Author Topic: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?  (Read 10495 times)

Offline Andrew Costa Mesa

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NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« on: June 19, 2014, 10:06:47 PM »
This article pertains to last year's (2013) New York Comic Con.

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SDCC Unofficial Blog, Tuesday, October 15, 2013

HOW DOES NEW YORK COMIC-CON STACK UP AGAINST SDCC?

By JEREMY RUIZ

San Diego Comic-Con is still “king of the hill” when it comes to North American comic conventions.  However, if there is one other which comes close, it’s New York Comic-Con.  Started in 2006 with an attendance count of about 33,000, the convention has seized the wave of “con-fever” that has taken hold of geeks everywhere, growing to 116,000 in 2012 and has become the second largest comic convention in North America.

Since many of our readers weren’t able to make it to NYCC this year, we decided to check it out for ourselves and report back on how it stacks up against SDCC.

TICKETS

The ticket situation for NYCC is a bit different from SDCC, for several reasons.  As far as prices go, Thursday tickets, due to the abridged schedule for that day, are the cheapest at $30. Friday and Sunday tickets will cost you $40; and Saturday, which generally houses the biggest panels (and crowds), go for $50.

In addition to single-day tickets, NYCC also offers four-day tickets ($85), which cover Thursday through Sunday, as well as three-day tickets ($65), which are valid Friday through Sunday.

Next, NYCC offers VIP packages which, at a premium, offer conveniences to attendees that would make our West Coast friends jealous.  And judging by how fast these sold out - in a matter of hours for the most expensive package, and mere days for the lower tier - their offerings are much appreciated.

For $475, attendees get four-day access, separate entrances, first access to the show floor each day, VIP lounge access, private signings, and - what every SDCC attendee would die for - guaranteed premium reserved seating for all events in the main theater.  To put that in layman’s terms, that’s like saying you’d never have to wait in line for a panel in Hall H.  For $190, you’d still get VIP lounge access, separate entrances and first access to the floor, but gone are the private signings and the guaranteed seating in the main theater.  There’s some other swag included that SDCC attendees get for free, like an oversized shopping bag.

Lastly, NYCC releases its tickets in waves, to avoid the mad online rush and ensuing server crashes.  VIP packages and three and four-day tickets were released first, in early April, while single-day tickets were available starting in mid-June.

Tickets for NYCC sell out in a matter of weeks, not minutes as with SDCC.  In 2013, the VIP tickets were gone quickly as mentioned earlier, while the three and four-day tickets were gone within a month.  For single-day tickets, which were available starting in mid-June, Saturday tickets were gone in about six weeks, and Friday and Sunday were sold out a few weeks later. Thursday tickets remained available up until the day of the show, which harkens back the “good ole days” that SDCC veterans talk about when they were able to walk right up to the Convention Center and purchase their badges at the door.

LENGTH OF CON

NYCC 2013 was Thursday October 10 through Sunday October 13. Generally it is held mid-October every year. Previously, Thursday at NYCC was generally the same as SDCC’s Preview Night Wednesday - having been only open in the evening - although it has been expanded a bit in recent years to a full day, albeit still slightly abridged.

EXHIBITORS

For every major exhibitor who set up shop at NYCC, there seemed to be one that was conspicuously missing.  For example, Marvel, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Capcom and Dark Horse all had their big booths from SDCC, but notable no-shows included DC, Hasbro, IDW, LEGO, and major film studios and television networks.  Certain major exhibitors had scaled-down - yet still happening - booths, such as Bandai, MattyCollector and Nintendo;  and Nickelodeon only had a small presence in the lobby with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise exhibit.

The official New York Comic-Con website lists 1314 exhibitors, which also included Artist Alley and fan tables.

AUTOGRAPHS AND PHOTO OP'S

Many booths, such as at SDCC, hosted their own free signings.  It was typical to see the big booths, such as Image, Dark Horse, WeLoveFine, MattyCollector and Marvel, all have concurrent signings with comic talent and television and film celebrities;  and from what we saw, the lines weren’t so bad, at least not what we have come to expect at SDCC.

And as with any con, there are always celebrities willing to take a buck or two - or several hundred - from attendees willing to get a picture or autograph with their favorite celebrity has-been.  Hulk Hogan, William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were among the celebrities signing or posing for a fee.  Just check out the list of autograph prices with talent booked by NYCC, posted by Gawker.  In contrast, SDCC attendees are used to getting autographs for free, unless the talent is booked by a specific exhibitor.

PROGRAMMING

Of all the convention competitors to SDCC, New York Comic-Con is closest in terms of having a big Hollywood presence.  Many popular television shows make appearances at NYCC, even though for many their fall television season has begun.  And in terms of big studio films, NYCC has its fair share of those as well, with many premiering new footage at the convention.

One big difference is that NYCC streams panels online from its two sponsored stages, the Main Stage and the Empire Stage.  These panels, which include some of the biggest television shows and major Hollywood films, were streamed live and are still available online.  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

For a look at what NYCC had to offer for 2013, check out our top programming picks for Thursday and Friday, and Saturday and Sunday.

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EXCLUSIVES AND SWAG

There was plenty of exclusive merchandise available from exhibitors at NYCC.  Marvel was probably the most popular booth for its limited edition exclusives, with one of the most popular being a plush Rocket Racoon with a limited edition Skottie Young lithograph.  Attendees were posting on Twitter that the lines for the Marvel booth were hours long on Thursday, with many exclusives selling out on opening day for the rest of the weekend.

MattyCollector was also selling exclusives, including some Monster High Webarella dolls from SDCC (how did they even have any left?) which went as fast as the Marvel merch.

Nintendo wasn’t selling exclusives per se, but rather had brought merchandise from its Nintendo World NYC store and was selling the popular Pokemon X and Y 3DS game a few days early for attendees.  The store was a nice addition, and something we hope Nintendo brings to SDCC next year.

NYCC also had its own exclusive apparel, from companies like Marvel and Her Universe, which were available both on the exhibit floor and still available online.

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As far as swag goes, SDCC is still king.  Without the big swag providers such as Hasbro, FOX and Lionsgate, NYCC was clearly deficient of free posters and shirts.  Still, there was swag to be had.  For example, Marvel had its typical table of free preview issues and buttons, Viz was handing out Hello Kitty posters, Nintendo was handing out Super Mario 3D World furry cat ears, and Bandai was handing out Power Rangers cards.  And you could always get a free picture with the latest Capcom game franchise and Hello Kitty.

LINES AND ATTENDANCE

Surprise, NYCC might actually end up being the biggest comics convention in North America after attendance figures are finalized for 2013.  The convention was expected to pull in over 130,000 people, which would put it squarely within SDCC-territory.  Yet despite the enormous number of people, crowd management was kept pretty much in control, even during the weekend.  Part of the reason for this was due to NYCC’s badge system, which employed an RFID chip (with some highly publicized controversy) and allowed attendees to “tap” in and out of the convention quickly and easily, and not having to check badges once inside the convention center.

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Despite the number of attendees, lines for booth events on the exhibit floor, save for Marvel, didn’t seem to cap as fast as with SDCC.

As far as lines go for panels, there was some line camping but not nearly to the extent we’re used to at SDCC, due to the location of the Javits Center and the differences between NYC and San Diego.  There’s not much outside of the Javits, and it’s probably not the wisest choice to be spending the night outside in Manhattan.

We noticed the Empire Room, one of the larger stages at NYCC, have nearly no line just after Saturday’s opening, but that room primarily had the big comic panels of the weekend.  The Main Stage had the big TV and film panels, and there were many who got a seat first thing in the morning only to stay throughout the day for The Walking Dead late that afternoon.

And compared to SDCC, there’s just a fraction of the rooms available for panel programming at NYCC, which means there’s not as many places for attendees to fill into.

OUTSIDE ATTRACTIONS AND OFFSITE EVENTS

When one goes to SDCC, they cannot notice how the city embraces the convention.  SDCC also has the benefit of having the Gaslamp Quarter across the street, and as a result it seems every business in the area does something to partake in the celebration.  NYCC, however, couldn’t be more different.  Although there were a few offsite events this year hosted by the Paley Center as part of their regular programming, and a couple of parties hosted by Legendary, it seemed like the rest of Manhattan wouldn’t even know that a Comic-Con was going on.

This is due to a couple reasons.  One, the location of the Javits Convention Center on the Hudson is pretty barren, with no bars or restaurants within a two or three avenues.  That’s about a half mile of trudging past some industrial buildings and parking garages until you get to something that resembles a bustling major city.  By that point, it’s business as usual for Manhattanites.

And that brings us to our second point.  New York City is one of the toughest cities in the world.  Major events like this happen and the locals don’t even flinch.  Tens of thousands of cosplayers invading the city?  Heck, they’ve got a cowboy in Times Square who sings in his underwear!  It just didn’t have the excitement that is the essence of San Diego Comic-Con, although Global Vice President of ReedPOP (organizer of NYCC) Lance Fensterman stated during this year’s talkback session that he would like to spread more events throughout the city in the future.

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Next year’s New York Comic-Con is scheduled for October 9-12, 2014.

Five-minute YouTube video clip of the 2013 New York Comic Con: 
« Last Edit: June 20, 2014, 05:05:32 AM by mllNY »
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Offline Jumping Jehosaphat

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2014, 09:07:07 AM »
Except they reversed the way the VIP tickets went. Lower tier was gone first, then Ultimate. Just thought I would mention it.

Also, they just didn't know where to look in regards to outside NYCC stuff. There were parties and raves. You can find a lot of outside stuff for con goers (try looking up stuff on Eventbrite and the like and you can find them). It's just not as focused as the gaslamp. Also NYCC had it's own beer from Brooklyn Brewery called Brooklyn Defender. It was very good. That is something I've never seen SDCC have ;).

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #2 on: Today at 10:20:43 AM »

Offline YouThinkMeMad

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2014, 09:24:51 AM »
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Except they reversed the way the VIP tickets went. Lower tier was gone first, then Ultimate. Just thought I would mention it.

Also, they just didn't know where to look in regards to outside NYCC stuff. There were parties and raves. You can find a lot of outside stuff for con goers (try looking up stuff on Eventbrite and the like and you can find them). It's just not as focused as the gaslamp. Also NYCC had it's own beer from Brooklyn Brewery called Brooklyn Defender. It was very good. That is something I've never seen SDCC have ;).

The beer thing is def. a ReedPop thing! They do it for C2E2 as well.

Offline DaveG

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2014, 10:50:19 AM »
GenCon does the same thing, even going so far as to have a contest to name the official beer of the con.

Quote
The Official beer of Gen Con 2014 has a name!

Froth of Khan triumphed over Javamancer, Undead Elixir, and Power Grind Ale after receiving nearly half the vote. Special thanks to Sun King Brewing Company, the contest winners, and everyone who voted and submitted names!

Get your first taste of this coffee-infused ale at the Georgia Street Kickoff Party on Wednesday, August 13. Are you ready to shout KHAAAAAAAAAN at the Kickoff Party?!

Offline RighteousRita

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2014, 05:24:24 PM »
SDCC will always be king. Period.

Offline matthew

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2014, 05:43:34 PM »
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SDCC will always be king. Period.

sdcc seems socialist to my capitalist eyes. i see the prices for nycc going way, way up, instead of silly raffles. i see in the future companies fighting for space to sell product to the wealthiest top ten percent, who drive about 80 percent of the economy. i see in 5 years sdcc being a sad shell, with leftovers, and indie films filling the holes. no, not even indie comics, they will probably only go to nycc.


i see the ulimate vip being the only vip choice available in 3 years, and i see it's price at $999.00.
even at this price it will sell out within a half hour. it will eventually be the place to see, and be seen.


superbowl tickets sell for 2000 a seatin the cheap seats.



perhaps they should make costumes a requirement to acquire entry too? like a high end masquerade ball....... up to marketing i suppose. but then, you would be mingling with the rich and powerful, movie stars, and a mail man who saved up to go. all before you even hit a panel.

sdcc? LOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOOL.

Offline alyssa

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2014, 06:21:11 PM »
Seems a rather pessimistic view of both cons....

I will take this opportunity to be clear, this forum supports all cons, trash talking one to promote another will not be tolerated.  I'm all for comparing con's but in a constructive way, as in a review format.  Such as "line management was lacking compared to___"

Both NYCC & SDCC are great in their own ways, as is Dragon Con.  They're all **very** different but are united in their celebration of geek culture.  That unanimity is the basis for this forum because whichever your favorite con is,  it only happens once a year & we all want to find more con's to enjoy.
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Offline matthew

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2014, 06:40:38 PM »
hmmm.


the thing is there is only so much action for the marketing dollar.

i can see dragoncon being nothing but a amazing elite rave with a real marketplace for real exotic toys (like things formally thought to be only used by superheroes).
i can see nycc being the market for comics and movies, and toys.
i can see a few other cons that are little more then fan gatherings at awesome locations, that also have a beach and/or amusement park. still nice in a lot of ways.

however, there are only so many vacation days. even CEOs work for a living. i do not see this leaving sdcc with much more than a indie movie market. and the indie movie market with the advent of the dvd crash, is done for. this leaves sdcc with nothing in the near future. BUT, sdcc could move their location, and times.  to make sdcc amazing.....

1. move sdcc to the disney resort in florida. it's really, really nice.
2. take the resort over. only those attending the con can get a hotel room inside the resort.
3. resort tickets will be limited to those outside the con attendees, if any are left over at all.
4. this will have to be done at a slower time for the resort.

it will be cheap for disney to show off the new movie things it's doing there, since they are already there, and there is the resort. the huge kingdom heart's fanbase would love it.


in my educated eye, i cannot be more fair than this.
can YOU think of a better way to save the sdcc? the resorts in l.a. were quite run down (disney and universal studios). their are anime conventions, but the japanese market is so different from the western one, it is like another world. what they do in some of the nicer areas of l.a. are more than enough to please the people that go to those.


« Last Edit: June 20, 2014, 06:47:38 PM by matthew »

Offline DaveG

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2014, 07:07:07 PM »
Not sure where some of these posts are going.  The evidence right now is that all cons doing very well and showing signs of growth.  For now, there's room for all of them.

SDCC has just grown too fast.  They weren't prepared for this kind of growth and are probably going to play "catch up" for several more years.  I suppose they could move, but it would never be to Disney-anything.  Disney isn't about to  let all their competition promote their shows and movies in their own back yard.

I do think SDCC will continue to be a jewel among the cons.  I'm not aware of any others that are non-profit.  That makes it unique and because they aren't trying to maximize profits they will continue to be equally attractive to all the studios and networks.  Being in California doesn't hurt.   

I think the cons that are trying to maximize profits will have a difficult time consistently bringing the same type of entertainment to the fans.  The more they raise ticket prices and charge for autographs, photo ops and VIP tickets, then the celebrities, studios and networks are going to ask for an increasing cut of the profits to show up.  That will lead to constant negotiations over who gets how much money.  The con will end up booking only those that they believe will help them turn the biggest profit and so others won't be there.  That's not a knock on those cons, but unlike SDCC they are businesses that have to show a decent return on their investment.

In the end, I think more and bigger cons are good for the fans in that it gives us more choices and more opportunities to celebrate all those geek things we love.  I don't think the kind of growth shown by the cons recently can continue forever, but right now it's kind of fun to turn around and find a new con almost every week.  OK, so these comments are kind of random as well.  Just thought I'd throw them out there.

Offline alyssa

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2014, 07:22:08 PM »
to continue the random thought idea....

i think the proximity to LA is the biggest thing going for sdcc, not the mouse or beaches all tho they don't hurt. 

i was a big proponent of the geek chic bubble but it doesn't seem to be breaking so it could be that i was <gasp, don't tellmyhusband> wrong.  ;)
I will say, i'm **very** curious abt the upcoming sale of 3day tix for nycc.  i gotta admit i love the fact that geek is chic these days.

lol how's that for rambling?
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Offline matthew

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2014, 08:14:20 PM »
rambling would be how l.a. should be out of water for showers, and tap water by the end of this summer. some towns that are not supported by the river that runs through vegas have already done so. farming has been illegal in california since feb 15 2014. it takes too much water. california once grew 20% of the food america grew.  offshore food shortages will result from lack of donated food from american subsides. as much as 50 percent of food for africa comes from this.

they could make a great videogame and movie. "escape from the food riots"..... l.a. would suffer from people who act as intellegent zombies....

i know you will say they can get water. let me kill that hope:
north- canada refuses to sell water to california. california refuses to pay 100 million american for limited water supplies per month from canada.
south- mexico has asked for water 4 years ago. is willing to part with no water the other way around.
west- it costs as much as a gallon of gas to turn a gallon of sea water into drinking water. want a 35 dollar shower?
east- already used up. really. states are screaming to close off the drains right up into halfway across the united states, top to bottom. they wont be able to supply water much longer even if forced to by the federal govt.


please do enjoy the upcoming sdcc. i fear if their is no rain (and it is a desert), a total disaster is abound. but then your insider business terminal should have told you to sell everything there already.



now, nycc has a great future. see? a positive silver lining! i will miss animecon. it will just have to make nycc into a week long affair.

if anyone has a solution, i am all for hearing it.

Offline NYRider

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2014, 03:47:34 AM »
Lets stay on topic on SDCC vs NYCC.

There are many studios and celebrities that have offices and homes in NYC. So I don't that's major issue anymore. I think another advantage SDCC has is over summer. When companies budgets aren't drained and production schedules aren't as tight. Also the Javits layout (the lack of continuous space) make it difficult to accommodate larger booths on the show floor and bigger panels.

Offline Michaelnaut

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2014, 05:06:57 AM »
I also think, to the point stated prior, is that San Diego embraces the SDCC, where NY really couldn't care (in my opinion).  There's a vibe, a feel, the second you get off the plane in SD and hop in a cab/shuttle (sidebar: sdcc blog has their discount code for Super Shuttle at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login).  In NY, when an event is done and over with and you step back out, it's like nothing's going on.

It feels like San Diego says "Hey, check out all the cool con-related stuff!" while NY says "Hey, check out all the cool NY stuff!".  Not a bad thing at all, just different.

Personally, I prefer SDCC, even though NYCC is just about a 1.5 hour drive north :)
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Offline matthew

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #13 on: June 30, 2014, 06:49:13 PM »
nycc 2013:




      .....not safe for work... maybe.



Offline justboogie

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Re: NYCC: How does NYCC stack up against SDCC?
« Reply #14 on: June 30, 2014, 10:11:49 PM »
I would GLADLY pay more money for VIP packages, designated entrances/reserved seating to Hall H/Ballroom 20 panels, shwag, etc.

Has anyone here gone to both cons willing to share and compare their experience? Anyone?
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