FAN EXPO is a group of fan conventions operated by FAN EXPO HQ, the world's largest comic con producer, [1] a unit of the Informa Connect division of Informa plc. The majority of its events are run under the FAN EXPO brand, which stems from its namesake, the Toronto-based FAN EXPO Canada.
In 2013, Informa announced its acquisition of Hobby Star Marketing, organizer of FAN EXPO Canada—a Canadian comic and entertainment convention held annually at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. [2] In 2014, Informa acquired the Dallas Comic Con. [3] In 2015, Informa acquired MEGACON in Orlando. [4] [5]
In August 2016, Informa acquired Boston Comic Con, [6] which was rebranded as FAN EXPO Boston in 2018. [7] In October 2017, Informa acquired the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo. [8] [9] In March 2021, Informa acquired Denver Pop Culture Con, which was rebranded as FAN EXPO Denver. [10]
In August 2021, Informa acquired Wizard Entertainment's conventions; all of its remaining events for 2021 were cancelled, barring Wizard World Chicago (which was held in October 2021 as the final Wizard World-branded event). All six of its conventions in Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Portland were rebranded as FAN EXPO beginning in 2022. [11] [12] [13]
Events | Location | Venue | Attendance | Upcoming Dates |
---|---|---|---|---|
FAN EXPO New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | 30,000+ | January 10-12, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Portland | Portland, Oregon | Oregon Convention Center | 30,000+ | January 24-26, 2025 |
MEGACON Orlando | Orlando, Florida | Orange County Convention Center | 180,000+ | February 6-9, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia | Vancouver Convention Centre | 35,000+ | February 21-23, 2025 |
Toronto Comicon | Toronto, Ontario | Metro Toronto Convention Centre | 35,000+ | March 14-16, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Cleveland | Cleveland, Ohio | Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland | 25,000+ | March 21-23, 2025 |
CALGARY EXPO | Calgary, Alberta | Stampede Park | 100,000+ | April 24-27, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Convention Center | 50,000+ | May 16-18, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Dallas | Dallas, Texas | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center | 65,000+ | May 30-June 1, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Denver | Denver, Colorado | Colorado Convention Center | 110,000+ | July 3-6, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Convention & Exhibition Center | 55,000+ | August 8-10, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Chicago | Rosemont, Illinois | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center | 75,000+ | August 15-17, 2025 |
FAN EXPO Canada | Toronto, Ontario | Metro Toronto Convention Centre | 135,000+ | August 21-24, 2025 |
EDMONTON EXPO | Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton Expo Centre | 40,000+ | September 20-22, 2024 |
Dallas FAN FESTIVAL | Irving, Texas | Irving Convention Center | 15,000+ | October 19-20, 2024 |
FAN EXPO San Francisco | San Francisco, California | Moscone Center West | 35,000+ | November 29-December 1, 2024 |
Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America.
MegaCon, short for Mega Convention, is a large speculative fiction convention that caters to the comic book, sci-fi, anime, fantasy, RPG, and gaming communities, often occurring in spring at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The convention is the largest fan convention event in the Southern United States and second largest in North America with an attendance of 190,000 and generating an economic impact of 205 million in 2024.
Fan Expo Canada is an annual speculative fiction fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995 by Hobby Star Marketing Inc. It includes distinctly branded sections, including GX and SFX, and formerly CNAnime. It is a four-day event typically held the weekend before Labour Day during the summer at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,000 in 2022, it is North America's most attended fan convention. The New York Comic Con is a for-profit event produced and managed by ReedPop, a division of RX and Reed Elsevier, and is not affiliated with the long running non-profit San Diego Comic-Con, nor the Big Apple Convention, later known as the Big Apple Comic-Con, owned by Wizard Entertainment.
Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The Big Apple Comic Con is a New York City comic book convention, the longest-running comic book/speculative fiction/pop culture convention in New York City. It was started by retailer Michael "Mike Carbo" Carbonaro in March 1996 in the basement of the St. Paul the Apostle Church. During its heyday from 2001 to 2008, the Big Apple Comic Con often featured multiple shows per year, with a large three-day "national" convention held in November, usually held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. The show was owned by Wizard Entertainment from 2009 to 2013, but was reacquired by Carbonaro in 2014.
Fan Expo Dallas, previously known as Dallas Comic Con, is a three-day speculative fiction, fan convention held annually in the Dallas, Texas area. Larger in scale than the Dallas Fan Days events under the same management, Fan Expo Dallas focuses on comic book artists, writers, and publishers. These events usually also feature question and answer sessions, a large dealers room, and autograph-signing with a number of famous comic and media guests. The event is produced by Informa doing business as Fan Expo HQ.
The MCM Comic Con London is a speculative fiction fan convention held at the ExCel London twice yearly since 2002, usually on the last weekend in May and October. The convention primarily focuses on comic books, video games, sci-fi, cosplay, anime and popular media.
Fan Expo Chicago, is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was traditionally a three-day event, but in 2006, it expanded to four days. It was founded in 1972 as Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con and later as the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention by a local dealer named Nancy Warner.
The Wizard World Columbus Comic Con, formerly known as Mid-Ohio Con and then the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con, was a comic book convention held during the fall in Columbus, Ohio, United States, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Initially held in early November, from 1994–2007 the Mid-Ohio Con took place on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Normally a two-day event, in 2012 it expanded to three days.
Fan Expo Denver is a speculative fiction fan convention held annually in Denver, Colorado, in the United States. The event is a celebration of comics, books, movies, TV, gaming, and other pop culture.
Calgary Expo, known in full as the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, is an annual fan convention held at Stampede Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Fan Expo Boston, formerly Boston Comic Con, is a multigenre convention held annually in Boston, Massachusetts. Primarily focused on comic books, the convention later featured media guests from film and television, cosplayers, an art auction, a tabletop/CCG/RPG gaming room, and an annual costume contest. After its acquisition by Informa as part of their Fan Expo line, the 2017 edition retired the Comic Con name and was therefore renamed Fan Expo Boston.
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating with cosplay than for most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a method by which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began during the late 1930s.
Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo is an annual fan convention held at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, typically in mid-September.