Have you even seen the prices? They start at like $800 for those spaces. Double up and you can get a whole store for a month.

  7. Is Wizardworld still planning on being at the TD Convention Center in Greenville SC on July 15 through 18, 2016???? I just spoke to the receptionist at TD Convtn Ctr and they could find NO info on anything to do with Wizardworld for that weekend.

    Would love to go, but there are no tickets for sale and the venue isn’t even aware of it……

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