CCI: David Glanzer Preps For A Packed Comic-Con International

[CBR News]

Days away from Comic-Con International's 2012 run, CCI Marketing Director David Glanzer talks with CBR about side events, the Hollywood shuffle in Hall H, the future of WonderCon and more.


Full article here.

[jcb10]

Comic-Con has got to cut down the waiting in line. It's unhealthy for the sun-averse and prevents me from enjoying as much of the show as I'd want.

So two things. One: Clear out the rooms between panels. (Hypothetical) Why is my Doctor Who panel full of Twilight fans waiting for good seats for their panel six hours from now (or vice-versa)? We could fit 4,000 more Doctor Who fans in here.

Second: How about online reservations for panels? Why should I have to wait in a six-hour line for Hall H and have no guarantee of even getting in? I could be going to the Roy Thomas panel in the meantime. Put aside a certain number of seats in each Hall/Ballroom/Conference room (say half) and let people make reservations for them online. Let registered badgeholders reserve one panel per badge per day. Let them print out a bar-coded ticket for the panel which means I just have to get into the short pass-holder line. Once that line clears, let in others until the room fills. Technology can do that these days.

[DonC]

So two things. One: Clear out the rooms between panels. (Hypothetical) Why is my Doctor Who panel full of Twilight fans waiting for good seats for their panel six hours from now (or vice-versa)? We could fit 4,000 more Doctor Who fans in here.

The official explanation has always been that this would take too long. These Hollywood studios spend big money to the convention to come and have their panels. Eliminating one or two a day would cost the convention thousands of dollars.

Second: How about online reservations for panels? Why should I have to wait in a six-hour line for Hall H and have no guarantee of even getting in? I could be going to the Roy Thomas panel in the meantime. Put aside a certain number of seats in each Hall/Ballroom/Conference room (say half) and let people make reservations for them online. Let registered badgeholders reserve one panel per badge per day. Let them print out a bar-coded ticket for the panel which means I just have to get into the short pass-holder line. Once that line clears, let in others until the room fills. Technology can do that these days.

Their website crashes every 45 seconds when people try to book hotels and tickets. Same thing would happen when people try to book space in panels. Plus it would take longer for fans to enter the hall since they would have to have their tickets checked. Also, fans could/would start scalping tickets to the more popular panels.

[Aaron Kashtan]

The official explanation has always been that this would take too long. These Hollywood studios spend big money to the convention to come and have their panels. Eliminating one or two a day would cost the convention thousands of dollars.

Their website crashes every 45 seconds when people try to book hotels and tickets. Same thing would happen when people try to book space in panels. Plus it would take longer for fans to enter the hall since they would have to have their tickets checked. Also, fans could/would start scalping tickets to the more popular panels.

These comments make me sad because they're undoubtedly true, and they indicate the degree to which Comic-Con has been taken over by greed and selfishness. Comic-Con nowadays has this bitter, cutthroat, competitive atmosphere. Back in 2002, it was just a place where people went to have a good time.