Mexico City Comic Con to Launch Next Year

July 12, 2018

Mexico City will soon have its very own fan event for comics, pop culture, cosplay, anime, K-Pop, gaming and entertainment.

Set to debut March 21-24 at the Pepsi Center, WTC, the inaugural Mexico City Comic Con will offer Latin American fans a plethora of features to get excited about, including 200 exhibits, original content with creators, publishers and authors in several tracks of programming, and entertainment including Q&A sessions, live bands and pavilions with interactive activities such as RPG play, card gaming tournaments, video gaming and anime content.

Produced in collaboration by H.A. Bruno Events (formerly Grupo MFV Mexico), MAD Event Management and Pepsi Center WTC, the new show is expected to draw attendees from Mexico, other Latin American countries and the U.S. 

“I’m excited to embark on the next phase of what has been a long and successful career in the event industry,” said Steve Ianuzzi, H.A. Bruno Events. “Our ability to leverage relationships, assets and develop an outstanding comic convention experience in Mexico is unparalleled (and) we have a long-standing relationship with the Pepsi Center, WTC, Marty Glynn and Martha Donato at MAD.”

According to Marty Glynn, CEO of MAD Event Management, which also owns and operates several pop culture conventions including Long Beach Comic Expo and Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, CA; New Jersey Comic Expo in Edison, NJ and Comic Creators Conference (C3), in Long Beach and Havana, Cuba, the new Mexico City show will not only provide MAD with the opportunity to expand upon the success of its Long Beach shows but also delve into a major market of more than 20 million people.

We are grateful for Steve Ianuzzi at H.A. Bruno Mexico for approaching us about the Mexico City opportunity,” Glynn said. “We’ll also continue to emphasize the creative communities in both regions – the audience at Long Beach is approximately 30 percent Hispanic so we feel comfortable in this space.”

He continued, “Additionally, we’re excited to be positioned with the Pepsi Center WTC whose vision for this event, and the ability to see the long-range opportunities with a partnership of this type. It’s been a goal for (us) to collaborate with a facility in this way. The ownership at Pepsi Center WTC are a group who are willing to be an incubator partner, which is still a unique relationship in the trade show industry. We’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
 

In the meantime, MAD will be identifying and inviting key exhibitors and partners to participate in Mexico City Comic Con at no cost in order to ensure a low risk/high reward experience at the inaugural event, Glynn added. 

“We’ve been working with Steve Ianuzzi at H.A. Bruno Events and Ed Kelley at Pepsi Center WTC to put together an amazing event in Mexico City,” said Martha Donato, president of MAD Event Management.

She continued, “This is a dream project for us given the size, scope and caliber of the team we’ve assembled in Mexico and our plans for producing an internationally oriented event. We’re thrilled to be working with this incredible group of professionals.”

 

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.