Comic-Con and Wizard conventions form marketing partnership
Agreement assures enhanced business opportunities for both entitiesNorwalk, CT, December 1, 2005: New York Comic-Con has announced that it has formed a marketing partnership with Wizard Conventions that will provide both companies with the opportunity to leverage their own brands at each other's shows. This latest move with Wizard highlights how the comics community has embraced the idea of a new convention in New York City, and also underscores how these separate events can work together to serve the entire comic book industry. New York Comic-Con is a brand new trade and consumer event for comics, games, anime and other related industries that will take place February 24th - 26th, 2006 at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
"I am enormously pleased and grateful that we have been able to put together this initiative with Wizard Conventions," notes Greg Topalian, Group Vice President in charge of Launch Pad for Reed Exhibitions. "The comic book community is both passionate and devoted and Wizard certainly knows this audience very well. We are excited to be working with them and I'm looking forward to making New York Comic-Con a successful event for Wizard, just as I'm looking forward to attending Wizard conventions in the future and promoting New York Comic-Con at their terrific shows."
New York Comic-Con organizers note that Wizard will play a significant role in promoting their show and will help to build a strong audience for New York Comic-Con by selling tickets for the show on the Wizard Web site at www.wizarduniverse.com. While some of the specific details of the arrangement will be revealed over the coming months, show organizers at both Wizard and New York Comic-Con note that the cooperative agreement includes sharing advice and counsel on a range of matters pertaining to both shows. In addition to exhibiting at each other's shows, other opportunities include advertising for New York Comic-Con in Wizard Entertainment publications.
"Reed is investing in the ever-expanding pop-culture industry and we are excited they've committed to serve our loyal fan base at Comic-Con New York," said Martha Donato, Senior VP of Wizard Conventions. "With the Wizard World Tour reaching record numbers of attendees and adding a new show in 2005 and Comic-Con adding what is sure to be a great New York event, we look forward to continuing to build on the momentum of both organizations throughout the coming years and bringing the best that pop culture has to offer to a nationwide audience."
New York Comic-Con organizers note that tickets for the public are on sale via the convention's Web site at www.nycomiccon.com. The first 1000 people to purchase a ticket to the show will receive an exclusive limited edition Serenity Action Figure. Officials also note that the Exhibitor List is live on the Web site and details of the Retailer Partner Program are also available on the Web site at www.nycomiccon.com. Exhibitor inquiries should be directed to: Bill Butler (203) 840-5350 or [email protected]. Event or Guest inquiries should be directed to Steve Rosato at (203) 840-5463 or [email protected]. Press inquiries should be directed to: Roger Bilheimer (203) 966-0792 or [email protected].
About Wizard World
Wizard World Los Angeles, Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago, Wizard World Texas and Wizard World Boston are produced by Wizard Conventions Inc., a sister company to Wizard Entertainment, the industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market. Wizard Entertainment publishes four magazines: Wizard: The Comics Magazine; InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine; ToyFare: The Toy Magazine; and Anime Insider, and is the co-publisher of Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment. Wizard Entertainment's publications have a monthly national readership of more than two million and are currently sold in 25 countries and five languages. Wizard can be found online at www.wizarduniverse.com
New York Comic-Con is managed by Reed Exhibitions (RX), a division of Reed Elsevier plc. Reed Exhibitions, the world's largest organizer of business-to-business events. Each year Reed events assemble over 90,000 suppliers and over 5 million buyers from around the world. Today, Reed events are held in over 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 26 fully staffed offices. Reed's portfolio of events serves 49 industries in 12 key sectors. BEA is one many Reed Elsevier properties within the Reed Global Book Publishing Network, whose trade events include the Asia International Book Fair, London International Book Fair, Salon du Livre: Paris Book Fair, Tokyo International Book Fair and BookExpo Canada, and whose Reed Business Information (RBI) properties include Publishers Weekly, Variety Magazine, Playthings, Video Business, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a world-leading business and information provider, Reed offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet over a database of more than 9 million.
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