Details on the combining of NYCC and NYAF for 2010

On Friday, September 11, 2009, Lance Fensterman, one of the big guys of New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival, gives an explanation on the decision about combining New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con for 2010.

Even though the shows will be grouped together, Fensterman states that "Anime will have it’s own distinct place in this new mega con...The most important thing to us, and what I've always maintained, is that the Otaku at NYAF needed their own place, their own community so we started brainstorming on what was the best way to do that." In regards to having two shows 2 weeks apart and with all the ideas and brainstorming, it was decided to "run both events at the same time but give NYAF and its fans it’s distinct space and flavor. So that’s just what we plan to do."

So to all of you who are wondering how the physical space will be organized: "In 2010 New York Comic Con will have nearly every square foot of the Javits Center all to it’s self, which means we have to space to create an Anime world inside of NYCC...We think it’ll provide the best of both worlds to our fans, guests and exhibitors. In addition, NYAF will still have it’s own web site and tickets, though the NYCC and NYAF tickets will be “interchangeable” we felt it was important to show our commitment to NYAF keeping its own identity and the Otaku having there own community."

Check out his post NYAF and NYCC to Combine Forces - Why and What It Means for the Otaku for all the details.

So what do you think of this decision? Do you agree or disagree?

Below is the original press release about the combination~~~

NEW YORK COMIC CON
& NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL
CO-LOCATE IN 2010
TWO POP CULTURE CONVENTIONS TO JOINTLY
TAKE PLACE AT THE JACOB JAVITS CENTER

Norwalk, CT, September 10, 2009: Reed Exhibitions (RX), the organizers of the New York Comic Con (NYCC) and New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced that both shows will co-locate next year, with the 2010 installments of these events taking place at the same time and place, October 8-10, 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. New York Comic Con, which last took place February 6 – 8, 2009, is the second largest popular culture event in America as well as the second largest public event in NYC. Since its inception in 2006 the show has played host to some of the greatest and most popular celebrities, creators and artists in the pop culture world including Neal Adams, Brian Michael Bendis, Stephen Colbert, Neil Gaiman, Stan Lee, Grant Morrison, Alex Ross, Kevin Smith, Art Spiegelman, and Joss Whedon, to name just a few. The next New York Anime Festival is September 25-27, 2009 at the Jacob K. Javits Center and includes guests such as Yoshiyuki Tomino -- the Director of Mobile Suit Gundam -- and Yui Makino -- the voice of Sakura in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

“Our decision to co-locate NYAF with NYCC is the final installment of a strategic plan to place and sequence our pop culture events in a manner that best serves the needs of our fans and exhibitors,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President of the Reed Exhibitions Pop Culture Group. “We are launching the Chicago Comic and Entetainment Expo (C2E2) in April 2010, and we have moved NYCC to a permanent October date, thus providing a spring and fall balance to these two key events which will remain in place as we move forward. Rather than create a third date for NYAF, it was decided a co-location would be better for anime fans, professionals, exhibitors, and partners. We spoke to attendees and exhibitors of both shows before making this decision, and everyone agrees that this will provide an opportunity for both shows to further grow and prosper.”

The jointly-held New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival 2010 will occupy virtually the entire Jacob K. Javits Center in 2010. Both shows will maintain distinct guests and programming space and share a common show floor. And, more importantly for attendees, fans will be able to attend both shows for the price of one -- as a ticket to NYCC 2010 will also provide access to NYAF 2010 and vice versa. “Co-locating NYCC and NYAF provides value, pure and simple,” Fensterman concludes. “We want to reach as many people as possible and this is clearly the best way to serve our audience and grow our events at the same time.”

Updated on 10/06/09

Very Special Letter from Lance Fensterman, MediumatLarge.net, October 6, 2009