May 30, 2006

New York Comic-Con announces expanded venue for 2007

Convention Officials to Double Size of Show in Prime Location

Norwalk, CT, May 30, 2006: Organizers of New York Comic-Con, which had its debut at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Center in February '06, have announced that the show will double in size and will move to an upstairs location at the Javits Center for '07. This will be the first time that a comics convention in New York City has occupied such premium space. Convention officials note that New York Comic-Con will now take place on the 3rd floor of the Javits Center which is generally regarded as prime venue space at the convention facility. A trade as well as consumer event which focuses on comics and all matters relating to comics and associated fields, New York Comic-Con garnered considerable attention when it was launched in February '06. The show's opening marked the first return to New York City for a comics convention after a long absence, and legions of fans numbering over 33,000 supporters turned out for the show. This year, New York Comic-Con will take place on February 23rd, 24th, and 25th.

"Our principal concern ever since our first show has been how we might comfortably accommodate the many thousands of fans who so enthusiastically support and participate in New York Comic-Con," notes Greg Topalian, Group Vice President in charge of Launch Pad for Reed Exhibitions. "While we had certainly hoped for a large turn out last year, we were overwhelmed by the popular response. This year, we are eager to do everything in our power to avoid any discomfort or delay in providing quality entertainment for this audience."

Organizers note that the upstairs location can accommodate twice as many exhibitors and many of the aisles will also be twice as wide which will afford easy access for the many attendees. The lobby, which also houses the registration area, will be five times bigger than the lobby in '06 and there will be twice as many registration counters. There will also be longer show hours, two entrances to the show floor, and separate registration lines for pre-registration and on-site ticket purchases. In addition, exhibitor and professional badges will be mailed in advance this year eliminating an estimated 8,000 badge "pick ups" in the registration area just before the show. Show officials are quick to point out, however, that even with these measures to ease congestion, attendees are strongly encouraged to buy their tickets in advance. Lower price tickets will be available for all pre-registration purchases vs. the on-site purchase price for a ticket. Organizers note that exhibitors are also encouraged to sign up fast as space in the new location is at a premium.

New York Comic-Con has been scheduled so as not to overlap with any other show dates, including MegaCon.

Tickets for New York Comic-Con will go on sale on August 1st 2006 at www.nycomiccon.com. Or, visit www.nycomiccon.com immediately to sign up to receive a reminder alert as soon as ticket sales are live! Exhibitor sales inquiries for New York Comic-Con should be directed to Larry Settembrini at (203) 840-5321 or [email protected]. Press inquiries should be directed to: Roger Bilheimer at (203) 966-0792 or [email protected].

New York Comic-Con is managed by Reed Exhibitions (RX), a division of Reed Elsevier plc. Reed Exhibitions, the world's largest organizer of business-to-business events. Each year Reed events assemble over 90,000 suppliers and over 5.5 million buyers from around the world. Today, over 460 Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 33 fully staffed offices. Reed's portfolio of events serves 52 industries worldwide. BookExpo America is one of many Reed Elsevier properties within the Reed Global Book Publishing Network, whose trade events include the Asia International Book Fair, London International Book Fair, Salon du Livre: Paris Book Fair, Tokyo International Book Fair and BookExpo Canada, and whose Reed Business Information (RBI) properties include Publishers Weekly, Variety Magazine, Playthings, Video Business, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a world-leading business and information provider, Reed offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet over a database of more than 9 million.

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