Supanova Expo

Last updated
Supanova Comic Con & Gaming
Supanova Sydney 2010.jpg
The exhibition floor at Supanova Sydney 2010
Genre Speculative fiction
VenueVarious
Location(s)
CountryAustralia
Inaugurated2002
Organized bySupanova Pop Culture Industries
Filing statusFor profit
Website http://www.supanova.com.au/

Supanova Comic Con & Gaming (also known simply as Supanova) is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.

Contents

The first Supanova was held at the Sydney Showground on the weekend of 20–21 April 2002. It was the successor to comicfest!, four similar conventions under the same management held between March 2000 and November 2002 in Sydney. On the weekend of 13–14 September 2003, Supanova held its first convention in the city of Brisbane at the RNA Showgrounds. [1] In 2008, Supanova expanded to include Melbourne (back-to-back with Brisbane) and Perth (back-to-back with Sydney). In 2012, the convention expanded again, arriving on the Gold Coast and Adelaide for the first time. As of 2013, the combined annual attendance across Supanova's six events was estimated at 160,000 (From 11,600 to 39,400 in 2013 across all cities) with the largest attendance of 50,800 fans participating at the Sydney expo, June 2014.

Convention

Supanova is an Australian-made, independent event not affiliated with foreign exposition producers. It is managed by a team of permanent staff, and was founded by Daniel Zachariou, who also served as Event Director until 2021. [2] There are also a large number of volunteers, generally appointed on an event-by-event basis, who assist with the on-site running of the convention.

One of the major attractions at Supanova is the special guests - often well-known personalities of interest to convention attendees who participate in signing sessions and panel discussions with their fans. [3] Other notable attractions at Supanova include the cosplay competition, [4] the "Artist's Alley" where aspiring artists can display and sell their work, and the anime theatre. On many occasions Supanova has also hosted, as satellite events, artwork masterclasses, film screenings or similar activities. There is a large exhibitors area at Supanova where attendees can purchase merchandise from one of the many traders present. [5] [6]

As of 2014, Supanova is held at the Melbourne Showgrounds and Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre in April, followed by Sydney Olympic Park and Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre events in June, and finally at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and Adelaide Showground in November. Supanova's Sydney event was formerly held at the Wharf 8 Function Centre in King Street Wharf, from 2003 to 2005, before returning to Olympic Park in 2006. 2013 was the last time the event was held in Brisbane at the RNA Showgrounds (2003–2013) and Perth's Claremont Showground (2008–2013) having outgrown both venues.

In 2017, Supanova announced that they had rebranded from Supanova Pop Culture Expo to Supanova Comic Con & Gaming, citing that the video games industry had made significant strides within the industry, and the ambiguity of the "pop culture expo" branding. [7]

Events

Past

YearLocationVenueDates
2002 Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park April, Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st
2003 Sydney Wharf 8 Function Center, King Street Wharf April, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds September, Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th
2004 Sydney Wharf 8 Function Center, King Street Wharf May, Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds September, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th
2005 Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th
Sydney Wharf 8 Function Center, King Street Wharf October, Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th
2006 Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park October, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th
2007 Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park October, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th
2008 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds March, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 4th, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd
Perth Claremont Showground June, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th
2009 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds March, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 26th, Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th
Perth Claremont Showground July, Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th
2010 Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 18th, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th
Perth Claremont Showground June, Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th
2011 Brisbane RNA Showgrounds April, Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 8th, Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th
Perth Claremont Showground June, Friday 24th, Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds November, Friday 4th, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th
2012 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th
Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th
Perth Claremont Showground June, Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds November, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th, Sunday 18th
2013 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th
Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 19th, Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Perth Claremont Showground June, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds November, Friday 8th, Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th
2014 Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 4th, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 11th, Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th
2015 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 10th, Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th
Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 19th, Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 26th, Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th
2016 Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 8th, Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 24th, Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 11th, Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 18th, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th
2017 Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 10th, Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th
2018 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd
Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th
2019 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds April, Friday 5th, Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th
Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre June, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th
Adelaide Adelaide Showground November, Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre November, Friday 8th, Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th
2020 Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds March, Friday 6th, Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th
Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre March, Friday 13th & Saturday 14th
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park Cancelled
Perth Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre Cancelled
Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Cancelled
Adelaide Adelaide Showground Cancelled
2021 Gold Coast Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre April, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th
Melbourne Melbourne Showgrounds May, Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd
Sydney Sydney Showground, Olympic Park June, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th

Controversy

In June 2016, founder Daniel Zachariou shared on his Facebook page a petition calling for all transgender education to be stopped in schools, and claimed that the Safe Schools program forces children to "learn about sex, gender fluidity and transgenderism at ages as young as 5 without the supervision of parents". This led to outrage and criticism from many convention goers and personalities, and they called for a boycott of the convention. [8] [9] Zachariou later apologized in a post for sharing the petition, by saying "I want to express my sincere apologies to all staff, volunteers, guests and attendees of the Expo, and especially those who identify as LBGTQIA+". He further stated "in no way did I intend to express transphobic or homophobic views, which would not align with the values of acceptance and camaraderie that I hold and aim to demonstrate through Supanova". [10]

At Supanova Sydney in June 2021, a stall in the artist hall was found to be selling items including rising sun flags, merchandise with swastikas, fascist and homophobic statements, and shirts proclaiming pride in a "Christian, heterosexual, pro-gun, conservative identity". [11] Upon alerting staff Friday evening all products featuring Nazi and Rising Sun symbols were removed by Supanova staff prior to the convention opening to the public Saturday morning. The stallholders had been removed previously a number of years ago but had continued to exhibit annually as they had been given a 'second chance' by Supanova under threat of permanent removal. [12] Despite this the stall continued to operate throughout Saturday however the stallholders were eventually evicted Sunday morning when fresh concerns surrounding their behavior on Saturday were raised. [11] Supanova issued a statement stating that they "thoroughly investigated the matter with the assistance of the information provided by attendees overnight, and the exhibitor was subsequently removed from the event". However the slow response and lack of oversight by the organisers resulted in criticism from convention goers and the media, and led to renewed calls to boycott the convention. [13]

In response to the poor handling of the Sydney 2021 stall incident, Zachariou stepped down as Event Director in July 2021, though he still remains with the company. [12] [13]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "About Supanova". Archived from the original on 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  2. ↑ Feeny, Katherine (1 April 2010) Brisbane geeks prepare for comic feast, Brisbane Times, accessed 28 March 2012
  3. ↑ Lewis, Maria (23 March 2012) Supanova set to explode on Sydney with geeky guests Hayden Panettiere and Christopher Llyod, The Daily Telegraph, accessed March 28, 2012
  4. ↑ Feeney, Katherine (4 April 2011) Stars come out for Supanova, The Age, retrieved March 28, 2012
  5. ↑ Wight, Andrew (6 April 2008). "Wookies, anime and Elvens - that's Supanova". The Brisbane Times. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  6. ↑ Williams, Matthew (12 April 2008). "WIN – Tickets to Supanova up for grabs!". The Nintendo Basement. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "SUPANOVA COMIC CON IS CHANGING THE GAME OF POP CULTURE EVENTS IN AUSTRALIA". Supanova Comic Con & Gaming. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Serrels, Mark (2016-06-06). "People Are Boycotting Supanova Over Founder's Stance Against Safe Schools". Kotaku Australia . Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  9. ↑ "Calls to boycott Supanova festival over founder's comments". OutInPerth . 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  10. ↑ Power, Shannon (2016-06-08). "Supanova boss backtracks on Safe Schools attack". Star Observer . Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  11. 1 2 Rizzo-Smith, Julian (2021-06-20). "Sydney's Supanova Criticised For Apparently Allowing A Stall Selling Nazi & Fascist Propaganda Into Artist Alley". Pedestrian Australia . Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  12. 1 2 Walker, Alex (2021-07-09). "The Founder Of Supanova Is Stepping Down". Kotaku . Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  13. 1 2 Roberts, Millie (2021-07-09). "Supernova Director Steps Down Following Controversy Over A Sydney Stall Selling Nazi Merch". Junkee. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
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