I have to say, a four day comics festival sounds pretty damned exhausting! Three days is enough for me. However, should you have a hankering for a four day con, and live on the East Coast, NYCCs got you covered!

From the press release:

After hosting nearly 100,000 fans, guests, and professionals at the 2010 edition of New York Comic Con (NYCC), organizers of the annual event have decided to extend the length of the show by an extra day in 2011 in order to accommodate even more attendees as well as provide additional programming and business opportunity for the artists, creators, and exhibitors who are the foundation of the show’s success. New York Comic Con has experienced exponential growth since it was launched in 2006. The show now occupies the entire Jacob K. Javits Center and the addition of another day of activity assures that the convention can continue its expansion into one of the largest annual events in New York City. New York Comic Con is a celebration of the pop culture universe, covering comic books, anime, movies, television, toys, and games. It attracts fans from around the world, exhibitors and guests from the full spectrum of popular culture, and tremendous media attention — almost 4,000 members of the press attended the show in 2010 and stories appeared in hundreds of outlets ranging from blogs to live national TV broadcasts.

The dates for the next New York Comic Con are Thursday, October 13 – Sunday October 16, 2011. The show will be open to the public for the first time for three full days – Friday (10/14), Saturday (10/15), and Sunday (10/16). This will mean more hours and opportunities for fans to interact with their heroes throughout the popular culture universe and allow show organizers to expand the Cultyard and New York Anime Festival — two shows-within-the-show — which serve the burgeoning indie toy and anime and manga communities. NYCC’s additional day of convention activity will take place on Thursday (10/13) with academic programming beginning at 12 noon. The convention floor will officially open for professional hours and a new fan preview night on Thursday from 4pm – 7pm. NYCC’s professional hours provide a quality business atmosphere for exhibitors while providing VIPs and media a chance to see new products and merchandise in an exclusive setting. For the first time, a very limited number of dedicated and committed fans will also have access to the convention floor during this professional time. These fans will only be admitted if they purchase the new, limited quantity, full 4-day pass to NYCC. Tickets will go on sale on February 7 at 12 noon Eastern Time. Further details are below.

In other ReedPOP news, officials note that their international expansion, which is an essential component of the group’s business and its embrace of the pop culture universe, has had a marked success with the recently concluded Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) which took place December 10 – 12, 2010 at Suntec Convention Center in Singapore. ReedPOP acquired STGCC in April, 2010. The global pop culture appetite is growing significantly in the region, and the chance to meet comics creators at STGCC was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many fans. Critically acclaimed comics writer and STGCC guest Gail Simone commented after the event: “STGCC is a world-class pop culture event in one of the most amazing places on Earth. I can’t wait to come back!”

“NYCC’s expansion to four days is in response to our immense growth,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP. “Our show has simply gotten too big to take place in three days. Additionally, the evening hours for professionals on Thursday will provide even more flexibility for both exhibitors and other industry pros to participate in this key part of the show. Meanwhile, our success in Singapore, coming hard on the heels of our success with NYCC, has been incredibly energizing. Our international growth is central to ReedPOP’s core mission to open up new markets for our exhibiting customers and guests and to spread the currency of cool to fan boys and fan girls in all corners of the globe where popular culture thrives. Further, our global approach allows us to broaden our offerings at every event we organize. The success of STGCC is closely linked with the success of NYCC because pop culture is universal, and what we learn in Asia may be applied to NYCC and vice versa. We want to delve into all areas where pop culture exists, from fashion to comics, from books to film, and we want to learn from other cultures. I am ecstatic that this philosophy seems to be working so well for ReedPOP. The physical growth of NYCC, the expansion to four days in 2011, and the recent success of STGCC are milestones in the growth and extension of ReedPOP as a brand serving passionate fans and dedicated professionals. We are humbled by the support we have received and excited to continue our mission in the year to come with new additions to our stable of events.”

As noted, a limited number of fans will be provided access to professional hours from 4 to 7pm on Thursday, October 16th at NYCC in 2011. A total of 10,000 4-day passes are available for purchase, and this 4-day pass includes admittance to the convention floor both on NYCC’s three dedicated public days as well as on Thursday during professional hours. There will be no single day tickets sold for Thursday. There will be 3-day passes available for purchase for Friday – Sunday, and there will be single day passes available for Friday – Sunday, as well. Tickets for NYCC will be sold via www.nycomiccon.com beginning at 12 noon Eastern Time on February 7.

In addition, tickets for the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which is also organized by ReedPOP and which will take place at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, March 18 – 20, 2011, are now available via the C2E2 web site, www.c2e2.com. Further information about all ReedPOP shows and activity is available through Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration V, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

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