Comic-Con International Conquers San Diego

Comic-Con International is the single largest contributor to my city’s economy. Each year, downtown San Diego hosts the worldwide event, which generated over $160 million dollars in regional impact and $3 million in hotel and sales tax revenue in 2022 for the city. This year’s convention took place from July 20-23, and it was projected to show similar results.

Comic-Con has become a pop culture phenomenon. More than 135,000 people attend over the four days of the convention, and another 100,000 visit downtown to participate, observe, and engage. POPnologists use this event to examine the convergence of technology and popular culture. It’s also a time for marketers to observe trends in trade events, media, consumerism, and the impact on retailers and restaurants.

Missing

This year’s event was impacted by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which caused many writers, performers, and others associated with big brands, studios, and franchises to skip the show. As a result, the popular panels, an event highlight, were sparsely attended. Ordinarily, the panels are packed with attendees who literally wait all day and/or night to get inside.

Conference organizers and brands adjusted to this situation by changing their approach to surround events, making this a year of less-is-more tradeoffs. Here are a few things attendees, visitors, and locals noticed this year:

• Fewer large-scale activations from major media brands and franchises, but more interactive activations, more free activities (for those not attending the conference), and an earlier start to surround events. Installations were lighter in footprint and went up and down quicker than normal.
• Fewer elaborate costumes and large group cosplays, but more people in specialty branded T-shirts and personalized branded apparel.
• Fewer celebrities, but more families with children in tow.
• Fewer give-away items, but more places where merchandise could be personalized for fans.

There was also more awareness and focus on health and safety this year, with a larger and more visible presence from the San Diego Police Department, Fire-Rescue Departments, and MTS attendants.

Spending

Fans are well known for spending the bulk of their budgets on collectibles that they purchase in the exhibit halls, but not on the Gaslamp Quarter’s upmarket entertainment, dining, and local shopping. Spend per individual at Comic-Con is at the lowest end of the spectrum at $800 per person, compared with other events that can drive up to $2,200 per person of local impact.

Given these patterns, local merchants and businesses have learned to either take time off or get creative with offerings designed to meet visitors’ needs. Local restaurants did their usual good job of offering quick and to-go snacks and mini-meals for conference attendees making their way to and from the San Diego Convention Center.

Trending

These activities attracted a lot of attention from fans, locals, and visitors alike:

• Tacos: Smash Burger opening pop-up, franchise-branded taco food trucks with sponsor Topo Chico.
• Barbie: Instagram-ready Barbie Boxes at local restaurants and at the upmarket US Grant Hotel, where there was also a Barbie (and Ken) themed menu.
• Themed pop-up cafes: Roseanne Barr’s diner, the Lanford Lunch Box, serving loose meat sandwiches, and Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe.

Re-commerce also appeared this year, as eBay was onsite as the only authorized seller of badges, managing badge exchanges.

By all accounts, Comic-Con 2023 was a success with fans, even though big names and brands were on strike and absent while they try to resolve issues around pay and the impact of artificial intelligence on actors, film studios, and streaming services. It’s also a time for the trade show, media, retail, consumer goods, and restaurant industries to meet with fans, see what’s trending, and ask their own questions about the impact of AI on their own fields.