Pop Culture Convention to Debut in Indy
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA new pop culture convention coming to Indianapolis next year will aim to grow the city's “nerd and geek culture.” Indy PopCon will feature comic book, video game, television and movie exhibits and vendors. Organizers expect more than 10,000 to attend the event.
September 18, 2013
News Release
A new popular culture and comic convention, Indy PopCon, is being held at the Indiana Convention Center on May 30 – June 1, 2014. Indy PopCon is inviting fans from all over the country to come enjoy the world of comic books, cartoon art, video games, television and movie entertainment, science fiction and internet culture.
PopCon, founded by a group of Indianapolis natives, is hosting nearly 100,000 square feet of celebrities, panels, workshops, and vendors in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis Ind. The group has over 50 years of combined convention and show experience and anticipates an attendance topping 10,000.
PopCon has drawn inspiration from larger national shows such as San Diego Comic Con, Atlanta-based Dragon*Con and Chicago Comic Con, and will focus on providing a welcoming and fun environment for fans, publishers, artists, celebrities, and popular internet stars and broadcasters. “Pop culture is shifting today,” said Shawn Smith, Communications Director. “Years ago an artist would need to be discovered in order to reach the mass market. In today's culture, anyone can be a star thanks to the internet and conventions like ours.”
Early celebrities and artists booked for the convention include stars from the popular television show Game of Thrones; artists known for their work with Disney, Marvel, DC and Star Wars; famous cartoonists and self-publishing internet stars with hundreds of thousands of followers. “We have attended and promoted hundreds of shows all over the country and are big fans of conventions,” said Rick Frogge, Convention Director. “We see an opportunity to bring the large pop culture convention style to Indianapolis, and add our own spin on things.”
PopCon follows in the footsteps of GenCon, one of the largest conventions in the country which focuses on board and card gaming and is based in Indianapolis. GenCon boasted nearly 50,000 fans this year. Larry Zore of Pop Con LLC and ComicsPriceGuide.com believes PopCon can grow to be the same size or larger in a very short period of time. “Indianapolis is a great market and there is plenty of room for growth,” said Zore. “Both of our conventions can thrive in this space, and we look forwarding to helping grow the Indy nerd and geek culture.”
Source: Indy PopCon