Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jan 9, 2015 10:13:13 GMT -6
The organizers of Waco’s Heart of Texas Comic Con are determined to make a comeback after their second event, a horror con, flopped. The initial HOT Comic Con, held in March, had an attendance of about 9,000; September’s Con of the Living Dead drew just 3,000. “Con of the Living Dead showed us the locals do not want a horror show,” said co-organizer Aaron Foster. “We don’t look at it as a bad thing. We look at it as a learning experience. We really want this to turn into a staple in the Waco community. That’s really what we’re going for.”
www.wacotrib.com/news/business/hot-comic-con-to-return-to-waco/article_b5286565-6f30-5b59-b814-cc544b1e85c6.html
Heart of Texas Comic Con will return to Waco in March with some changes after organizers learned a hard lesson from their September show, which saw a two-thirds drop in attendance from the previous Waco event.
“Con of the Living Dead showed us the locals do not want a horror show,” co-organizer Aaron Foster said. “We don’t look at it as a bad thing. We look at it as a learning experience. We really want this to turn into a staple in the Waco community. That’s really what we’re going for.”
The event will be held March 20-22 at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at thehotcon.com and range from $10 for a Friday pass to $40 for a weekend pass. Teachers, students and military will receive a discount, and children ages 10 and younger will get in free.
This year’s guest list includes former NFL football player and pro wrester Bill Goldberg, also known for his roles in “The Longest Yard” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Also making guest appearances will be Chuck Huber, a voice actor in “Dragon Ball Z”; Jake “The Snake” Roberts, a 1990s WWE wrester; and Chad Rook, who plays the Weather Wizard on the new CW show “The Flash.” The full lineup will be announced next week.
Foster said the first show he and Larry Oswalt put on in March 2014 drew 9,000 attendees. The September show only had 3,000 participants. Foster said he expects to meet that first show’s attendance with the upcoming three-day event.
“We really want it to be a family-oriented event that Waco can come out and enjoy,” he said.
Foster said they still are accepting artists and vendors on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Prices to be a part of the show will increase after Jan. 31. Vendors and artists who attended Con of the Living Dead will pay a reduced fee for the upcoming show to help make up for the low turnout in September, Foster said.
Volunteers also are encouraged to sign up.
Foster said they use about 100 volunteers during the event to help with hospitality, aid vendors, provide wristbands and assist the guest actors.
“We try to make it as fun as possible,” he said. “You get the behind-the-scenes experience of the whole show and personal encounters with celebrities that the general public doesn’t normally get.”
Foster said the long-term goal for the Heart of Texas Comic Con is that he and Oswalt will be able to work on it as a full-time career.
“The company we work for has been completely supportive of what we’re doing,” he said.
www.wacotrib.com/news/business/hot-comic-con-to-return-to-waco/article_b5286565-6f30-5b59-b814-cc544b1e85c6.html
Heart of Texas Comic Con will return to Waco in March with some changes after organizers learned a hard lesson from their September show, which saw a two-thirds drop in attendance from the previous Waco event.
“Con of the Living Dead showed us the locals do not want a horror show,” co-organizer Aaron Foster said. “We don’t look at it as a bad thing. We look at it as a learning experience. We really want this to turn into a staple in the Waco community. That’s really what we’re going for.”
The event will be held March 20-22 at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at thehotcon.com and range from $10 for a Friday pass to $40 for a weekend pass. Teachers, students and military will receive a discount, and children ages 10 and younger will get in free.
This year’s guest list includes former NFL football player and pro wrester Bill Goldberg, also known for his roles in “The Longest Yard” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Also making guest appearances will be Chuck Huber, a voice actor in “Dragon Ball Z”; Jake “The Snake” Roberts, a 1990s WWE wrester; and Chad Rook, who plays the Weather Wizard on the new CW show “The Flash.” The full lineup will be announced next week.
Foster said the first show he and Larry Oswalt put on in March 2014 drew 9,000 attendees. The September show only had 3,000 participants. Foster said he expects to meet that first show’s attendance with the upcoming three-day event.
“We really want it to be a family-oriented event that Waco can come out and enjoy,” he said.
Foster said they still are accepting artists and vendors on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Prices to be a part of the show will increase after Jan. 31. Vendors and artists who attended Con of the Living Dead will pay a reduced fee for the upcoming show to help make up for the low turnout in September, Foster said.
Volunteers also are encouraged to sign up.
Foster said they use about 100 volunteers during the event to help with hospitality, aid vendors, provide wristbands and assist the guest actors.
“We try to make it as fun as possible,” he said. “You get the behind-the-scenes experience of the whole show and personal encounters with celebrities that the general public doesn’t normally get.”
Foster said the long-term goal for the Heart of Texas Comic Con is that he and Oswalt will be able to work on it as a full-time career.
“The company we work for has been completely supportive of what we’re doing,” he said.