Los Angeles Comic Con Is Planning A Hybrid Convention For 2020

Conventions are a powerful experience. You get to see a lot of amazing things, share an experience with people of like mind, and like tastes, and even get dressed up!

But with all that is happening in the world, it’s been one of the things we have had to give up for safety, even if it breaks our hearts.

That being said Los Angeles Comic Con has an idea, and hope, that we don’t have to fully give up on it. This year on December 11, 2020, through December 13, 2020, they are going to be hosting a hybrid convention allowing attendees to physically attend, in limited quantities, or stay home and view the event and panels virtually.

Before we delve into what safety procedures they have taken, I once again want to share the article that we created to give people an idea of whether or not they should attend physical experiences during the pandemic. So we recommend people check out our article on ”If You Should Go Out” Here. Now that we’ve shared that, let’s talk about what Los Angeles Comic Con is changing about this year.

What’s Changing For The Convention?

  • New Dates. Firstly and most important, Los Angeles Comic Con realized that they could not hold a September Convention and create a safe experience for their attendees. Whether that is just because of preparation time, or that the current testing results in the state of California, they do not share specifically. They, however, are moving the dates to December 11, 2020, through December 13, 2020, . They intend to use the extra months to talk to experts in health and safety so that people attending can be as safe as possible.
  • More Space. In the past, the convention has not used all of the space. Last year they shared it with a Dinosaur themed event. It made getting into the convention a little… interesting, depending on where you parked. This year however they are taking the entire convention. I imagine they are getting quite the deal with every event being canceled through next year. That means that the total convention foot space will be over 850,000 square feet. More space comes into play with the next feature.
  • Less Attendees. While most conventions love to brag about attendee numbers, this year for public safety, Los Angeles Comic Con is purposefully lowering their sold badges to the event by over 2/3rds. With only 13,500 max attendees, they have effectively created enough room to give every attendee a 6 foot socially distanced bubble. It may not be accurately played out though depending on what drives the convention floors.
  • Adjusted Layouts. With the new space, the floor will be adjusted. Over 500 vendors with the entire south hall, and one-way paths, they hope to reduce the traffic jams and encourage safe distancing. Additionally they have moved the epic Los Angeles Comic Con stage to the West Hall so they can accommodate over 3,000 people safely.
  • Scheduled Appointments. Autographs and convention exclusive purchases will all be scheduled prior to the convention, and people with those signatures and items will get an appointment for their exchange of the autograph, and con exclusive purchases. This will cut down on lines for hard to get, and well-wanted items and autographs.
  • But Wait There’s More. On top of all of that, the convention will be requiring face masks and providing face masks to anyone not having one. They will be regularly cleaning per CDC and LA County guidelines, so you can feel comfortable with the many surfaces of a convention.
  • What Is Going Digital?

    If don’t feel safe, are in a high-risk group, or you simply can’t attend, you can always do so digitally. People can purchase a digital ticket which will allow them access to a live stream of the main stage and other panels.

    It’s not the same as being there in person, but doing this will allow you to still engage in the events of the convention from the safety of your home.

    What Are Tickets Going To Cost?

    While prices haven’t been set in stone yet, we got a chance to ask Chris DeMoulin, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment, what he thought the pricing for the event will be. He told us this:

      We have not yet finalized the ticket offering or pricing, but we expect pricing to be substantially the same as last year. We hope to announce those things in mid-September, after getting final capacity guidance from the LA County Health Dept. In addition to tickets for the live event, we will be offering digital tickets as well: 1-day or 3-day access via live stream to all Main Stage and panel presentations. Those digital tickets will be priced below the pricing for live event tickets. Live tickets for any session will include full digital access for the day of purchase. – Chris DeMoulin, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment

    Considering how much fewer attendees they will have, and how much more space they will have, it’s commendable that they aren’t seeing that as a reason to raise the price. I will say though that charging for a virtual ticket seems a bit weird with every event giving them away for free, I will withhold judgment until they set a hard price for them.

    Our Final Thoughts

    I’ll be honest with you, Convention Crud is a real thing. It’s hard to get through a convention without a cold, and now that there is a pandemic running rampant, we get people’s apprehension. Los Angeles Comic Con gets it too. They want to create an amazing event, but they don’t want to do it at the risk of safety.

    Tickets will go on sale on September 21, 2020, but only if, at that time, they feel confident, with the input of City and County advise, that they can do it safely with minimal risks. Los Angeles Comic Con is fully aware that if it’s not safe, they are pushing the event to 2021. This kind of upfront thoughts of their process, and honesty is not only amazing in the convention world, but honorable.

    We hope that we can attend with you all, but if we can’t maybe we can do so Virtually, until the following year.

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