Despite serious competition from other destinations, San Diego will continue to host Comic-Con International, the world's largest comic book trade show, through at least 2015, the San Diego Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC) announced this week.
Founded in 1970, Comic-Con International has been in San Diego since its start and has taken place at the San Diego Convention Center for 20 of its 41 years. Because the show has grown so large, however — this year's event, which took place July 22-25, was expected to attract approximately 126,000 daily visitors — its organizers were forced to consider moving the show to another destination with larger facilities when its current contract with San Diego expires in 2012.
Both Anaheim and Los Angeles were vying for the chance to host Comic-Con International in 2013, but San Diego ultimately triumphed with its proposal, which included a promise to double the number of hotel rooms reserved for meeting attendees from 7,000 to 14,000 while securing 300,000 square feet of meeting space for the convention at nearby hotels. In addition, San Diego offered Comic-Con $100,000 per year for five years — 2011 through 2015 — to help it defray the costs of shuttling visitors between events at the convention center and those at hotels.
"San Diego has been home to Comic-Con for over 40 years and it's an honor to continue hosting this important event, which is now so much a part of the fabric of our community," said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. "Our bid was successful because of the combined efforts of our convention center team, the hotels and our entire hospitality community."
San Diego has used Comic-Con as a case study in favor of expanding the San Diego Convention Center. Although it wouldn't be complete until 2015, a $753 million expansion that's currently being considered would allow San Diego to attract and retain large conventions — including Comic-Con — by adding an additional 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a third ballroom, 100,000 square feet of meeting space and a new 500-room hotel directly behind the convention center.
"San Diego beat out some stiff competition, and the importance of expanding the convention center has been clearly demonstrated," said SDCCC Board Chair Bob Nelson. "Comic-Con's challenges fitting into the current facility underscore the importance of the mayor's efforts to expand the convention center. The economic impact of conventions like Comic-Con in terms of local jobs, tax revenues and economic activity, not to mention the competitive nature of this industry, are critical to San Diego's future."