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Ace ComicCon Navy Pier Chicago Report
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19 posts in this topic

Hi,

I made it to the show today http://www.aceuniverse.com at Navy Pier in Chicago and wanted to share the experience.

The temperature has dropped this last week and today I made it in to the show and was happy to see a lot of familiar faces. First Aid Comics, Tim Seeley, Hotflips, Sharp Comics, Corey Glaber, Matt R, and more. The floor layout is sparse and spacious with plenty of room between the aisles. Around 7 back issue booths, 30+ artists/writers, and the remainder miscellaneous. The entire area isn't large so much easier to navigate than large shows.

Plenty of cosplay and panel discussions to go around. Tons of photo op pics and signings with the celebs and the lines were long but moved quickly. 

Wrestling fans out in force. Park as far east in the Navy Pier garage as possible. Oh, and you can get a tattoo at the show as well!IMG_20181012_172558440.jpg.3c880df1679651516158d28d54571ca1.jpgIMG_20181012_183108657.jpg.45c6d0d2480b169fb0553b255010bb1f.jpgIMG_20181012_173252200.thumb.jpg.6073b81fdf274010df0ee0a245cb0da0.jpg

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Edited by KolmarAvenue
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Size-wise it sounds a lot like Fandemic Houston. That show also had a small retail area relative to most large shows. It’d be interesting to hear from any comic dealers that do the show, but I don’t know if any of those you mentioned are even on the boards. 

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1 hour ago, mattn792 said:

I didn’t even realize this was going on, might have to check it out next year.  An extra jaunt up 55 in this weather isn’t appealing right now.

Looking forward to the November show in St. Charles.

There has been an event thread, but like most places here lately it hasn’t gotten a ton of traffic. Unlike Fandemic (who underwhelmed me, and hasn’t yet announced any further dates), ACE may stick around long enough to get to a second round of shows. I would be interested to hear views from vendors. None of the comic dealers at Fandemic Houston made enough to justify doing another one. 

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Show was good for its first time and can grow. Small con with huge celebrity talent. There were not many dealers or artists set up and the place they used was small compared to C2E2 and Wizard World. All space was utilized. My 2 grips are that you could not see or access the talent without an autograph or photo opt ticket. Luckily I had 2 phot opts. There was no waiting in line to meet them without a paying above the entrance fee, which is wrong! The place was oversold on Saturday and not every got a seat for the Chris Evans panel.  They also had some very angry VIPs who did not get seated for that panel. I will say that there were more women than men in attendance and lots of complete families.

Edited by Drewsky
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On 10/13/2018 at 8:45 AM, mattn792 said:

I didn’t even realize this was going on, might have to check it out next year.  An extra jaunt up 55 in this weather isn’t appealing right now.

Looking forward to the November show in St. Charles.

Info?

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6 minutes ago, manetteska said:

Thanks. What other show(s) do they put on?

They do a lot of the regional flea markets and other antique shows in Illinois and (I think) Wisconsin. One of the guys that worked for him was a comics fan, and was able to have various shows over the years (one every 18 months or so in the 00s). 

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43 minutes ago, RCheli said:

I just googled it and it looks like it's another Zurko show.

https://www.chicagopopculturecon.com/

I've never been the biggest fan of their events.

Yes, that's the one.  Its small but still worth the price of admission.  I went two years ago when (to my somewhat amazement) Larry Hama was one of the guests, and I scored some good books.  Personal favorite is this one:

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I didn't go last year, but that was due to having already blown through my comic budget in a fairly significant manner.

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Back to ACE, for those that attended -- @Drewsky and @KolmarAvenue for starters -- what did you think of Navy Pier as the venue?  I mean, I live here and I don't like going to Navy Pier at all.  It's a hassle fighting Lake Shore Drive traffic just to get down to the area, and then there's only one way in and out.  Seems terribly inconvenient from an access perspective for an event that will draw a significant crowd.

At least with C2E2, McCormick Place is right off of I-55, there's plenty of parking, and if you know the area there's several ways to avoid the inevitable jam ups on the exit for King Drive.

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2 minutes ago, mattn792 said:

Back to ACE, for those that attended -- @Drewsky and @KolmarAvenue for starters -- what did you think of Navy Pier as the venue?  I mean, I live here and I don't like going to Navy Pier at all.  It's a hassle fighting Lake Shore Drive traffic just to get down to the area, and then there's only one way in and out.  Seems terribly inconvenient from an access perspective for an event that will draw a significant crowd.

At least with C2E2, McCormick Place is right off of I-55, there's plenty of parking, and if you know the area there's several ways to avoid the inevitable jam ups on the exit for King Drive.

I totally agree. Navy Pier is a venue for tourists, staying in the area hotels. Last time I went there I got a parking ticket. I can't imagine it's easy for a comic dealer to set up either.I would think it's an expensive venue to rent for the promoter. IMO, a terrible choice.

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4 hours ago, mattn792 said:

Back to ACE, for those that attended -- @Drewsky and @KolmarAvenue for starters -- what did you think of Navy Pier as the venue?  I mean, I live here and I don't like going to Navy Pier at all.  It's a hassle fighting Lake Shore Drive traffic just to get down to the area, and then there's only one way in and out.  Seems terribly inconvenient from an access perspective for an event that will draw a significant crowd.

At least with C2E2, McCormick Place is right off of I-55, there's plenty of parking, and if you know the area there's several ways to avoid the inevitable jam ups on the exit for King Drive.

The venue location wasn't easy. Tough (and expensive) parking and then a healthy walk to get to the show floor, I'd have preferred an easier location but perhaps the folks who live in the city liked it. I'm in the northern suburbs and a decent # of people took the metra and then uber'd over. This show was certainly for fans of the big names for auto/photos in a boutique setting. As far as dealers, I'd say this is more of a merch show than a collectibles one. For me personally I'd have spent 3-5 hours at the show not counting panels or photo/auto opps.

Edited by KolmarAvenue
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4 minutes ago, KolmarAvenue said:

This show was certainly for fans of the big names for auto/photos in a boutique setting. As far as dealers, I'd say this is more of a merch show than a collectibles one. For me personally I'd have spent 3-5 hours at the show not counting panels or photo/auto opps.

Kind of sounds like what Wizard World is turning into.  I think I spent 4 hours there on Friday last year (didn't go this year, family wedding) and easily covered everything that I wanted to see on the show floor. 

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2 hours ago, mattn792 said:

... what did you think of Navy Pier as the venue?  I mean, I live here and I don't like going to Navy Pier at all.  It's a hassle fighting Lake Shore Drive traffic just to get down to the area, and then there's only one way in and out.  Seems terribly inconvenient from an access perspective for an event that will draw a significant crowd.

 

42 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

Former owners of Wizard.

These are exactly the two reasons I did not attend.  Mostly the convenience factor and congestion of Navy Pier... but knowing the type of show Wizard puts on these days really solidified this as a NO for me.

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