By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/16/2015
A few weeks ago, I posted the preliminary schedule for the big panels at New York Comic Con, to be held in rooms 1-D (“Main Stage”) and 1-E (“Empire Stage”). I noted that there were some empty time slots, and now, it looks like a few have been filled, by Warner Brothers Entertainment! You should […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/15/2015
In a new plan to expand an already sprawling convention, New York Comic Con is expanding its panel roster to an off-campus site. No longer constricted to the behemoth that is the Jacob Javits Center, NYCC will now be hosting a series of Television-centric panels at the somewhat nearby Hammerstein Ballroom. Ironically, this new panel venue […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/3/2015
The panel schedule for New York Comic Con is live! Of note this year, some panels will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom up the street on 34th Street. The entire program isn’t live yet but you can check out what’s been lsited here. 281 sessions! It starts at 11 AM on Thursday, October […]
That’s how the New York Auto Show has such big crowds without the show floors being crowded: people come in, look around for a few hours, then leave. (For about $16…and you can walk up and buy a ticket from an ATM.)
I believe that’s why there was less grumbling from San Diego this year. There were enough outdoor/offsite events which drew members away from the show floor and convention center.
As I mentioned in my NYCC 2020 report (in 2012: http://www.comicsbeat.com/new-york-comic-con-2020-a-look-back/), there are many spaces nearby for expanded panels and other events. The Best Buy theater (once one of the largest movie theaters in the city) is on Times Square (43rd). Penn Station hosts the Theater at Madison Square Garden, site of the NBA draft. There’s Skylight at the Post Office (hosting New York Fashion Week events), and the AMC movie theater across the street from Hammerstein.
Closer are a few clubs, like SIR Stage 37. Not large spaces, but similar to the recent MoCCA Fest. I wonder what gets used for Toy Fair?
Of course, once Hudson Yards and other projects get built, then you’ll actually have a vibrant neighborhood surrounding Javits. Will it have large spaces? Aside from the Culture Shed, not really, although Starwood might build a large hotel nearby.
Heh… Get enough large hotels nearby, and you have San Diego on the Hudson!
If these are the types of panels they hold in Hall H, the trudge to Hammerstein isn’t worse than those SDCC lines. But it’s definitely inconvenient. I think it’s great news, however, that they are expanding beyond the Javits. They used to make Toy Fair work with outside hotels–it’s awesome if they commit to growing at the City redevelops that West Side. From the outside looking in, it feels like SDCC spends a lot of time trying to get smaller–which is a bummer.