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Industry Vet Has Comforting Words for Friends & Fans on the Cancellation of Comic-Con

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I don’t think there’s anyone not bummed by the cancellation of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. And the shock is both psychological and economic, but Michael D’Alessio, CEO and Founder of PROMO360 put it eloquently in a post he wrote on Facebook after learning of the news Friday. Below are his remarks in full.

By now, everyone has heard the news about San Diego Comic Con being canceled this year.

 

While this is exceptionally sad on a personal and a professional level, I cannot say that I did not see this coming. I think all of us did. But yet, we all held out hope because not only is San Diego Comic Con one of the greatest events on the planet each year, but it is also where companies like mine tend to make the biggest financial impact on their fiscal calendar year.

 

We work with our clients literally for five or six months to prepare for this show and then bust our butts for 10 days straight to set up run and tear down the show. And we are not alone. There is a massive network of agencies, unions, clients, content providers, moms and pops, and talent handlers, that put their hearts and souls into making this show amazing for all of the attendees. It’s a massive network that feels so small and tight.

 

The show is so much more than just cosplay or shopping for comic books in long white boxes. There are billion-dollar business deals that happen.

 

There are new talents that are discovered every day. There are friendships old and new that are reconnected, and so many more interpersonal interactions that occur in those five days of the show than I could possibly imagine happening across any other event on the continent with maybe the exception of New York comic con.

 

To us in the industry, San Diego Comic Con is one of, if not the most, important shows and events and weeks of the entire calendar year. We don’t take it lightly and we know that Comic-Con International did not take it lightly when they canceled the show this year. It was done with the health and for the well-being of not just the attendees, but everybody else in the world.

 

We need to support each other during this time, we need to help our neighbor, we need to be able to show the best side of ourselves, and remember that just as much as at Comic Con, we now, in life, need to approach everybody with a smile and with joy in our heart.

 

So how do we do this? Right now it’s hard to be joyful when an event that is so dear to all of us, and financially important to many of us, has been canceled. So how do we find the joy through this, how do we smile through this, and how do we see a path forward?

 

It’s challenging, yet also easy, in my opinion. We remember the spirit of Comic Con. We remember why we love coming together, getting hugs, high-fiving total strangers, applauding great costuming, getting lost in all the beautiful art of Artist Alley, and being marveled at what fantastic exhibits have been presented to us.

 

And by remembering all of this, and remembering what we love about the show, we can sit back and understand that all of that is so very important to us but the health and lives of people means so much more.

 

So we turn our focus to loving our comics that we have in our possession, and look forward to potentially new comics being released. We join streaming services and watch our favorite superhero and Sci Fi movies. We jump onto chat rooms or Zoom or Hangouts and talk with all of our friends from the comic community. We remember that there was a world before Comic Con and that Comic Con will continue in the world again… it’s just taking a little vacation this year.

 

One last message, if I may, to those who are financially impacted by the loss of this amazing show: it’s a rough road ahead but the government has some plans in place (they’re not that perfect but there are some plans in place). Perhaps they can help you. And just like we were all groundbreakers in finding a way to monetize our love of comics and bringing Comic Con from an initial small convention to mix and mingle with fellow geeks to this amazing world-wide phenomenon, we can figure ways to make it through this both emotionally and financially.

 

I am always willing to talk ideas and to listen… even if you just need a friend to talk to.

Working in event marketing and comic cons for over 20 years, Mike D’Alessio has acted as agency for clients such as Marvel, Boom Studios, Alex Ross, and more at comic conventions around the globe.

 

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