So I just got the official email that Wizard World Toronto will be held April 14-15, 2012 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Scott: press release). Check out ticket info here. This is good news in terms of a more accessible venue for attendees but the switch from March to April seems somewhat unnecessary and a direct conflict against the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo.
Wizard World ran up against C2E2 last year and the general consensus was that this split some great guests (ones that might have done both shows if a conflict didn’t exist). So this year C2E2 changes their dates and Wizard follows them along. Like I said, deliberate, but I am not sure that it will accomplish what they want.
There is still some very serious debate on whether Toronto is a big enough market to carry 2 conventions and if you are trying to establish yourself why would you run against another major (and relatively close) market in the US? We will see if this change pays off. Thoughts?
Two days is the way to go for this show. Nice to see a $40 weekend ticket: way too overpriced last year.
With rumors that Hobbystar is giving up on their Fan Appreciation event Toronto can easily support Wizard World in the spring and Fan Expo in the fall.
Fan-wise yes. Toronto can support the 2 shows. But with all the other conventions in NA in the spring is Wizard World able to get solid guests in an already saturated market?
Lumping all North American shows into one market and calling it saturated is egregious.
Fan Expo seems to get the same group of American guests every year: if Wizard can bring in those we don’t normally see, including a few European guests, it will be a big hit.
Their guest list was small last year but it was a nice mix of talent.
I was wondering about the Hobbystar Fan Appreciation Event. It makes sense that if it was gone, Wizard World would occupy that spot. I hope Hobbystar can still put one on though. It was one of the few shows that was all about comics.
I just looked at the MTCC 2012 events calendar. As a guess, Wizard World will be taking up the North Building. I hope it will be the same spot as where Fan Expo use to be. Getting some natural light during the convention is a nice bonus.
No! You’re egregious!
What I mean is that comic book talent can really only be at one show at a time so if I have to pick and choose based on a “better” guest list then I will do so, but if the shows were not on the same weekend or within a fortnight of each other I might attend both.
I’m not sure there were plans to abandon it outright, but there is definitely consideration being put into in how to improve it. Technically they’ve taken our Spring Fan Appreciation Event’s dates at the MTCC — we did not go up against C2E2 as it is supported by many of our publisher partners at Fan Expo Canada. We’ll be finalizing the dates for Fan Appreciation soon. As it is, we do have Toronto ComiCON events scheduled on Sunday November 20th and Sunday February 5th.
“Fan Expo seems to get the same group of American guests every year”. Ouch, that’s a little harsh, and not entirely correct. I understand as an art collector myself that it would be nice to see some interesting creators at our events, but Tiz does try — he’s actually in Lucca, Italy this week and will be meeting with many of the top European creators to discuss Fan Expo Canada while he is there and if the names mentioned work out we’ll have some cool additions for 2012. However, the Expo’s central mandate is to bring in the creators working on the top books at the mainstream publishers (often at the request of the mainstream publishers) so we work with who from that group is available.
It is my understanding that there will be a Fan Appreciation Event in 2012. So consider the rumour squashed.
Toronto supports four 2-4 day comic shows. One doesn’t have dealers (TCAF).
So that’s official confirmation from a Hobbystar employee?
Yes
I didn’t say they were bad guests, just that we have seen the same faces for the last few years. It’s a great pool of talent. I look forward to seeing the lineup in 2012.
I think the repeats stand out more to you than the new faces. We had quite a few new faces at the Expo in 2011.
I am glad the Spring Fan Appreciation Event is in the works. Going to be interesting to see where you slot it. Wizard World is in April and TCAF is in May. Maybe June?
Just wanted to point out that Wizard World did create a date conflict in Toronto, but it wasn’t with a Hobby Star event, it is a fan event. The Ad Astra convention has supported SF, Fantasy and Horror authors and artists in Toronto for over 30 years, and our 31st convention is – April 13-15, 2012. Now, we may not be Comic-centric, but many local dealers, guests and attendees are the same. Last year’s Wizard World was a pre-reunion before our con, as we all left saying – see you in two weeks at Ad Astra! So, to sum up, there are many unhappy people, as a result of this change.