DC and Marvel in for C2E2

Press Release

Officials at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) are pleased to announce that space on the convention floor is filling up fast with leading exhibitors from all corners of the pop culture world eager to be part of the new convention. DC Comics and Marvel have each staked out 2500 square foot booths, which is equal to their presence at New York Comic Con (NYCC). Overall, the C2E2 convention floor is filling up quickly with major and independent exhibitors alike and convention organizers note that the event already has a show floor equal to that of the first New York Comic Con with 9 months remaining until the show. The convention will take place at McCormick Place – Lakeside Center which boasts 300,000 gross square feet of space. In total, C2E2 officials are projecting that the net square feet of exhibit space in the convention’s first year will be approximately 40,000-50,000 square feet of paid exhibit space. C2E2 is being launched April 16 – 18, 2010 and is owned and operated by the organizers of New York Comic Con. Alex Ross and Jeff Smith have already been announced as special guests for the show and officials note that many more guests and programming announcements will be made in the immediate future, with the event mimicking the size and scope of New York Comic Con.

“I am incredibly happy to be able to talk so confidently about our level of exhibitor participation and commitment at C2E2 this early in the game – this is already shaping up to be the massive pop culture event in downtown Chicago that our fans and exhibitors alike have been craving,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President and Show Manager for both C2E2 and NYCC. “Nearly everyone who participates in NYCC is making the same commitment to C2E2 and this is putting us in a great position and speaks volumes that we have kept our commitment to our customers to grow their business in a meaningful way. However, we ultimately are building this event for the great fans of Chicago, they wanted it and we are going to deliver. I want to hear from fans as well, what guests, what exhibitors, what features; this event really is for you. This show of support from our exhibiting customers enables us to focus on our programming and guest lineup, which is the cornerstone and focal point of so much of our convention activity. But I am well aware that no matter how strong our programming may be, our convention can only be as strong as the exhibitors who support us, who build their booths, and bring their product to our convention floor. I am very grateful to everyone for having faith that we will stage the best pop culture event Chicago has ever seen!”

“We have had enormous success with our participation at New York Comic Con and we look forward to more of the same in Chicago,” notes Steve Rotterdam, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for DC Comics. “New York Comic Con has proven to be very effective for us, providing a good business atmosphere for connecting with fans and customers, as well as being a great environment for promoting our product and extending the reach of our many writers, artists, and creators. We’re happy to be part of the debut of what we’re confident will become one of Chicago’s main events.”

Dan Buckley, CEO & Publisher, Print, Animation & Digital Media at Marvel Entertainment, Inc., states: “Marvel is very excited to work with our friends at C2E2 and NYCC for their inaugural show in the Windy City. Building on the relationship that we started with Reed Exhibitions over four years ago, we see this as a great opportunity to bring all of the excitement and energy from our presence at the New York City convention to our fans in the Midwest.”

C2E2 organizers are especially pleased that the same diverse exhibitor base which participates in NYCC will be at C2E2 including both large, well established firms as well as small independent companies from all bands of the pop culture spectrum. The companies range from the world of comics, graphic novels, gaming, toys, golden and silver age comics, collectibles, and much more. Some of the other exhibitors and participants who will be at C2E2 include: Avatar, Baby Tattoo, Boom Studios, Chicago Comics, Dark Horse, Diamond, Graham Crackers Comics, Image Comics, Mattel, Newsarama, Oni Press, Radical Publishing, Random House, Top Cow, Top Shelf, and Wizards of the Coast. “We are a pop culture event and we intend to maintain the breadth of representation that has come to define pop culture in all of its manifestations,” Fensterman concludes. “C2E2 will not be about any one, single thing. Like New York Comic Con, it will be about everything that is exciting and new and different in the world of popular entertainment, with comics and the graphic arts anchoring it all and under a spotlight.”

C2E2 officials note that a further guest announcement for the show will be made within the next week. For more information on C2E2, to sign up for the email newsletter or to purchase tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com. For the latest announcements, please visit C2E2’s official blog, www.mediumatlarge.net, or follow C2E2 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/C2E2.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS POP CULTURE GROUP:

The Pop Culture Group at Reed Exhibitions owns and operates the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), and the New York Anime Festival (NYAF). New York Comic Con was launched in 2006 and quickly became a dominant presence in the pop culture world of public events. In 2009, 452 companies exhibited at NYCC for a total of 84,000 square feet of paid exhibit space, and it has been ranked by Crain’s New York Business as the second-largest annual event in NYC. C2E2, which will debut April 16 – 18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, is modeled after NYCC and will provide fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite writers, creators, and artists, as well as to see, hear and learn about the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The Pop Culture Group also operates the recently launched UFC Fan Expo in partnership with the UFC – the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization – and it formed a strategic partnership with Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in 2008 and will work closely with PAX on the launch of PAX East in Boston in 2010.