Phoenix Comicon Rally Draws 300


Phoenix, Ariz – Over three hundred attendees, volunteers, and staff attended the Phoenix Comicon Kickoff Rally Thursday night, a result that impressed even the Convention organizer, “This crowd for our Kickoff Rally is about as big as our very first Phoenix Comicon,” said Matt Solberg, Convention Director. “And the room we are in is the same size as our very first exhibitor hall!”




The Phoenix Comicon Kickoff Rally was an evening presentation and walk through of the Phoenix Convention Center, the new home for the Phoenix Comicon. “We’re talking about needing more space than we had at last year’s facility. If you took all the exhibit and programming space from last year’s convention, you could fit it in this year’s exhibitor hall alone with room to spare,” continued Matt Solberg.




Convention staffers discussed the reasons for the move, the expansion of the exhibitor hall, and new programming they added, including evening programming at the Hyatt Regency, the host hotel for the convention. “For the first time at our convention we can now run events past midnight and into the early hours of the morning,” expressed Joe Boudrie, Director of Programming.




Those who attended were divided among previous attendees of Phoenix Comicon, and new participants who have never attended. “[That] is most impressive. You all have never attended our convention before, but are interested enough to take time out of your evening to come and meet us and hear what we have to say,” said Matt Solberg.




One staffer shared her reaction to volunteering the year before: “I can never express what the convention has meant to my family and me. Having working in a dead end job for so many years, to be recognized for a job well done is truly balm for my soul.”




At the conclusion of the event, prizes donated by McFarlane Toys, Bookmans, and Frazetta Comics were given to over fifty attendees.




“We broke a new record in distributing 15,000 fliers promoting our convention to those in attendance,” a visibly excited Marketing Director, Anabel Martinez, said. “The support and love of this convention was truly on display tonight, and it makes all of our efforts so worthwhile.”



More info can be found at Phoenix Comicon's website, http://www.phoenixcomicon.com.



Phoenix Comicon is the signature pop culture event of the southwest, presenting guests and programming for hobbyists by attracting the top segments of the comics, anime, sci-fi, film, TV, and gaming industries. Entering its ninth year, Phoenix Comicon is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees to its May 27-30, 2010 convention held at the Phoenix Convention Center and Hyatt Regency, downtown Phoenix.


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