Salt Lake Comic Con

Coordinates: 40°36′7.812″N 111°53′0.7794″W / 40.60217000°N 111.883549833°W

Salt Lake Comic Con

Sir Patrick Stewart at Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2014 with show producers Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg
Status Active
Genre Multi-genre
Venue Salt Palace Convention Center
Location(s) Salt Lake City, Utah
Country United States
Inaugurated September 2013
Attendance Around 120,000 in September 2014[1] (Salt Lake Comic Con 2014)
Organized by Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg[2]
Filing status For-profit
Website
www.saltlakecomiccon.com

Salt Lake Comic Con is a biannual comic book convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is produced by Dan Farr Productions in partnership with MediaOne of Utah.[2][3] The first convention took place at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.[4] The second event was called Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience and took place on April 17–19, 2014.[1] The third event, Salt Lake Comic Con 2014, took place on September 4–6, 2014.[5] The event was sold out with over 120,000 attendees and was closed down on several occasions by the fire marshal for safety reasons.[1][3] The fourth event, the second annual FanXperience, was called Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2015 and took place on January 29–31, 2015. Ticket sales were capped at 50,000, with attendance measuring just above that, ensuring a more "streamlined" event.[6] The fifth event, Salt Lake Comic Con 2015, is scheduled to take place on September 24–26, 2015.

History

The first Salt Lake Comic Con was held September 5–7, 2013 and was produced by Dan Farr Productions. Originally, it was planned to be held at the South Town Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah, but due to high ticket sales, it was moved to the Salt Palace Convention Center.[7] Ticket sales continued to increase especially after announcements of special guests like Adam West, William Shatner,[8] and Stan Lee.[9]

On Saturday, September 7, 2013, over 70,000[10] people attended with ticket sales that exceeded 50,000.[11][1] Celebrities and organizers including Kevin Sorbo, Lou Ferrigno, Claire Coffee, Dan Farr, and Bryan Brandenburg were invited to meet with Governor Gary Herbert.[12] The attendance made the 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con the largest inaugural Comic Con in North America and the largest convention ever held in Salt Lake City.[10] According to Salt Lake Comic Con officials, between 70,000 and 80,000 people attended on Saturday before tickets sold out.[8][13]

Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience, the first of two Salt Lake Comic Con events in 2014, took place on April 17–19, 2014.[14] Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience was attended by over 100,000[15] people, breaking Salt Lake Comic Con 2013's own attendance records and making it the third largest Comic Con event in the United States and the largest per-capita comic con event in North America. Special guests included Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Chandler Riggs, Adam Baldwin, Karl Urban, Nathan Fillion, Jason David Frank, Karen Gillan, Billy Dee Williams, Jonathan Frakes and Edward James Olmos.[16]

On July 25, 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International sent Salt Lake Comic Con a cease and desist letter over the use of the word "Comic Con."[17] Salt Lake Comic Con organizers responded to this stating that San Diego Comic-Con International threatening Salt Lake Comic Con could lead to other "Comic Cons" being affected.[18] Salt Lake Comic Con responded with a press release citing their legal position and unwillingness to comply to the cease and desist letter. [19]

Salt Lake Comic Con 2014, the second Salt Lake Comic Con event in 2014, took place on September 4–6, 2014.[5] The event was sold out with over 120,000 attendees and was closed down on several occasions by the fire marshall for safety reasons.[1][3] Salt Lake Comic Con broke its own record as the best-attended convention in Utah and the largest per-capita comic con in North America. Special guests included Stan Lee, Leonard Nimoy (via Skype), Stephen Amell, Manu Bennett, John Barrowman, Ron Perlman, Bruce Campbell, Alan Tudyk, Eliza Dushku, Simon Helberg, Lou Ferrigno, Barbara Eden, Danny Glover, Jon Heder and over 100 other guests.[16]

Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2015, the first of two Salt Lake Comic Con events scheduled for 2015 (the other being the third annual Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 in September 2015), took place on January 29-31, 2015.[15] This was the first Salt Lake Comic Con event to take place during the winter months in Utah, as previous events have taken place in either April or September. Salt Lake Comic Con also "utilized RFID technology to fast track registration and access to the show".[15] Special Guests included Matt Smith, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd Felicia Day, Steven Yeun, Emily Kinney, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nichelle Nichols, Ray Park, Brandon Routh, Paul Wesley, Tom Felton and many more celebrities from the worlds of film, television, comic books and literature.[16]

Dates, Locations, and Notable Guests

Dates Location Attendance Notable guests Notes
September 5–7, 2013 Salt Palace Convention Center 70,000-80,000[20] Adam West, Burt Ward, Claire Coffee, David Prowse, Dean Cain, Dirk Benedict, Glenn Morshower, Henry Winkler, John de Lancie, Kevin Sorbo, Lou Ferrigno, Manu Bennett, Peter Mayhew, Ray Park, Richard Hatch, Sofia Milos, Stan Lee, Weta Workshop, William Shatner and over 100 others[16] Salt Lake Comic Con was the largest first-year comic con in the US, as well as the largest convention ever held in Utah (a record broken by Salt Lake Comic Con's next event, FanXperience). The first Salt Lake Comic Con brought roughly $31 million to the state of Utah.[20]
April 17–19, 2014 Salt Palace Convention Center,[16] Gateway District,[16] Salt Lake Marriott Hotel Downtown at City Creek Center,[16] Utah State Capitol[16] Over 100,000[21] Aaron Douglas, Adam Baldwin, Billy Dee Williams, Bob Layton, Brent Spiner, Cassandra Peterson, Chandler Riggs, Charles Fleischer, Denise Crosby, Dexter Vines, Ed McGuinness, Edward James Olmos, Gates McFadden, Ioan Gruffudd, James Marsters, Jason David Frank, Jeremy Bulloch, Jon Bernthal, Jonathan Frakes, Julie Benz, Karen Gillan, Karl Urban, Kelly Hu, Laurie Holden, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Micky Dolenz, Nathan Fillion, Neal Adams, Sir Patrick Stewart, Peter David, Sean Patrick Flanery, William Shatner, and over 100 other guests[16] Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience was the third largest comic con in the United States, the largest convention ever held in the state of Utah, and the largest comic con per capita in North America.
September 4–6, 2014 Salt Palace Convention Center,[16] Gateway District,[16] Salt Lake Marriott Hotel Downtown at City Creek Center,[16] Radisson Hotels Salt Lake City Downtown[16] Over 120,000 [22] Ernie Hudson, Bruce Campbell, John Barrowman, Sam Witwer, Cary Elwes, Eliza Dushku, Erin Gray, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Sorbo, Michael Rosenbaum, Jason David Frank, Giancarlo Esposito, Vic Mignogna, Simon Helberg, Stephen Amell, Manu Bennett, Jon Heder, Neal Adams, Brandon Sanderson, David Farland, Weta Workshop, Barbara Eden, Alan Tudyk, James Hong, Hulk Hogan, Danny Glover, Charisma Carpenter, Kevin Conroy, Gigi Edgley, Matt Frewer, Patrick Warburton, Eve Myles, Craig Parker, Johnny Yong Bosch, Veronica Taylor, Eric Roberts, Colin Baker, Paul McGann, Grant Imahara, Ian Ziering, Leonard Nimoy, Ron Perlman, Stan Lee[16] and over 100 other guests The third Salt Lake Comic Con event broke the attendance records of the first two Salt Lake Comic Con events before it, with more than 120,000 attendees. The event was sold out by noon on Saturday, with more than 90,000 attendees on that day alone.[7]
January 29-31, 2015 Salt Palace Convention Center[16] Over 50,000 [11] Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Billie Piper, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd, Felicia Day, Tom Felton, Steven Yeun, Emily Kinney, Laurie Holden, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brandon Routh, Ray Park, Paul Wesley, Phoebe Tonkin, Nichelle Nichols, Anthony Michael Hall, Mark Pellegrino, Alaina Huffman, Ralph Macchio, Glenn Morshower, RJ Mitte, Jim Cummings, Jess Harnell, Rob Paulsen and over 100 other guests[16] First Salt Lake Comic Con event held in January with a new RFID registration system. Tickets were capped at 50,000, and the event was sold out. [7][6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Over 120,000 attend Salt Lake Comic Con September 7, 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stan Lee Returns to Salt Lake Comic Con Today September 30, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Salt Lake Comic Con Draws An Unexpected Crowd September 5, 2013
  4. ↑ Massive crowds set several records at 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con September 30, 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Salt Lake Comic Con hailed best comic con, closes with sold out final day September 30, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Streamlined FanX event is a win for Salt Lake Comic Con February 9, 2015
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Salt Lake Comic Con Moves to Salt Palace for Pop Culture Event September 5-7, 2013 July 26, 2013
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 William Shatner, Adam West make history at Comic Con September 6, 2013
  9. ↑ At the 11th hour, Salt Lake Comic Con inks icon Stan Lee September 4, 2013
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Massive crowds set several records at 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con September 8, 2013
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Families introduce kids to Comic Con culture while defending against adult themes September 7, 2013
  12. ↑ William Shatner Headlines Salt Lake Comic-Con September 8, 2013
  13. ↑ Salt Lake Comic Con Sets Record By Leveraging Social Marketing Trends September 18, 2013
  14. ↑ Two Comic Con Events Planned for 2014 November 20, 2013
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience (FanX) Shatters Attendance Record, Breaks 100,000 Mark April 21, 2014
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 Salt Lake Comic Con Alumni Page July 29, 2014
  17. ↑ "Battle of the Cons: SD vs. Salt Lake City". UTSanDiego.com. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Salt Lake, San Diego comic con name feud would set precedent". sltrib.com. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "San Diego Comic-Con International vs All Comic Cons". saltlakecomiccon.com. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Salt Lake Comic Con Sets Record by Leveraging Social Marketing Trends September 18, 2013
  21. ↑ Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience Shatters Attendance Records, Breaks 100,000 Mark April 21, 2014
  22. ↑ Over 120,000 attend Salt Lake Comic Con September 7, 2014

External links