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Charles Brownstein on WonderCon 2007
posted March 12, 2007
 

I'd like to follow up a bit on your thoughts about WonderCon. From my vantage point, as an exhibitor on the ground, the show was great.

CCI has done a fantastic job rehabilitating WonderCon from the walking death position it was in at the start of this decade and grown it into the West Coast's biggest humane comics convention.

My feeling is that while anecdotally there may have been some discussion of smaller attendance, that's probably not true. Unfortunately, WonderCon has had to change halls in the Moscone facility several times since CCI moved it there, and so it's very hard to accurately eyeball traffic in contrast from one year to the next because the points of reference keep changing. I don' t think this is CCI's fault, and I don't think it's an impediment to the show. I do know that on Saturday I was stepping out for cigarettes pretty much every 90 minutes and there were long lines of people filling out entry forms from when I arrived at 10:00 until at least 4:30, if not later. It was the same story last year, and like last year, floor navigation was very difficult on Saturday, which is always an indicator of positive traffic.

For people nostalgic for what San Diego was like in the "good old days" I think WonderCon will be a satisfying experience. The floor is humane and not yet overrun by the loud towers of audio-visual information. The emphasis is decidedly on comics, and for folks who love comics, the guest list, floor, and programming are usually a great mix.

The available cultural resources that the show offers are also outstanding. Yerba Buena Gardens is across the street and provides exhibitors with the best place to take a sandwich and escape the show of any con in the country, while the Cartoon Art Museum, SF Moma, the Yerba Buena Art Center, 111 Minna, and the Metreon are all within 5-minute-or-less walking distance, providing attendees a great smorgasboard of high and pop culture. All of this lends WonderCon an ability to be a great vacation show for the family interested in culture. If dad doesn't like comics but mom and kids do, he can go catch a flick at the Metreon or an exhibit at Moma, while the family does the show.

And for exhibitors, from what I could tell from the CBLDF vantage point and in conversation with other exhibitors with similar merchandise mixes, the show is a great sales show. We raised nearly $9,000 there, continuing the upward earnings curve that we've been experiencing at that show every year since 2003. Our peers have also reported very strong sales. And everyone remarked that the Bay Area's fans are all very, very nice, which makes a difference to people standing on concrete all day and hawking their wares.

I think that fundamentally WonderCon is an under-discovered gem that is worth greater participation from all segments of the convention going economy. I think exhibitors will experience positive sales, and pros will experience enthusiastic and positive interaction with fans; while fans will experience a fun, well-run show about comics in the heart of one of the nation's finest cities.