LA Times Article: Los Angeles and Anaheim slug it out over the convention floor

[claw789]

Los Angeles and Anaheim slug it out over the convention floor
By Hugo Martín
October 21, 2009

Comments

[claw789]

I liked this article because I used to volunteer at WizardWorld LA - until they canceled it this year. Now it's the Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con, and I'll be able to compare site to site.

[claw789]

I didn't want to put my opinion along with the original article, but that graphic tells an interesting story. Now it doesn't include theater venues that can accommodate Masquerade or concerts such as Nokia, but it's my understanding that Nokia was not used this year.

I wonder what AX is paying for shuttles, and I wonder how Comic-con San Diego is able to do it FREE to all attendees. Perhaps $3 per person/per day is a conservative estimate, but if wristbands were free to registered guests of AX hotel blocks then presumably the cost has already been factored into the registration fee for everyone. Why charge $20 for a bus pass?

[elfgrove]

With a little effort, it was very easy to get a free shuttle pass, and the fees from last year did not increase enough that I thought it entirely covered the cost of chartering shuttles for as long as they did without cutting back elsewhere.

[diaphinisedbat]

Anything other than Long Beach. :D

[elfgrove]

Preach it. Long Beach was horrible on cosplayers.

[diaphinisedbat]

I did appreciate that cute little street of shops and food places across the street, though. It was gorgeous at night ^^ LA seems like it has the most potential for long run growth, though, and they do have a long term contract already.

[elfgrove]

Well, regardless, it was my understanding that AX is contracted/booked to the LA convention center for 5 years, so don't expect that to go changing

[claw789]

Hopefully, AX will do better the longer they stay with LACC. I really, really hope things will improve. Japan Expo (which was on hiatus last year) is able to bring in outside vendors to cook food inside the exhibit hall. Yes, actual takoyaki/okonomiyaki restaurants from Torrance with an hour wait time, local boba places, a few Chinese/Korean take-out joints, etc. I'm not 100% how they managed to skirt the whole "no outside, non-LACC food policy" but I have seen it done and, to my limited understanding, one of the major reasons they won't bring back Matsuri (food, and not having a suitable location).

Dollar for dollar, is the convention improving while at LA? I'm not sure.

[chibibananachan]

I honestly wish AX could go back to Anaheim. There's a good amount of convention space, as long as they can keep the whole convention center to themselves.

I've pretty much given up hope on that though.