SMOF News, volume 1, issue 32

SDCC's licensing deal, lessons from Anime NYC, and news in brief.

San Diego Comic-Con Gets Licensed

According to its press release:

San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC), organisers of the annual Comic-Con event, the iconic brand known for celebrating all things comics and related aspects of popular arts and culture, has announced that it has appointed global licensing leader IMG as its first ever exclusive licensing representative. Through this affiliation, IMG will work in partnership with SDCC to extend the reach of the non-profit’s mission of promoting comics and related popular art forms and engaging with their respective fan communities.

No specifics yet about what exactly SDCC might be licensing:

IMG will be working with SDCC to identify partners who can develop products, retail destinations and experiences for the millions of fans not able to partake in the annual Comic-Con convention experience.

There is one existing model for bringing your convention to more places. Pop-Up Gen Con is a tie-in event held at game stores across the US on the Saturday of Gen Con, where people can try out some of the same games being demoed at Gen Con itself. It is easy to imagine a similar event tied to SDCC at comics stores.

Pop-Up Gen Con is run by Gen Con itself, though, and from the above it looks like SDCC is only opening the door for someone else to run an event like that if they want. Maybe someone has already approached it and the IMG deal resulted from SDCC wanting to bring in an expert to handle the contract. As popular and well-known as SDCC is, it has undoubtedly been approached by many other entities about some sort of products, retail destinations, and experiences over the years.

Anime NYC Redux

Science News has a feature story looking back at Anime NYC’s brush with the omicron wave. New in this version is a sidebar with advice for convention organizers about minimizing transmission.

Also, some things are universal for big conferences:

Once back in Minneapolis, McGinn didn’t feel great, but he attributed his symptoms to “normal con fatigue.” Plenty of attendees of these and similar events expect to get sick. At the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting, for example, attendees ruefully refer to “AGU flu,” which spreads among conference-goers every year.

In Brief

• Worldcon in Memoriam reports the death of Harri Mieka, who worked on many Finnish conventions.

• CanGames (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) has been cancelled for 2022. It will next be held May 21-23, 2023.

• A bid to hold the 2024 Eastercon (the UK national sf convention) in Telford will be presented for consideration at this year’s Eastercon, Reclamation 2022 (London, April 15-18).

• Charles de Lint has had to step down as Author Guest of Honor for Chicon 8, the 80th Worldcon (Chicago, Illinois, USA, September 1-5). Rather than honor him in absentia, Chicon has released him as a GoH so that he may be able to attend a later Worldcon as one. (Modern Worldcon tradition treats GoHship as a lifetime achievement award; it is only granted once.)

• Zen Cho and Yoon Ha Lee, planned guests for this year’s WisCon (Madison, Wisconsin, USA, May 27-30), will be unable to participate either in person or virtually.

• FenCon XVIII (Irving, Texas, USA, September 16-18) has added Larry Correia as a guest of honor.

• Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, April 15-17) has added Cary Elwes as a guest.

Event Calendar

Weekend of April 8-10

• LuxCon 2022 (Eurocon), Dudelange, Luxembourg

• ConStellation, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Jack Williamson Lectureship, Portales, New Mexico, USA

• Springmoot (J. R. R. Tolkien), Exeter, UK

• 221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• FK-NO 3 (music), online

• CosXpo (costuming), Reading, UK

• Golden State Fur Con (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA

• CODCON XXV: Re-Roll! (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA

• Adirondacon (gaming), Glens Falls, New York, USA

• DaveCon (gaming), Roseville, Illinois, USA

• MEPACON (gaming), White Haven, Pennsylvania, USA

• Buckeye Game Fest 2022, Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2022, Garden City, New York, USA

• Havoc XXXVI (miniatures gaming), Sutton, Massachusetts, USA

• Conpulsion Lite (RPGs), online

• Chaosium Con 2022 (Chaosium RPGs), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

• Ambercon 2022 (Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game), online (usually Livonia, Michigan, USA)

• LAN All Night V: LAN of the Rings (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA

• CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA

• Aselia Con (Tales game series), Irving, Texas, USA

• Con Ja Nai XXVI (anime), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

• Jaycon 11 (anime), Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA

• Made in Asia (anime), Brussels, Belgium

• Romics XXVIII (comics), Rome, Italy

• Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK

• Rod Con (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

• Wicked Comic Con, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA

• Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA

• Bedford Who Charity Con 7 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK

• Star Trek Mission Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Dairycon 2022: The Moo Adventures (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA

Weekend of April 15-17

• Reclamation 2022, the 72nd Eastercon (UK national sf convention), London, UK

• Minicon 55, Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, USA

• Norwescon 44, Seatac, Washington, USA

• Fastaval, Hobro, Denmark

• HAL-CON 2022, Kawasaki, Japan

• Fauntastic 2022: Night of the Yōkai (anthropomorphic), Lyon, France

• Fur Squared 2022 (anthropomorphic), Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA

• GothCon XLV (gaming), Göteborg, Sweden

• Conquest Games Convention (RPGs), Melbourne, Australia

• Nashville Tabletop Day (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• OzBunnyCon 2022 (boardgames), Glen Waverley, Australia

• Kanpai!Con (anime), Omaha, Nebraska, USA

• MTAC Score! (anime), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France

• Polymanga (anime), Montreux, Switzerland

• Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA

• Saluki Con (anime), Carbondale, Illinois, USA

• SacAnime, Roseville, California, USA

• Colorado Anime Fest, Denver, Colorado, USA

• Sakura-Con 2022 (anime), Seattle, Washington, USA

• Puerto Rico Comic Con, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA

• Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• BABSCon 2022 (My Little Pony), Burlingame, California, USA

Weekend of April 22-24

• No Brand Con XIX, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA

• Swancon Not-A-Con, Tuart Hill, Australia

• OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA

• JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA

• Penguicon 2022 (sf/open source), Southfield, Michigan, USA

• Malice Domestic 32-33-34 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA

• Farmageddon IX (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA

• Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

• Rising Phoenix Game Con, Milford, Massachusetts, USA

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• Recon (miniatures gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA

• PAX East (video games), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• Omnicon Revival (anime), Cookeville, Tennessee, USA

• Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA

• Kawaii Kon (anime), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

• Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA

• ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

• Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA

• Beta Quest 2022 (anime), Kingsland, Georgia, USA

• San Diego Comic Fest, San Diego, California, USA

• El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA

• Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

• Suncoast Comic-Con, Palmetto, Florida, USA

• Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

• Fanboy Expo Las Vegas (media), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Weekend of April 29-May 1

• RavenCon 15, Glen Allen, Virginia, USA

• Tulkon, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• Glasgow International Fantasy Conversations (symposium), online

• Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik (music), Hanstedt, Germany

• Furry Weekend Holland: Castles and Peacocks!, Baarlo, Netherlands

• Chupacabracon VIII (gaming), Round Rock, Texas, USA

• TringCon (gaming), Marsworth, UK

• San Marino Game Convention, San Marino

• Great Plains Game Fest, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA

• 2022 Gaming Hoopla, Mundelein, Illinois, USA

• LoBsterCon XXII (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• Game Jam South (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA

• Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• FnordCon 5 (Steve Jackson Games), Austin, Texas, USA

• aniMUC (anime), Fürstenfeld, Germany

• Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA

• Kameha Con (anime), Allen, Texas, USA

• Anime Athens, Athens, Texas, USA

• Avalon Expo 8 (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

• Fangaea (media), San Diego, California, USA

• Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA

• Fan Expo Cleveland (media), Cleveland, Ohio, USA

• Wirral Comic Con, New Brighton, UK

• Geek Days Rennes (media), Bruz, France

• Visioncon 2022 (media), Springfield, Missouri, USA

• MonstahXpo (horror media), Fairhaven, Massachusetts, USA

Weekend of May 6-8

• Demicon 2022: The After, Urbandale, Iowa, USA

• Furry Weekend Atlanta: The Enchanted Forest, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• ChupacabraCon VIII (gaming), Round Rock, Texas, USA

• AniMinneapolis (anime), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Hanami (anime), Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany

• South Pacificon Game Fest, San Diego, California, USA

• Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA

• WagonCon 2022 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA

• S’mores & Meeples (gaming), Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA

• Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France

• GlyphCon 2022 (Pathfinder/Starfinder), Leduc, Alberta, Canada

• 21st Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention (pulp), Lombard, Illinois, USA

• Portsmouth Comic Con, Portsmouth, UK

Coda

• Danish metal band members play classic movie songs in COVID quarantine (hat tip: Das Krähende Schwein)

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