Pow! Comic-Con to stay through 2015
Decision ends bids from L.A. and Anaheim
Giving nerds and hoteliers cause for celebration, Comic-Con International announced Thursday that the giant science fiction and fantasy convention will remain in San Diego through 2015.
The annual convention became so popular in recent years that its 125,000 attendees no longer fit in San Diego Convention Center ---- this year, organizers hosted overflow events in nearby hotels. With their contract with the city expiring in 2012, organizers considered leaving the city where Comic-Con was born 40 years ago. In recent months, the list of possible sites was winnowed to San Diego, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.
"We are grateful for the tireless efforts all three cities put into to their proposals," David Glanzer, a spokesman for Comic-Con, said in a written statement. "In the end, we feel this decision is the best for all those who attend Comic-Con and for the organization itself. We are happy that the community has worked with us to ensure that we remain here."
Comic-Con injected $163 million to the San Diego regional economy in 2009, according to a study from the San Diego Convention Center Corp.
In an effort to keep the event, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders lobbied to expand the Convention Center, and his administration worked with Comic-Con International to accommodate the ever-more popular event.
Every ticket to 2010 Comic-Con, held in July, sold out in advance, and before this year's Con ended, preview tickets for opening night 2011 were already gone.
ERIC WOLFF | Thursday, September 30, 2010 8:47 pm |
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