Just a week ahead of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said “I’m proud to announce this morning that Comic Con will stay in San Diego through 2018.”
Comic-Con’s previous deal with San Diego was set to expire after this year’s convention. And while this announcement was expected, it was by no means a slam dunk for San Diego. Both Los Angeles and Anaheim attempted to lure Comic-Con away from San Diego after the proposed expansion of the San Diego Convention Center fell through. As it currently stands, Comic-Con fills the San Diego Convention Center to capacity and the show’s organizers want to bring in even more fans and events to the con. Attendance is currently capped at around 130,000 visitors.
Los Angeles has already secured Comic-Con’s second biggest convention, WonderCon for 2016, but the long term location of that convention is currently unclear. Anaheim hosted WonderCon from 2012 to 2015 after the convention moved from San Francisco’s Bay Area.
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To keep Comic-Con from moving, Faulkner reportedly convinced local hotels to keep their rates from exploding any further, while the Convention Center offered Comic-Con International a flat rate to rent out the entire facility.
According to Faulkner, Comic-Con International brings in approximately $135 million for the local economy. At today’s press conference, Faulkner said “If you still don’t understand how much Comic-Con means to San Diego, more Superman means more super-streets, more light sabers means more library hours, and more Comic-Con means more neighborhood services for San Diegans.”
Despite the good news for fans who want to keep the convention in San Diego, the deal does little to address the issue of the Convention Center’s capacity. If nothing is done to expand the Convention Center in the next three years then Comic-Con will once again be courted by other cities and contemplate a move from San Diego.
Where should Comic-Con be staged on a long term basis? Do you prefer that it stay in San Diego or move to Los Angeles, Anaheim, or Las Vegas? Share your thoughts below!
