Friends of Comic Cons
All Other Conventions (aka Friendly Neighborhood) => Other Comic Cons and Conventions => Topic started by: hikanteki on April 17, 2015, 10:17:13 PM
-
Another comic convention is coming to the Bay Area. Unlike the last few, I have hopes for this one. It is being launched by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee (the latter I suspect only for branding purposes). Also, it's swallowing up Big Wow,
http://www.mercurynews.com/sal-pizarro/ci_27934688/steve-wozniak-stan-lee-team-up-launch-silicon
http://svcomiccon.com
(Edited to reflect date change)
-
That actually looks like it might be something! Honestly, I'm not so interested in Big Wiw because I like a lot of the pop culture aspects of other cons. This looks like it might be a good mix.
Hmmm... MacWorld meets Comikaze? ;)
-
i'm looking forward to SVCC next year. Love having it in the Bay Area to fill in the Wondercon gap.
-
The website has updated, but it’s mostly design changes rather than content. Still, it looks pretty cool.
http://svcomiccon.com
Also, while Steve Wozniak's letter still mentions March 19-20, under “Register” it now lists March 18-20.
-
Northern California has been desperately searching for something to fill the WonderCon void since it moved to Anaheim several years ago. Big Wow and the various Wizard World shows, as good as they are, haven't quite seemed to be suitable replacements. Hopefully, this is the show.
-
Northern California has been desperately searching for something to fill the WonderCon void since it moved to Anaheim several years ago. Big Wow and the various Wizard World shows, as good as they are, haven't quite seemed to be suitable replacements. Hopefully, this is the show.
I am hoping that as well. We need a show with some pop culture focus, and not exclusively comics/paid autographs.
-
The first guest is William Shatner. He’ll headline SVCC’s (or are they going to get sued since because people are going to mistake the “V” for a “D”? ::) ) 50 Years of Star Trek event. Sounds promising.
Tickets are also available, $25 for Friday, $50 each for Saturday and Sunday, and $99 weekend. Friday is considered Preview Night, so that’s really ambitious pricing for a first year 2.5 day con. Hopefully it will be worth it.
-
Got our three day passes today. Looking forward to something new and hopefully exciting.
-
He’ll headline SVCC’s (or are they going to get sued since because people are going to mistake the “V” for a “D”? ::) )
Only if they bring a car like this one to SDCC :P (https://www.friendsofcc.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsaltlakecomiccon.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F07%2Flou-comic-con-car.jpg&hash=0174babe0fa6137edb1275676d9916cfb72f1372)
-
Tickets are also available, $25 for Friday, $50 each for Saturday and Sunday, and $99 weekend. Friday is considered Preview Night, so that’s really ambitious pricing for a first year 2.5 day con. Hopefully it will be worth it.
Last year's VIP ticket (early access, tshirt, special print, ...) was $77 for the 2 days. Looking through the text, seems like they are keeping the mechanical bull, here's hoping artists alley is up to the previous Big Wow standards. I'm looking forward to a larger con in the area but the artists alley has been so strong in previous years!
Wonder what exactly a "line hopper" pass is?
-
Okay, I got 2 tickets. I'm not sure yet if I'll get 2 more.
You can book special hotel rates right now. I couldn't figure out how to look at the Marriott, but you can book the Hilton for $149 per night. That's a king room, with or without city view, or a 2 doubles or 2 queens room.
-
I'm trying to look at the site from work but it says "This site is blocked due to a security threat" Anybody else getting that? I'll check it from home but now i'm a little leary entering my info if I were to buy tickets.
This is the site that Google provided but I added a space before the com so it's not clickable here (just in case).
svcomiccon. com
-
Works ok for me (from work.)
-
Works ok for me also.
Had no issues when I bought my tickets or when I reserved a room.
-
So svcomiccon. com is the link you folks are using?
Thanks in advance.
-
Yes, that's it. When you click to buy tickets it will take you to their ticket site Growtix.
When you click to reserve a room at the Hilton it takes you to hilton.com.
Not sure about the Marriott, it wasn't yet available when I booked at the Hilton.
-
^^^O.k., will check it at home, thank you.
-
SVCC just posted a guest list. Stan Lee, Jeremy Renner, William Shatner and more.
-
I'm trying to look at the site from work but it says "This site is blocked due to a security threat" Anybody else getting that? I'll check it from home but now i'm a little leary entering my info if I were to buy tickets.
This is the site that Google provided but I added a space before the com so it's not clickable here (just in case).
svcomiccon. com
My work is blocking due to Malware
-
I have Norton on both my home and work PCs and it comes up as a safe site.
-
There are some really good guests on the list!
http://eepurl.com/bE-b99 (http://eepurl.com/bE-b99)
-
Wow, they really want you to pay for access, though come to think of it, that is very Silicon Valley :)
Anyone else find it funny that Jeremy Renner has the highest prices?
-
I guess he is banking on his Avengers cred? The guest list looks good so far.
-
More guests announced...& studio presence!
http://svcomiccon.com/press/2016/warner-bros-pictures-lionsgate-and-amcs-halt-and-catch-fire/
WARNER BROS. PICTURES, LIONSGATE AND AMC’S “HALT AND CATCH FIRE”
New Celebrity Guests: Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Julie Benz (“Dexter”)
SIGN UP FOR SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON 2016
New Celebrity Guests: Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Julie Benz (“Dexter”)
Technology Leader Additions: Renowned Theoretical Cosmologist Janna Levin (“How the Universe Got Its Spots”) and Beamed Energy Expert Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux (Co-Founder of Escape Dynamics)
San Jose, Calif. - Jan. 14, 2016 - More details have been released for Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC), Steve Wozniak’s pop culture and technology expo, as more Hollywood studios, celebrities and technology icons are confirmed to appear at the show.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Warner Bros. Pictures, Lionsgate and AMC will participate in SVCC. Fans of AMC’s drama “Halt and Catch Fire” can catch a special screening and panel for the series at Silicon Valley Comic Con prior to the third season premiere summer 2016. Set in the 1980s, “Halt and Catch Fire” (starring Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis and Kerry Bishe) dramatizes the personal computing boom during the debut of the most disruptive idea of the modern era: the Internet.
CELEBRITY GUESTS
Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Doctor Who”), Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” The Lying Game”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Blades of Glory”), Julie Benz (“Dexter”, Current CBS hit series “Hawaii 5-0”) will join the already star-studded celebrity roster that includes: Jeremy Renner, Stan Lee, William Shatner, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Sean Astin, Ray Park, Adam Savage, Christopher Lloyd, Tim Miller and Andy Weir.
WORLD-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY ICONS
SVCC speaker schedule and topics will be revealed at a later date, but two additional renowned industry experts are confirmed for the show: Janna Levin and Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux.
The astrophysicist and author Janna Levin (“A Madman of Dreams of Turing Machines,” “How the Universe Got Its Spots” and, most recently, “Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space”) has contributed to the understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions, the sound of spacetime, and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime.
Laetitia Garriott de Cayeuxis co-founder of Escape Dynamics, a technology company which has greatly advanced the state of the art in beamed energy propulsion for space launch and was featured on the cover of Aviation Week, and in Scientific American as a “World Changing Idea” that could enable microwave-powered single-stage to orbit spaceplanes and aircraft-like operations to orbit.
COMIC BOOK ARTISTS
Comic Artists Frank Cirocco (“Alien Legion”) and Shannon Eric Denton (“Con Man”, “X-Men”) will also be part of the star-studded lineup of famous artists on hand.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
Award-winning artist, set designer, illustrator and papercrafter, Owen Gildersleeve will be creating a life size Iron Man on the show floor. His past work includes the “Nissan Juke: Folded in Britain” where he built a life-sized Nissan Juke out of paper, “Discoverer’s Alliance” a mockumentary of a fictional society devoted to the exploration of sea and space, and the book “Paper Cut.”
Silicon Valley Comic Con will be held the weekend of March 18-20, 2016 at the San Jose Convention Center. To be the first to hear more details as they are released, sign up at SVComicCon.com/register and follow @SVComicCon on Twitter. Silicon Valley Comic Con welcomes exhibitors who want to join the Woz in uniting pop culture and technology. Companies and artists who are interested in exhibiting can request details on the Silicon Valley Comic Con website.
ABOUT SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON
Silicon Valley Comic Con celebrates the Age of the Geek by bringing together America’s two greatest superheroes: Pop culture and technology. Featuring top celebrities, comics, independent artists, cosplay, video games, consumer electronics, music and apps, Silicon Valley Comic Con is where entertainment and our electronic worlds intersect. The inaugural Silicon Valley Comic Con will be hosted at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA the weekend of March 18-20, 2016. To be among the first to receive updates as they are announced, sign up at SVComicCon.com/register.
-
Tix bought, I wanted to try to volunteer but they already closed it, boo.
So for the Photo Ops it's one of those behind the drapes type things right? I was looking for details but they didn't really specify any.
But if you do the autograph, they typically take pictures using your own camera right?
-
I signed up to volunteer in the nick of time. I'm surprised that the window was so short.
-
I signed up to volunteer in the nick of time. I'm surprised that the window was so short.
Maybe they got a ton of responses and were able to shut it down earlier than anticipated.
Hope you make the cut!
-
Is anyone interested in a small meetup during the show?
-
Is anyone interested in a small meetup during the show?
Definitely, always looks forward to meetups!
I'll bring my sketchbook of Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman/G-Force i've been meaning to show you.
-
Definitely, always looks forward to meetups!
I'll bring my sketchbook of Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman/G-Force i've been meaning to show you.
Sounds like a plan!
I'm debating whether or not I'll wear one of my Gatchaman costumes. ;)
-
Is anyone interested in a small meetup during the show?
I'm in.
-
Okay, do you guys want to arrange something tentative now, or wait until the show schedule is released? I know there's this Steve Wozniak reception one night (we're not going) but other than that, are we expecting any evening events?
-
Okay, do you guys want to arrange something tentative now, or wait until the show schedule is released? I know there's this Steve Wozniak reception one night (we're not going) but other than that, are we expecting any evening events?
I'm pretty flexible the only thing i'm debating on is paying to meet Renner or not, more than likely Fillion as well. But a meetup during or after the con is o.k. by me i'll go with the flow. Like Bruce Lee said "Be like water."
-
Ditto on being flexible. Big Wow always had a great art auction that started on the floor and ended in the evening, I asked if they were doing it this year but have not heard anything.
-
Original Joe's would be a perfect place to meet, although they don't take reservations. If we want a reserved place, Il Fornaio is close.
-
I wonder if it's going to be one of those disperse immediately after the con ends type con or is it going to be remotely like SDCC where everybody floods the local eateries?? I saw the menu for both places and I can eat at either. If Original Joe's is closer I'm cool with that.
-
Il Fornaio is closer, but Original Joe's is a block away. so really, both are close. Original Joe's is a little cheaper and more of a San Jose 'institution'. But the no reservations thing means it may be difficult to get seated.
I suspect a lot of people will be going out to dinner after the con, plus it is over a weekend.
-
Not sure if it's been posted already but here's a parking tip for those who haven't been to the SJ convention center and are willing to walk 3 blocks. There's a public parking garage on 280 S. Second St. (across street is San Carlos and it's also accessible from South Third) that costs $5 on weekends all day and you can also validate it if you eat at nearby restaurants or go to the Camera 12 movie theater. The validation doesn't seem to have a time limit on weekends. I've parked in the morning for the convention and watched a movie in late afternoon and got it validated.
TJ: There's a bunch of smaller or moderate-sized restaurants on 1st and 2nd st on San Carlos. Maybe one or two of them will take reservations?
-
TJ: There's a bunch of smaller or moderate-sized restaurants on 1st and 2nd st on San Carlos. Maybe one or two of them will take reservations?
Do you have any specific places to suggest? I was looking for something pretty close since El Niño may dump rain on us.
-
Not sure if it's been posted already but here's a parking tip for those who haven't been to the SJ convention center and are willing to walk 3 blocks. There's a public parking garage on 280 S. Second St. (across street is San Carlos and it's also accessible from South Third) that costs $5 on weekends all day and you can also validate it if you eat at nearby restaurants or go to the Camera 12 movie theater. The validation doesn't seem to have a time limit on weekends. I've parked in the morning for the convention and watched a movie in late afternoon and got it validated.
That's where I usually park, one of the larger garages and conveniently close to Philz coffee :)
Here's a map, with more info if you click on a garage. http://parksj.org/parking-map/ (http://parksj.org/parking-map/) I'm guessing the convention center garage won't allow validation those days. Also, the Sharks have home games on the 19th and 20th which will affect the Market & San Pedro garage.
Here's a list of places that offer validation http://parksj.org/parkingvalidationprogramparticipants/ (http://parksj.org/parkingvalidationprogramparticipants/). Even so, $5 for a full weekend day, or for Fridays after 6pm is pretty good, especially if you compare to SF rates.
-
Do you have any specific places to suggest? I was looking for something pretty close since El Niño may dump rain on us.
Count me in, with possibly a +1. Mosaic (in the Sheraton Four Points Downtown) would be a good choice. The website is at: www.mosaicdowntown.com
It’s usually not very busy, and their food is respectable and reasonably priced. They also have a killer Happy Hour from 5-7 everyday, and they have great Groupon offers such as $59 for $100 in case anyone wants to pool together for one. (Disclaimer: the Groupon is not valid for Happy Hour.)
-
Maybe they got a ton of responses and were able to shut it down earlier than anticipated.
Hope you make the cut!
Thanks! Just got the confirmation email...I’m in! :D
-
Thanks! Just got the confirmation email...I’m in! :D
Sweet!! See you at the con.
-
Okay, so Mel, me, Hikanteki... ComicConDad, are you in? I'll likely have at least one kid in tow. Omraged9, are you attending?
-
I'm not sure if I will attend yet. I was looking at the schedule and I was wondering if anyone thinks they might add more panels/guests? Also, is that Halt and Catch Fire panel/screening supposed to be part of the Friday night screenings or is it during the weekend?
-
I'm not sure if I will attend yet. I was looking at the schedule and I was wondering if anyone thinks they might add more panels/guests? Also, is that Halt and Catch Fire panel/screening supposed to be part of the Friday night screenings or is it during the weekend?
LOL, no idea. I suspect that kind of thing will be announced in March...
-
Okay, so Mel, me, Hikanteki... ComicConDad, are you in? I'll likely have at least one kid in tow. Omraged9, are you attending?
I'm in. May have 1 or 2 kids with me, but won't know that until closer to the con.
-
I'm in. May have 1 or 2 kids with me, but won't know that until closer to the con.
Yep, that's my situation as well. We got 2 VIP badges, but the actual attendees are still being determined, based upon programming schedule...
-
I wonder if it's going to be a Wizard World type con where the emphasis is on Celebs or a C2E2 con where it's a decent mix celebs and panels. C2E2 is also that weekend btw.
-
I wonder if it's going to be a Wizard World type con where the emphasis is on Celebs or a C2E2 con where it's a decent mix celebs and panels. C2E2 is also that weekend btw.
My impressions (and hopes) are that it’s the latter. There’s going to be an emphasis on technology as well as technology guests...I can’t imagine these guests not having panels. There’s also studio presence (and a season premiere of a show), and a couple museums. They say they want to emphasize “local flavor”...if this is the case, there has to be more to it than just celebrities. Here’s hoping anyway.
-
Looks like they listed some panels.
http://svcomiccon.com/the-show/the-panels/
-
That looks like a really interesting group of panels! I like how there is a variety of different things. If they can add more things in those veins, I'll be quite happy!
-
"Great Caesar's ghost!"
The main cast to Back to the Future will be at SVCC!! The Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson will join Christopher Lloyd for a panel during the con.
Way to go Woz!
-
I was just coming here to post this!
They got Michael J Fox *and* Christopher Lloyd? Both of them rarely make appearances anymore, so this has much more cache than having Stan Lee, who seems to be everywhere.
I am getting really excited about this con now!!! So glad I got the VIP tickets! This panel will be packed!
-
I am getting really excited about this con now!!! So glad I got the VIP tickets! This panel will be packed!
Man, i'm seriously debating if i should ask if I can switch my tickets to that VIP one.
-
Man, i'm seriously debating if i should ask if I can switch my tickets to that VIP one.
I'll bet you could. They should be willing to take your money. Call them and ask.
-
I'll bet you could. They should be willing to take your money. Call them and ask.
Boo........I just checked it and they're all sold out.
-
Boo........I just checked it and they're all sold out.
Really? Yowsa! Now I'm really glad I went for it!
-
Really? Yowsa! Now I'm really glad I went for it!
Now i'm curious if it sold out before the announcement or immediately right after? Hmmmmm......
In any case i'm pretty excited for the current line up.
-
Okay, to update on the group meetup, I made a reservation for 8 people at Il Fornaio on Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 pm. This can be changed once the panel schedule is released, in case there's something awesome happening that night.
Does this work for everyone as a tentative arrangement?
https://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (https://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
-
Looks good to me. Thanks for setting this up TJ!
-
"Great Caesar's ghost!"
The main cast to Back to the Future will be at SVCC!! The Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson will join Christopher Lloyd for a panel during the con.
Way to go Woz!
Maybe this is where all of ECCC’s guests are going.
Then again, it’s not like they’re the same week. It is, however the same week as C2E2 and SVCC is already doing very well for itself.
-
The Back to the Future panel is a separate ticketed event Saturday at noon, although tickets are only $10. Seems well worth it to guarantee seating.
Capacity for the main room is 3900.
-
The Back to the Future panel is a separate ticketed event Saturday at noon, although tickets are only $10. Seems well worth it to guarantee seating.
Capacity for the main room is 3900.
I didn't see that. Do you have a link?
ETA... I found it on the 'Buy Tickets' page. It's all the way down at the bottom, under 'panels'.
-
Is it strange that they're having attendees pay extra money to see the most popular panel of the Con? I most likely won't be attending SVCC since I'm going to Wondercon instead but if I were going, I wouldn't be happy about it.
-
Is it strange that they're having attendees pay extra money to see the most popular panel of the Con? I most likely won't be attending SVCC since I'm going to Wondercon instead but if I were going, I wouldn't be happy about it.
It doesn’t seem to be common practice. But I think I much prefer spending a minimal amount to guarantee a seat, vs waiting in line and missing other panels and valuable floor time with no guarantee of getting in.
-
It doesn’t seem to be common practice. But I think I much prefer spending a minimal amount to guarantee a seat, vs waiting in line and missing other panels and valuable floor time with no guarantee of getting in.
I agree. The $10 fee is just enough to prevent people from buying tickets 'just in case', and to guarantee entrance.
-
2165 tickets left for the Back to the Future Panel. They had 2388 a few days ago...so if you’re on the fence, you still have plenty of time to decide.
Just found out that rooms will be cleared between panels.
-
Is it strange that they're having attendees pay extra money to see the most popular panel of the Con? I most likely won't be attending SVCC since I'm going to Wondercon instead but if I were going, I wouldn't be happy about it.
I think I agree with you..
-
2165 tickets left for the Back to the Future Panel. They had 2388 a few days ago...so if you’re on the fence, you still have plenty of time to decide.
Just found out that rooms will be cleared between panels.
How can you tell from the website how many tickets have been sold for this? I guess i'm missing something.
-
How can you tell from the website how many tickets have been sold for this? I guess i'm missing something.
If you go to the “Get Tickets” and “Panels” section, when choosing “Spotlight on Back to the Future” enter a value more than 3000. It will revert to the # of available tickets. (You don’t have to buy that many to see, it will just show up in the cart and you can clear it right afterwards.)
-
Cool thanks, very interesting.
-
Volunteer registration is open again, for now: (It’s correct, as the Volunteer lead posted there’s room for a few more. I guess they had some drop-outs.)
http://svcomiccon.com/contact/volunteer
-
Thanks to my brother surprising me today, I'm going to this con now! :) Not a huge fan of the cost for things this con has, but will do somethings like the BTTF stuff. However, got to think for a moment since WonderCon is a few days later. For sure I am doing the Stan Lee photo-op on Sunday. Btw, for Shatner on Saturday, is there a place to know his time that day? Asking because I am doing the BTTF panel and might do his photo-op if it doesn't happen during the panel.
-
My guess is that Shatner will spend at least a full day doing autographs and photo ops, if not more.
-
I hope there's a Groupon deal for this show soon. $50 for one day is kind of steep, especially with this being a first-time show, and then, they nickel and dime you for the most popular panel. While guaranteed seating for the BTTF panel is kind of cool, $10 is too high considering what it costs to attend.
-
I was just looking on their site, and realized that Friday isn't a full day. They list is as a 'preview' from 5 pm to 9 pm. I wonder if they'll even have programming then!
-
Not a big fan, too, that tax and service charges are added on to things.
My guess is that Shatner will spend at least a full day doing autographs and photo ops, if not more.
Thinking that as well. Hopefully something is posted or soon to be posted to know more.
-
I was just looking on their site, and realized that Friday isn't a full day. They list is as a 'preview' from 5 pm to 9 pm. I wonder if they'll even have programming then!
Better off lurking the nearby hotel lobbies for 'chance' celebrity encounters. That's how I met David Ramsey at San Jose Heroes and villians fan fest. Super nice guy.
-
Interesting suggestion... ;)
-
Just got an email that our tickets for SVCC have been shipped and should be received in 7-10 days.
I don't remember seeing that info when I bought them, just assumed that we would pick them up on site.
-
Yeah, I was wondering that too. Guess they'll be mailed...
-
My husband got approved for a pro badge, because he works in high tech! He has to pick it up on site (no mailing) and it is a wristband, not a lanyard.
-
Read my email again and it says tickets will be mailed, not badges.
Maybe we will have to present our tickets to get wristbands (or badges)
-
Read my email again and it says tickets will be mailed, not badges.
Maybe we will have to present our tickets to get wristbands (or badges)
That seems redundant. We could just print out the confirmation emails. No need to mail tickets if they are not the actual badges/wristbands themselves.
This is what my husband's pro email says.
*****
Dear Professional,
I wanted to personally inform you of your acceptance to Silicon Valley Comic Con as a Professional Guest. We are grateful that you will be joining us and bringing a wealth of industry knowledge to our event. You will be able to pick up your 3-day wristband at our Guest/Pro registration kiosk in the registration area. You can pick these up Friday prior to the event opening. We encourage you to show up early to avoid long lines.
Looking forward to seeing you at SVCC!
-
Read my email again and it says tickets will be mailed, not badges.
Maybe we will have to present our tickets to get wristbands (or badges)
My brother got that email too. As TJ said, why do this if it's not the actual stuff? ???
-
My husband got approved for a pro badge, because he works in high tech! He has to pick it up on site (no mailing) and it is a wristband, not a lanyard.
That's awesome! I didn't even think to apply for one. Still wanting more details, see some artists on the exhibitor list but not quite at Big Wow levels.
Thinking I'll skip out on work early and head downtown early on Friday and find something to do. Camera 3 doesn't have their schedule filled out quite that far, though I see they are showing Labyrinth that Saturday at 9.
-
So I had a D'oh! moment just now...
The tickets being mailed probably aren't our badges, but are our BTTF panel tickets.
Facepalm. In retrospect, it seems obvious... Sigh.
-
Anyone think it's odd that there is no schedule, less than 2 weeks before the con? The only thing listed is the BTTF panel.
-
Anyone think it's odd that there is no schedule, less than 2 weeks before the con? The only thing listed is the BTTF panel.
I did finally notice a pdf on the site: http://svcomiccon.com/static/downloads/SVCC_ProgramGuide_Schedule.pdf (http://svcomiccon.com/static/downloads/SVCC_ProgramGuide_Schedule.pdf) that does have some times for the panels. There aren't many panels. I hadn't even bought tickets yet since some of the family will just do one day and I was waiting to see when the panel for The Martian was. It says to "Check our app for a complete schedule."
Downloaded the app, (Google Play says I am the 11th person to download it :( ,) and even less info on it than on the website.
Also surprised at the lack of advertising for it, there's the one billboard on 101 but haven't seen much else.
-
Thanks for that link! I'm surprised they don't have that up on the main site. But it does give me a good idea of what's going on each day. Thank you!
-
Ah, Sunday has decent panels that day in room 1. Thanks for posting it!
Btw: if you want to know the schedule, that is up on the main site.
-
Steve Wozniak will be appearing on CONAN Tonight.
http://teamcoco.com/celebs/steve-wozniak
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has created the Silicon Valley Comic Con blending technology with comic books pop culture. Hmmm...we wonder if there's any overlap between computer geeks and comic book nerds?
-
They posted the panel schedule... But it's missing some stuff from the PDF.
http://svcomicon.com/the-show/schedule/ (http://svcomicon.com/the-show/schedule/)
-
Okay, to update on the group meetup, I made a reservation for 8 people at Il Fornaio on Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 pm. This can be changed once the panel schedule is released, in case there's something awesome happening that night.
Does this work for everyone as a tentative arrangement?
https://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (https://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
Thanks for organizing it! Unfortunately I (and my +1) can’t make it anymore...a family-related event (related to why I was unable to attend most days of ECCC last year) came up for the Saturday. :( Hope to see you at the show and/or the WC meetup though!
-
Thanks for letting me know!
I guess now that the show 'schedule' has been released (even if some of it appears to be missing) people know what they want to do. So it's time to reconfirm.
Who else is up for dinner on Saturday at 7:30 pm?
-
Wax statue of Steve Wozniak to be unveiled at Silicon Valley Comic Con
http://www.kliv.com/2016/03/09/wax-statue-of-steve-wozniak-to-be-unveiled-at-silicon-valley-comic-con/
"Steve Wozniak was the winner of the public’s vote to become the next celebrity to be enshrined in Madame Tussaud’s wax collection. The artisans at Madame Tussaud’s took nearly two hours to measure Woz in 250 different places, to make sure it was as accurate as possible. The statue — which is valued at $350,000 — has taken over four months to complete in the United Kingdom, and will be revealed live, on stage at Silicon Valley Comic Con on March 19th, with Woz in attendance."
-
Looks like Karen Gillan cancelled. She's no longer listed on the 'guests' page.
On the good news side, Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion and Jeremy Renner now appear to have their panels on the schedule.
-
Thanks for letting me know!
I guess now that the show 'schedule' has been released (even if some of it appears to be missing) people know what they want to do. So it's time to reconfirm.
Who else is up for dinner on Saturday at 7:30 pm?
Finally bought my ticket! and I am up for dinner. See a few more authors and artists up on the Guests page.
-
I need a head count for dinner on Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Il Fornaio. Il Fornaio is in the Westin hotel across the street from the convention center.
http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
I know [member=4270]comiccondad[/member] is coming... how many people will you have with you?
[member=354]hikanteki[/member] [member=2389]Mario Wario[/member] [member=2143]Mel.I.Am[/member] [member=2135]omraged9[/member] are you planning to attend? How many people?
-
Morning folks, i'm still good for Sat night, just me still.
I took my family once to Wondercon while it was in San Francisco and they weren't having the crowds or the "aromas" of the convention floor. "feigns " :o
-
Morning folks, i'm still good for Sat night, just me still.
I took my family once to Wondercon while it was in San Francisco and they weren't having the crowds or the "aromas" of the convention floor. "feigns " :o
To be fair, I suspect this will be a *lot* less crowded. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Has anyone else received anything in the mail? I got that email a couple of weeks ago saying that my tickets would be mailed, but there is nothing...
-
To be fair, I suspect this will be a *lot* less crowded. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Has anyone else received anything in the mail? I got that email a couple of weeks ago saying that my tickets would be mailed, but there is nothing...
I actually just got that email on 03/09 but no tix yet, hopefully today.
Anybody going to do any photo ops? I'm steering towards Jeremy Renner because he's a local boy and Niner fan like myself. I want him to sign my Niner hat that, Jim Harbaugh, John York and unfortunately Jed York signed but that's like $100.
-
The only photo ops I am doing is Stan Lee on Sunday and Shatner on Saturday. I was thinking about doing one of the BTTF packages, but after thinking for a bit, the prices were too much for my taste. If I wasn't doing WonderCon the following weekend, then maybe I would do it. I am thinking about doing Fillion, though. However, I am not a big fan of paying for these type of things. Stan Lee and Shatner are different, due to both being old--thus health reasons. I know Lee is starting to slow down his con visits.
I need a head count for dinner on Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Il Fornaio. Il Fornaio is in the Westin hotel across the street from the convention center.
http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
I know [member=4270]comiccondad[/member] is coming... how many people will you have with you?
[member=354]hikanteki[/member] [member=2389]Mario Wario[/member] [member=2143]Mel.I.Am[/member] [member=2135]omraged9[/member] are you planning to attend? How many people?
Sure, you can add me and my brother, if that is alright?
-
I need a head count for dinner on Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Il Fornaio. Il Fornaio is in the Westin hotel across the street from the convention center.
http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
I know [member=4270]comiccondad[/member] is coming... how many people will you have with you?
Just me, thanks!
-
Okay Mario and ComicConDad! You are in, as is Mario's +1! I'll probably have my whole family there. And we have Mel too. So we're looking at 8 people, and still waiting on Hikanteki and Omraged9.
-
Okay Mario and ComicConDad! You are in, as is Mario's +1! I'll probably have my whole family there. And we have Mel too. So we're looking at 8 people, and still waiting on Hikanteki and Omraged9.
We sadly aren’t able to make it on Saturday. :(
-
We sadly aren’t able to make it on Saturday. :(
I am sorry to hear that. You will be missed. I hope to meet up with you later!
-
Just got home and my "tickets" came today... wristbands!
Wristbands are to be registered online ahead of time and that completes the pre-registration process.
It's RFID and linked to your info.
Anyone else got theirs yet?
-
Wow, cutting it close!
I got mine this afternoon as well!
Hmmm... I'm reading about this in the enclosed letter, and I'm trying to figure out if we have to *wear* the wristband. I'm planning to wear a cosplay with gloves, and that would make the wristband difficult. Maybe I can loop it around a lanyard and use that?
-
I need a head count for dinner on Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Il Fornaio. Il Fornaio is in the Westin hotel across the street from the convention center.
http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose (http://www.ilfornaio.com/sanjose)
I know [member=4270]comiccondad[/member] is coming... how many people will you have with you?
[member=354]hikanteki[/member] [member=2389]Mario Wario[/member] [member=2143]Mel.I.Am[/member] [member=2135]omraged9[/member] are you planning to attend? How many people?
I'm not going to Silicon Valley Comic Con this year. Have work that Sat in the east bay. But will see you at the Wondercon meetup the week after though :)
-
I'm not going to Silicon Valley Comic Con this year. Have work that Sat in the east bay. But will see you at the Wondercon meetup the week after though :)
Okay, we'll miss you this weekend, but I'll see you the following week!
-
Not worried yet but I still have not received my wristband for this weekend. If I don't get it today i'll have to email or call those guys.
-
Goldstar deal is up, https://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/silicon-valley-comic-con-tickets (https://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/silicon-valley-comic-con-tickets). But not that much of a discount once you compare both options with fees added in:
3 day at $90.20 ($13.80 discount.)
Saturday at $50 ($4 discount.)
Sunday at $46 ($8 discount.)
-
Anyone who subscribes to Netflix (sorry, DVD.com) and their DVD service should bring the tear-off portion of the red mailing envelope to SVCC for free swag!
http://blog.dvd.netflix.com/new-dvd-releases/dvd-netflix-at-silicon-valley-comic-con?dsrc=EMAIL&utm_source=march%20mem%20eng&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email:%20March%20Mem%20Eng (http://blog.dvd.netflix.com/new-dvd-releases/dvd-netflix-at-silicon-valley-comic-con?dsrc=EMAIL&utm_source=march%20mem%20eng&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email:%20March%20Mem%20Eng)
Sounds like there will be some cool stuff at the DVD.com (aka Netflix) booth!
-
They seem to have added a bunch of new tech panels in the last 24 hours. Check out the schedule!
-
I got a response back to me question about wearing the wristbands and having glove/costumes. It seems as if the purpose of the wristbands is to prevent sharing.
***
I’m sorry for the inconvenience with your costume. The wristband only has to be shown as you enter the exhibit hall and panels, but does have to be worn so it can’t be switched off or traded.
I hope this clears it up!
Thanks,
McKenzie Anderson
[email protected]
-
Speaking of which, my brother got the e-mail on Monday saying our wristbands have been shipped. Hopefully the bands come today or tomorrow.
-
O.k. finally got my badge. I am good to go.
-
Make that two, my brother got our wristbands today.
-
If you bought tix to the BTTF panel, do you think that it's already connected to your wristband?
I'll email them but just curious if anybody knew.
-
They are not. The BTTF panel has separate, printed tickets.
As an aside, I may have a couple of extra tickets to the BTTF panel (through a friend who wanted to come, but was unable to attend last minute). LMK if you want them!
-
Thanks TJ, I bought the tix but I'm guessing I opted for just the QR Code. I'll print it out just in case and screenshot it on my phone.
Edit: I went back to the email receipt and I can either print it or just use the QR Code.
I will see you fine folks tomorrow!!!
-
Heard a blurb for svcc on NPR this morning during the commute. Had Woz saying they expect 30K people per day. That's about twice a Sharks game.
-
Thanks TJ, I bought the tix but I'm guessing I opted for just the QR Code. I'll print it out just in case and screenshot it on my phone.
Edit: I went back to the email receipt and I can either print it or just use the QR Code.
I will see you fine folks tomorrow!!!
Yeah, I think we're supposed to print out the QR codes. You can prints all of your tickets together or print them out individually.
-
Waiting in line right now to see Shatner.
Did you guys see the WB booth? I had to laugh! It looks so rinky dink compared to SDCC! But at least they have swag!
-
2 minutes before the panel & plenty of room. I walked right in, middle section, in between & 4 rows behind the cameras in the middle of the room.
Yeah, the WB booth is peanuts. But I'll take it over no WB booth. I got one ball in & a free headband. 8)
I have a couple observations, but as it's just preview night I'll see if these are confirmed tomorrow before posting.
-
Hmmmm, maybe that was the trick--keep it small so people can talk about it. Lol After reading those two posts, now I want to see the WB booth, haha! So I am finally in town at the Hilton. See you all tomorrow!
-
See you guys tomorrow!
-
I had to go back and find the WB booth, had walked right past it without noticing! Only real line I saw was for the Mystery Boxes. Curious how crowds will be tomorrow.
Definitely fewer artists than at Big Wow in previous years, and some weren't there today. Set up a few commissions but otherwise didn't really buy much yet. Just saw that Bill Sienkiewicz won't be at the show after all.
Overall the Pancake printer gets my vote for best of show ;) so far at least.
-
Does this con need a bigger place? Asking because around 1:30, the staff didn't let folks in for a few mins due to capacity. It sure feels full, but it's a Saturday.
-
Line management today has been terrible, as in non-existent and every room and panel having a different policy. Definitely some growing pains. But the panel quality has been very good!
-
I am here at the place. Anyone here yet?
-
I must have met up with you just after you posted, Mario!
Mario, ComicConDad, Mel.I.Am and I met for dinner and had a great time. It was good to see friendly faces and talk about fun con-related things!
I hope to see you guys around the con tomorrow!
-
Whoa, I've never seen the San Jose Convention center this busy. At many points the upstairs was packed with attendees as far as the eye could see. I've also never seen DTSJ as busy on a weekend as it was today, even when there's another civic event or parade.
Big exhibit hall, legendary and contemporary media guests alongside comic guests, commercial presence, studio presence, full panels with different departments of a media project...SVCC has hit the ground running.
After a string of small local cons that never went anywhere, B-cons, knockoffs & fly-by-nights, we once again have a real Comic Con in the Bay Area.
Post with more specifics (& critiques) to come...
-
OMG, so glad we were at the con early yesterday!
http://www.cnet.com/videos/this-is-the-epic-line-to-get-into-silicon-valley-comic-con/ (http://www.cnet.com/videos/this-is-the-epic-line-to-get-into-silicon-valley-comic-con/)
-
OMG, so glad we were at the con early yesterday!
http://www.cnet.com/videos/this-is-the-epic-line-to-get-into-silicon-valley-comic-con/ (http://www.cnet.com/videos/this-is-the-epic-line-to-get-into-silicon-valley-comic-con/)
Got there yesterday around 12:30 or so and the line to pick up a wristband went back to the street corner outside :/
Don't think I will get there today but was so nice to see you all yesterday, thanks again for organizing!
-
Boy, what a difference a day can make. Way less people on the main floor, thus I was able to see everything. Even did the photo with the BTTF car. Also got a free Adam Salvage photo with him and signature.
I must have met up with you just after you posted, Mario!
Mario, ComicConDad, Mel.I.Am and I met for dinner and had a great time. It was good to see friendly faces and talk about fun con-related things!
I hope to see you guys around the con tomorrow!
Yep! It happened a minute after I posted that. Lol And the dinner meet up was awesome! Hopefully I will see some of you again today but if not, see you all at WonderCon!
-
Cosplayers shine at Silicon Valley Comic Con
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Cosplayers-shine-at-Silicon-Valley-Comic-Con-6924239.php
8)
-
Line management is better today. Part of it is fewer people, but part is that they seem to be a little more organized with managing people. They actually have a general admission line around the corner for room 1 and they're keeping the bridges in front of the entrances clear.
BBT writers panel and Stan Lee were awesome! Right now we're waiting for Con Man. sdccblog press are sitting on the floor in front of us.
Thanks for the recommendation on the pancake booth, ComicConDad! Thanks to you, my son got to eat Stan Lee this afternoon. ;)
-
This Con sounds like a vacation destination Con right out of the gate. Really been enjoying the posts.
-
I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I think SVCC definitely scored a knockout with this one. I know they took over BIG WOW and BIG WOW never had the kind of crowds that SVCC generated so it was kind of understandable that the line management was a bit of a let down. But TJ said it was better on Sunday so that tells me that they were actively monitoring how to make things smoother.
I only was able to go on Sat but man was it packed. That goes to show just how big pop culture has gotten over the years, from the die hard SDCC fanatics to the families that just wanted to see what a Comicon was about all roaming the convention center at once.
Can I say Jeremy Renner was awesome? Because that dude was awesome, he was witty, engaging and 100% relatable. He was just like a typical dude you could hang out with despite him being an uber star in Hollywood. For his panel, he didn't have a moderator because quite frankly he didn't need one. He started answering questions from the get go and telling stories of how he approaches some roles and how it affected him during that time and you can really tell that he's doing something he absolutely loves. He said his best gift from his father was that his father allowed him to pursue whatever career he chose as long as he was happy with what he was doing. One individual mentioned that it was her bday and he jumped off of stage and ran and gave her a big hug. A group of kids from a local school who ran their school newspaper asked him questions for a article they were going to write and he answered all their questions and took a pic with them. Towards the end of the panel he said "I will stay and answer all your questions until somebody pulls me off." From some stars that would be lip service but I genuinely believe he would have kept going.
The Back to The Future Panel was easily worth the $10 extra they charged. I was a little ??? in the beginning when I bought the ticket but if I took the Delorean back in time hundreds of times to the point right before I bought the ticket, I would make the same choice every time. Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd together are magic. Awesome script aside those guys have tremendous chemistry together, it's no wonder how the Back to the Future movies are able to stand the test of time.
Thank you TJ for setting up the dinner! Mario, his brother, Comicondad, TJ and her husband and kids were all aces. Breaking bread and talking Pop culture with them was definitely a highlight of my day. It's nice to put a face to a screen name and see that they're just as cool IRL as they are online. But probably my favorite part of dinner is the game i was playing with our waiter. It was called "How Many Glasses Can I Collect In Front of Me Before Someone Takes Them Away?" I think I got up to 5 empty glasses. LoL
Looking forward to SVCC next year!
-
It was definitely better on Sunday. The director of panels and programming had an impromptu talkback session as we were waiting for the BBT Writers' panel to begin. He apologized for many of the issues and promised to do better. And we saw some improvements almost right away, on that same day. More food vendors were open, the areas in front of room 1 were completely clear, except for a couple of volunteers who carefully monitored who was going in and out of rooms, and line policies started to develop some consistency. The director said that they signed a 3 year contract with the convention center. Next year he wants to move registration to an outside tent to free up all of that 'downstairs' space for panels, which would allow him to have some bigger panel roms, and more panel rooms. He also wants to rent space in the Hilton and Marriott to have a few really small rooms (about 175 capacity) for niche panels. It seems like he is taking his job seriously and really wants to improve.
I agree, Mel, it was a lot of fun getting together on Saturday night! I was so hungry, and it was great to have some good food (and those unlimited sodas, as you noted with your glass count).
We definitely plan to go to this con again next year, and we would love to have another FoCC get-together with everyone.
-
If anyone is interested, my blog review of SVCC is up!
http://friendsofcc.com/2016/03/21/silicon-valley-comic-con-march-18-20-2016/ (http://friendsofcc.com/2016/03/21/silicon-valley-comic-con-march-18-20-2016/)
-
Excellent post by Transmute Jun on #SVCC. I thought for an inaugural Con that SVCC did fairly well.
On the plus side:
excellent guests, selection of panels and merchandise booths,
lots of comics,
the Madam Tussauds and Stan Lee Museums,
an App Alley,
a very nice selection in Artists Alley,
good venue, near Light Rail, clean restrooms, lots of places to sit and rest
they carpeted the main floor, I have not seen that at a con before.
There is huge demand here (San Jose) for cons.
Things that need work:
Communication was an issue. Volunteers had different info, though all I met did their best to help.
The website was unclear on the use and perks of the various VIP badges.
The app didn't work well. (It's Silicon Valley, fer cryin' out loud, the app HAS to work).
Line management was the worst issue on Saturday. It did get better on Sunday, but still needs work.
Not enough food places open, though there were some relatively healthy choices, i.e., salads to go with your Psycho donuts.
My friend and I spoke with Stacey who is part of the SVCC team on Saturday, and she wrote down all of our concerns about the line management and communication issues.
She also assured us that SVCC will be sending out a survey.
I feel confident that they want to get it right.
In any case, I had a great time and will definitely go back next year.
-
Thoroughly enjoyed SVCCs first year. Glitches here and there and yes, the app needs improvement but overall a success and I'm looking forward to next year.
Wristband tap in and tap out went smooth and it was nice to not have to worry about someone yanking your badge from you. (Happened to my daughter in SD two years ago.
Sooooo happy to have a Bay Area con again!
-
Nice to see you here, Carole! I'm glad you liked the review!
Yes, there is definitely a lot to work on, but IMHO, SVCC did really well with the hard stuff (panel quality, guests, variety on the exhibit floor)Now if they can get the 'easy' stuff under control (line management, consistency, food options, etc.) they will become an excellent con! I suspect that the third SVCC will be an entirely different animal from this first year! But it was certainly a very good start, and the fact that improvements were being made on Sunday says a lot to me about how determined they are to get it right.
Janray, I completely agree that we sorely needed a 'real' con here in the Bay Area, and I'm glad to have one that is different from the usual Wizard World type event.
-
I’ll gladly echo that panels and programming were GREAT. The ones I attended:
Friday:
Spotlight on William Shatner: Seen him before at a Star Trek con and oddly he made more sense last time, but this was still a great panel to kick off my weekend!
Trailer Park 2.0: What's Coming To A Theater Near You: This one seemed like it could be interesting...but was more like a B-con panel. :-\ They played movie trailers and then had seven people make comments about it one by one, most of which weren’t that interesting and were too samey to other people’s comments. One guy who made no sense was actually the most entertaining, and one other girl was also entertaining about half the time. No one else usually was.
Saturday:
From Fandom to Figures with Loot Crate: I’m so glad I got here early for this! They had people from QMx (a toy company who partners with LootCrate to make Q-Figs -- so far they’ve made a Batman and Deadpool one) explain the process that went into creating the Deapool Q-Fig complete w/ illustrations, as well as some of the LootCrate bigwigs talk about their subscription service and what’s next. Oh, they also gave out the Deadpool Q-Figs to attendees! :D
Opening Ceremonies: I usually don’t attend these, but went since this was the inaugural SVCC. It ended up being short and sweet. They brought out Woz and most of the other people in charge of SVCC, unveiled his wax figure (which would be displayed at the Madame Tussaud’s exhibit and then in SF), and introduced a Japanese senator/former actress who would be helping start a SVCC in Japan.
Spotlight on Back to the Future: Everything I had hoped it would be, and more. Well worth the extra $10 many times over.
Tim & Blur Studio's Tips on Winning the Deadpool: This one had Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, and a bunch of his VFX/Lead Animators. They were about as inappropriate as the movie. They also brought along a bust of Deadpool from the movie and showed some obnoxious pictures of stuntmen, and the original trailer for Deadpool from about five years ago. This one was SDCC-esque and is exactly the type of panel I’d love to see at more cons.
In a completely out of character move, I did not buy anything in the Exhibit Hall! :o Not for lack of cool stuff -- there was plenty of cool stuff. More toys, more commercial vendors, some anime, plenty of geeky vinyls et al but not as many comic vendors as Big Wow. But I just didn’t feel like spending money this weekend, and I go to so many of these that I can’t buy everything at all of them. But, I did like the “museums” they set up -- Rancho Obi Wan, Cartoon Museum, Madame Tussaud’s, and the cars. Also, there looked to be a decent amount of tech-related booths.
Yes, line control needed an overhaul, especially on Saturday. It’s a good thing I couldn’t have cared less where I sat in the Back to the Future panel (I just was happy to see Lloyd/Thompson/Fox), because there was absolutely no order to the line. They recommended we get there at 2:15 for a 2:45 start, so we got there at 2. They began snaking the line, which was alright...and then at some point they just smushed the entire thing together, and herded everyone into the main room together at once. That also ran a little behind (it started at 3:15).
I don’t think registration was too bad. Granted, I picked up my pass on Friday where there was no line all night. The line looked long on Saturday morning/early afternoon, but from reports the max I heard was 2 hours. That’s always what I plan on waiting at any con...so I don’t agree with those who posted on Facebook and Yelp about registration being awful. Saturday afternoon and Sunday there was no line. Also...I never recommend driving to any of these events, ever. Oh, and just because it’s been mentioned on Yelp reviews: I don’t sympathize with people complaining about having to pay for photo-ops and autographs... ::)
The only panel (besides BTTF) I waited in line for was Winning the Deadpool, and I didn’t have to wait that long. The room seated about 400. It began at 5 and I got in line at 4. It looked like people who got in line around 4:30-4:45 still got in.
I felt they could have done a better job at making people aware of the scheduling updates. There were plenty of them since the time the program was finished, especially for Friday. They updated the schedule online but they should have had the updated schedule posted outside of every room. The big room (1) had the upcoming panel written on the sign...I’m not sure why they didn’t do the same for the regular rooms. (2-6)
Tagging in was fine, but I’m not sure what the point of tagging out was. I also don’t like that they put the tag out machines so close to the tag in machines. This caused a cluster, especially when a big panel got out. Also, tagging in wasn’t evenly enforced. You only had to tag into get into the main panel room or the exhibit hall, but not for the downstairs panels.
I’m glad to hear they’re planning to hold panels in the Mariott and Hilton next year and move registration, because I was going to recommend they do those things. Also, they should look into using the Fairmont’s panel rooms (some of which are fairly sizable) and the Civic, if it’s not too expensive.
If the A/C was broken...they REALLY need to make sure it doesn’t happen next year. 30000+ people stuffed into the SJ Convention center + 70 degrees outside + no A/C = not cool. If it was an attempt to save energy, they can find better ways to do that. (i.e. turn off the escalators, which, while not great, would be preferable to no A/C.)
Anyway...I volunteered Sunday (which is why I didn’t attend any panels that day.) Their volunteer program requires you to commit to one full day (nine hours -- at first they asked for either Saturday or Sunday, but later they opened up Friday which still required nine hours and included setup). I was assigned to Rancho Obi Wan, which was awesome! I was the guy inside the booth or at the back of line control...I was not the one greeting people at the front. So if any of you visited on Sunday, you saw me. ;) In my area, all of the attendees I encountered were very polite and seemed very happy to be there! I also briefly did some work in the VIP room before the exhibit opened -- and I gotta say you VIPs are a GREAT bunch of people! VIP tickets are expensive, so we really tried to go the extra mile for them -- but they also went the extra mile for us! i.e. when they saw us setting up in the room Sunday morning, some VIPs even came up to us and offered to help us!
The volunteer leads were really, really helpful and although they asked a lot of us (9 hours on your feet is no small feat), they were also very fair (i.e. trying their best to keep us informed, checking in with us and making sure we got breaks when we needed to). They admitted that Saturday was WAY more crowded than they expected. Sunday they tried to address things that went wrong on Sunday, so from reading these posts I’m really glad that it worked! If there’s anything that you’d like me to pass on to the volunteer team to next year -- please let me know & I’ll be glad to.
-
I agree with your assessments of the Shatner, Lootcrate and Back to the Future panels, which I also attended. We also enjoyed:
Black Hole Blues - a description of the Ligo sites and the technology used to detect the collision of 2 black holes last September, thereby confirming that black holes exist.
Let's Go to Mars - a lively discussion about the real possibilities of life on Mars and colonization of Mars.
Nathan Fillion - a standard Q&A panel, fun because of Nathan's energetic personality.
I Am Not A Serial Killer - a panel discussing an independent film, based on the book of the same name. The author and movie director showed clips and discussed the reality of making a movie on a small budget. Christopher Lloyd (who stars in the film) dropped by for a brief addition to the discussion.
Big Bang Theory Writers Room - a surprisingly hilarious panel with the writers from BBT, discussing how they come up with ideas and put together scripts for the comedy show.
Stan Lee - exactly what you would expect from a Stan Lee Q&A panel. Stan never disappoints!
Con Man - Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion showed a preview of the new Spectrum comic and a blooper reel from Con Man. SInce both actors are characters, the resulting panel was full of laughter and fun.
So in summary... every panel we saw was great, with the possible exception of Shatner, who was just a little too 'out there' for my tastes.
-
SVCC and C2E2 where held on the same weekend this year. But it looks like that will change next year with C2E2 being held on April 21-23rd. I envision a lot more people going next year to SVCC, regular folk for sure but definitely more Celebs and Pop culture types.
-
Yeah, Bill Watters didn't give dates for next year, but he did say 'March', so that would be different from C2E2.
-
So proud of my city. :D
http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/SVCC-Wozniak-programmed-the-pop-culture-6951067.php?t=761619f5a3
-
I agree with most of what was said in the article, except that I don't understand the negativity toward a 'Hollywood' presence. IMHO, having studio booths and panels is what makes a con move to the next level. There are many big cons out there (ECCC, Salt Lake CC, etc.) that have a lot of people, but their entertainment panels are essentially Q&A formats. Bringing a good percentage of a movie or TV show cast to a convention and doing a screening is something you only see at the top tier of conventions. I think it would be awesome if this happened at SVCC. They could still easily keep the tech field, but expand their offerings on the entertainment side.
-
I think the reference to the "Hollywood" presence is about how it changes a "comic con" to something else.
The article seemed a little nostalgic towards the old Wondercon, before SDCC bought it. I have very fond memories of the "old" Wondercon myself.
I'm sure that SVCC will eventually move towards more celebrities and studio participation. I just hope it keeps the flavor it established this year as long as it can.
-
I took photos at this con, I posted them here:
http://www.edwinfabian.com/Conventions/Silicon-Valley-Comic-Con-2016
-
Those are some great cosplay pictures!
-
http://www.axs.com/recapping-the-inaugural-silicon-valley-comic-con-79837
Another good article. This one also mentions the attendance as “nearly 60,000” according to a press release.
-
SVCC 2017 Dates announced! April 21- April 23
http://svcomiccon.com/