Superheroes are a super business today and they always have been, since Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. Since the Kryptonian’s first appearance, the Superman character has appeared in several serials, TV shows and film. While the serials may no longer be in production Superman memorabilia and comic-books still are. Despite the down-slide in book sales, partially due to the popularity of e-books and devices like the Nook and Kindle, comic-book sales have actually risen +4% which translates to a $28 million dollar increase. This increase can easily be attributed to the boom in superhero films and television shows. So where do fans of comic-book superheroes find themselves going to interact with fellow fans? Comic-book conventions of course.
Conventions may best be typified by the fans of the Star Trek franchise. It was these early “happenings” that shined a light on the very real enthusiasm of fandom. The enthusiasm of the early “Trekkies” was not the only thing of note, but also the very lucrative nature of fandom.
Conventions in the United States have been earning a combined figure of over $600 million dollars. Revenue is generated not just by ticket-sales but by vendor-table sales and the sale of memorabilia. The average con-goer is spending $300 for autographed collectibles, rare toys and first issue comics. It’s no wonder that comic-cons which used to be a yearly thing are now an all-year, monthly event.
In South Florida alone, a fan could find themselves attending the following cons in a year: Comic Fest, Geekfest, Hero-Hype, Magic Ctiy, Megacon, Shock-Pop, Supercon, Ultracon, Wizard World etc, etc, etc. The list of cons grows as you branch off into different sorts of fandom be it horror, anime or whatever your interest is.
Despite the fact that the market is becoming saturated with cons, organizers tend not to step on one another’s shoes and do not schedule competing cons on the same weekend, which is well and good for they know that fans do not just attend their con. Your average con-goer attends two cons a year, but that number is growing with the influx of cons across the nation. With the growing number of cons, fans are going to have to consider which events they attend and which ones they will spend their hard-earned dollars on. In the era of social media it is important to note that over half of con-goers attend because their friends brought them to the event. Conversely that means if a fan did not enjoy the con he or she (women’s attendance at cons is on par with men’s) will not attend and will intern tell their friends to do the same.
When it comes to cons… size does not matter. The larger cons may have bigger celebrity stars in attendance but almost half of all attendees of the larger cons have described them as being “stressful” and “unorganized” making for the growing popularity of smaller, intimate conventions.
All in all, comic-cons are here to stay and will continue to grow as long as the genres of superheroes & sci-fi are still popular.
Need something to do this weekend? Attend a con, but bring your wallet… you’re gonna need it.
