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NYCC is the Future
The New York Comic Con last weekend provided an occasion for New York media to contemplate the future of in-person conventions. The New York Times sets the stage:
Last year, the pandemic decimated the global events industry, which relies on in-person gatherings for revenue. Trade shows and conventions were canceled or moved online, and empty convention centers were repurposed for hospital overflow. Industry revenue plunged 72 percent from 2019, and more than half the companies in the events business had to cut jobs, according to UFI, a trade group.
NYCC required proof of vaccination for everyone 12 and over, and proof of a negative test for everyone under 12. Masks were required for everyone, though unlike some cons, NYCC permitted costumes to cover the required masks.
Robert A. George at Bloomberg notes that the backlash was not terrible:
Lance Fensterman, president of ReedPop, which organizes NYCC and 45 other entertainment events, is sensitive to this concern. But he noted that response from customers was positive. There were 600 refund requests after the city announced its mandate, he said (it was two months after tickets went on sale). There was also a surge of new ticket sales to “customers reassured that the convention experience would be safe,” he said.
Both articles note that attendance was capped at 150,000, in contrast with a 2019 attendance of 275,000, so it is hard to tell what the drop in attendance would have been without the cap.
George also reports that no one was above the law:
Organizers wanted to prove that they can make events like this work, so following the city’s Covid guidelines was crucial; one exhibitor was expelled Friday over failure to follow the mask mandate.
Bleeding Cool also reports that a dealer was removed, but no one has the name of the offender.
In Brief
Kumoricon 2021 has added Caleb Hyles as a Musical Guest of Honor and Momma Sammu as Master of Ceremonies and Cosplay Guest of Honor.
Prolific conrunner Mary Kay Kare died October 7. Some of her activities included chairing Potlatch 19, serving on the Council of Stewards of the Mythopoeic Society, and being a World Fantasy Award judge.
Obituaries: File 770 • Locus • Remembrance by David Bratman • Fancyclopedia 3 entry
Event Calendar
Weekend of October 15-17
ICON 46, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
ArmadilloCon 43, Austin, Texas, USA
VCon 2021, virtual (usually Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Can*Con 2021 (Canadian sf), virtual (usually Ottawa, Ontario)
Anime Banzai, Davis, Utah, USA
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Viking-Con 40 (gaming), Kastrup, Denmark
Phantasm 30th (RPGs), Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
BETACON 10 (gaming), Carbondale, Illinois, USA
Effing-Con (gaming), Effingham, Illinois, USA
Spiel ‘21 (boardgames), Essen, Germany
Wauke-Con (comics), Waukegan, Illinois, USA
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Kendal, UK
J-Popcon (anime), Copenhagen, Denmark
Chizu Con (anime), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Tokyo, OK (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
WasabiCon (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Heroes Made in Asia (anime), Gorinchem, Netherlands
Geek Days Caen (media), Caen, France
Motor City Comic Con, Novi, Michigan, USA
MetaCon (media), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
MagicCon 4 (fantasy media), Bonn, Germany
Bedford Who Charity Con 6 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK
Weekend of October 22-24
BuchmesseCon, Dreieich, Germany
Sirens (gender and fantasy), Denver, Colorado, USA
Atlanta Game Fest 36, Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
GaelCon (gaming), virtual (usually Dublin, Ireland)
CincyCon 2021 (gaming), Hamilton, Ohio, USA
LAN All Night: ZombieLAN (video games), Dallas, Texas, USA
Biggest Little Fur Con (anthropomorphic), Reno, Nevada, USA
Sci-Fi-London 21 (film festival), London, UK
MEX (anime), Berlin, Germany
Anime Nebraskon, Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA
Anime Fusion, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Another Anime Convention, Westford, Massachusetts, USA
FedCon (media), Bonn, Germany
Hal-Con (media), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
FicZone 2021 (media/gaming), Grenada, Spain
TR25 (Tomb Raider), Derby, UK
TFcon Baltimore (Transformers), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
VoltCon! 2021 (Voltron), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Weekend of October 29-31
SpoCon: Revamped, Spokane, Washington, USA
BristolCon, Bristol, UK
Les Utopiales, Nantes, France
Hallowcon 2021: Gambler's Nightmare (fantasy/horror), Dalton, Georgia, USA
The Surrey Steampunk Convivial, Epsom, UK
Ohio Valley Filk Festival (music), Worthington, Ohio, USA
Dragonflight 41 (gaming), Bellevue, Washington, USA
EuroQuest 2021 (Eurogames), Pikesville, Maryland, USA
Golden Leaves Con XI (anthropomorphic), Hasliberg, Switzerland
Furry Blacklight 9: Space Travel, Tremblay-en-France, France
Anime Halloween, Schaumberg, Illinois, USA
Oni-Con XVII (anime), Galveston, Texas, USA
SNAFU Con (anime), Reno, Nevada, USA
LumiCon (anime), Tampa, Florida, USA
Manga Barcelona (anime), Barcelona, Spain
Destination Tokyo (anime), Monthey, Switzerland
Anime Weekend Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
DerpyCon 2021 (anime), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Yunicon 2021 (anime), Schwechat, Austria
Youmacon 2021 (anime), Detroit, Michigan, USA
SMASH! (anime), Sydney, Australia
31st Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester, UK
All-Con (media), Dallas, Texas, USA
Soda City Comic Con, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Fan Expo Denver (media), Denver, Colorado, USA
Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Cherry Capital Comic Con, Acme, Michigan, USA
Music City Multi Con (media/video games), Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Weekend of November 5-7
ArmadaCon 2021, Plymouth, UK
IceCon 2021, Rejkjavik, Iceland
World Fantasy Convention 2021, Montréal, Québéc, Canada
Pulp Adventure, Bordentown, New Jersey, USA
Corflu 38 Concorde (fanzines), Bristol, UK
Carnage 24: Lost in the Carnage Triangle (gaming), Dover, Vermont, USA
Midwest Gaming Classic, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Retro World Expo (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
BottosCon 2021 (gaming), New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Hexcon 2021 (gaming), Trondheim, Norway
AmberCon NW (diceless RPGs), virtual (usually Troutdale, Oregon, USA)
PAWCon 2021: The Home Furront (anthropomorphic), San Jose, California, USA
NekoCon 23 (anime), Hampton, Virginia, USA
Kumoricon (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA
Anime Destiny 2021, virtual (usually Berkeley, California, USA)
FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium
Comic Con Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
CoosaCon (media), Rome, Georgia, USA
Akron Comiccon, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
CONjuration (Harry Potter), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Weekend of November 12-14
Novacon 50, Nottingham, UK
TusCon 48, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Windycon 47: Urban Fantastic, Lombard, Illinois, USA
OryCon 42, Portland, Oregon, USA
ArmadilloCon 2021, Austin, Texas, USA
Multiverse 2021, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
OmegaCon Fall 2021, Siren, Wisconsin, USA
New England Crime Bake 2021: Home Sweet Homicide (mysteries), Dedham, Massachusetts, USA
MEPACon 41 (gaming), White Haven, Pennsylvania, USA
Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA
Bride of Geekway Mini (gaming), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
MACE 2021 (gaming), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Ludo-Outaouais (boardgames), Gatineau, Ontario, Canada
Historicon 2021: Aircraft of War (historical miniatures gaming), Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, USA
MillenniumCon (historical miniatures gaming), Round Rock, Texas, USA
Flüüfff Grand Casino (anthropomorphic), Brussels, Belgium
Bewhiskered: Prepare for Blast Off! (anthropomorphic), Durham, North Carolina, USA
Aquatifur (anthropomorphic), Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA
CanFURence 2021: The Furs Are Back in Town (anthropomorphic), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Anime Dallas, DFW Airport, Texas, USA
Anime Iwai, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
WasabiCon (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Thought Bubble (comics), Leeds, UK
Grand Rapids Comic Con, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Destination Star Trek London, London, UK
Empire City Con (Steven Universe), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Coda
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