Hundred Percent

Its not the San Diego Comic Con but its The Long Beach Comic Con.  That’s right!  Your reading this correctly.  A new convention has been birthed and its only a few cities north from San Diego.

The Long Beach Comic Con is scheduled for an October 2nd-4th run at the Long Beach Convention Center, which will give exhibitors and fans a whopping 244,000 sq. ft to play with.  That is almost half the size of the exhibit floor of the San Diego Convention Center.  This is a huge amount of space for a first time convention, which is a great sign that bodes well for attendees.

The Inaugural opening for this convention is one that is welcomed by many enthusiast alike.  With SDCC reaching astronomical numbers in attendance, having the LBCC is the perfect complement.  Think of the SDCC as the main course meal and the LBCC as dessert!  That’s a great combination.

Hundred Percent has the inside scoop on this new baby.  We have an exclusive interview with Martha Donato, the person responsible for this new convention.  Martha has worked the convention circuit for many years while being employed by her former bosses at Wizard Entertainment.  Whats so amazing about her is that she is only 25yrs old but has amassed 14 years of experience in producing live events.   She is passionate and ready for the next challenge.  Here is what went down on our Q & A session with her:

J: Congratulations on undertaking the launch of the Long Beach Comic Con!  This is an epic task which I commend you.

Martha: Thank you for the kind words.

J:  What I’m wondering now is how this all came about.  Can you tell us why you felt the need for the LBCC?

Martha: The inspiration for bringing the LBCC was the friendships, business relationships and fans I have met over the years.  After leaving the industry for a spell, I looked forward to rejoining the community and thought that pulling the LBCC would be a great way to do it.

J:  Way to make a comeback into the community by throwing an event!  Obviously its something that your very passionate about.  Can you share your vision and some goals for this convention?

Martha: The vision for the LBCC is to create an event that fans, creators and exhibitors alike can enjoy and share their love of comics and pop culture. We want to generate some excitement and get people together to celebrate their hobby in a fantastic environment. The long term goal for LBCC is to create a sustainable and long-lasting model that invites creators to showcase their talents before an interested and friendly audience for years to come.

J: Seems like you have a core fundamental idea of what people are looking for in a convention.

Martha: If there is anything I learned throughout the years about conventions is that you need substance and depth in your guest list, your exhibitor base, and in your programming rotations.  People expect more for their admission dollars, and we believe we can deliver a great experience.

J: Speaking of experience, lets talk about the mania of the SDCC.  The explosion of SDCC has been tremendous over the past years and has become an outlet for Hollywood to promote.  What can you tell us about the main focus for this convention?  Will it be more geared towards Hollywood or more on comics?  Will it be balanced and if so, how?

Martha: Our team has all been faithful attendees of SDCC for many, many years and we respect and admire the show and its staff, it is a remarkable experience.  Keep in mind It took them many years to get to the level of support they enjoy now from the studios, and there’s really no short-cut to getting Hollywood’s attention.  We feel grateful to have a measure of support from Lions Gate, and hope that the timing of the show will allow for some additional studio interest, but we’re not building the show around that premise.

J: Can you reveal anything as far as special guest that will be attending LBCC?  Seems fitting that some celebs would attend since it so close to Hollywood, any word?

Martha: That’s still a work in progress…

J: A big part of conventions are exclusive.  What can we expect and who are the big players in this?

Martha: Exclusives have definitely been an important element in comic book shows over the last several years.  We are working on a couple of exciting projects, including an exclusive comic book cover on a Marvel comic and an action figure.  Stay tuned for more details.

J: Any chance of this event needing volunteers?  If so, who do they need to contact?

Martha: Yes, we would love to have volunteers help us run the show.  In fact, we’ll be posting a volunteer registration form on our website www.longbeachcomiccon.com next week.

J: With your years of experience in attending conventions, what is your number one advice for convention attendees?

Martha: My number one piece of advice for convention attendees is to enjoy all that the show has to offer and experience things that are both new and old.  Enjoying the celebration of one’s hobby can also be a learning experience and can lead to new friendships.

J: I’m excited for the LBCC and can’t wait for it to come.  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to enlighten the masses about the LBCC!

Martha: The pleasure was all mine!

You can find out more about the Long Beach Comic Con, Martha Donato and the rest of the gang by visiting www.longbeachcomiccon.com

Interested or maybe just curious about the LBCC.  Hundred Percent along with the LBCC is proud to present a contest give-away for a free pair LBCC tickets.  We will be doing this on a weekly basis up to 2 weeks before the convention.  Every week we will choose a winner! All you have to do is fill out the entry form below and that’s it.

• If you are not chosen as a winner feel free to enter for the following weeks give-away and so on.
• Once declared a winner you will not be eligible to enter the contest again.
• Please read the official Rules and Guidelines on the bottom of the contest form.

Complete the Contest entry form with all the information requested and you will automatically be entered. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address. All entries must be received by the end of the Promotion Period in order to participate. All requested information on the entry form at the Webpage must be completed to enter and to be eligible to win. Contest winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries received throughout the Promotion Period for the Contest entered. All drawings are conducted at random by Hundred Percent, using methods within our sole discretion. We will make all reasonable efforts to contact winners. If winners do not respond within two (2) business days of the final contact attempt, we will conduct a new random drawing, the winner of which will receive the corresponding prize. Acceptance of a prize constitutes winner’s permission for Hundred Percent to use winner’s name, photograph, likeness, information and statements for advertising and/or publicity purposes, without further compensation. By entering your information and e-mail address you are subscribing to the Hundred Percent newsletter and email list. Any information given will be used solely for promotional purposes. We are deeply committed to protecting the privacy of Internet users and we adhere to the responsible management of consumer information.