ReedPOP Announces New ‘Star Trek’ Con For DragonCon Weekend
What would happen if the promoter of the largest comic book convention in the U.S. (ReedPOP and New York Comic Con) decided to hold a Star Trek convention on the same weekend as one of the most popular nerd conventions in the country (DragonCon)? Would nerd brains explode? Well, we are going to find out.
Today ReedPOP announced that it was partnering with CBS Consumer Products to launch Star Trek: Mission New York, to run Sept. 2-4, 2016 — which happens to be Labor Day weekend this year and therefore the same weekend as nerd mecca, Atlanta’s DragonCon. The press release has no information on what guests the new Star Trek: Mission New York will have, or pricing or really anything except how the first ever Star Trek convention was in New York, so it is like coming home, right?
However, since ReedPOP also runs all the Penny Arcade Expos, and the Star Wars Celebration event every year, it is likely that it will put that considerable weight of experience into getting the best Star Trek guests it can. This could spell trouble for DragonCon when it comes to getting Star Trek guests for its well-established Trek Track of content.
Check out the entire press release yourself at the link above, our pasted below. Let’s hope this doesn’t devolve into a fight, but if it does let me be the first to say it will be khan-versus-khan.
[divider]
CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND REEDPOP JOIN FORCES TO BRING STAR TREK FAN FEST BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL HOME WITH LAUNCH OF STAR TREK: MISSION NEW YORK
All New Fan Experience Returns to Birthplace of Star Trek Convention September 2-4, 2016 at the Javits Center to Celebrate 50thAnniversary of the Franchise
NEW YORK, January 25, 2016 – CBS Consumer Products and ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, are teaming up to launch an all-new original Star Trek fan experience in the birthplace of the Star Trek convention with Star Trek: Mission New York in 2016.
This three-day event will be the ultimate destination for Star Trek fans, filled with interactive exhibits, exclusive merchandise, celebrity guests, panels, screenings and much more. Its creation adds to a year filled with Star Trek events and experiences celebrating the franchise’s milestone 50th anniversary. Star Trek: Mission New York will take place September 2-4 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Additional details about the event including ticket sales, hotel information, guests and exhibitors will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.StarTrekMissions.com and the Star Trek: Mission New York social media pages (Facebook, Twitterand Instagram).
The arrival of Star Trek: Mission New York marks the return of the Star Trek fan fest to the Big Apple. The first Star Trek convention, which helped spark the fast-growing experiential fan event industry, took place January 21-23, 1972 at the Statler Hotel – now the Hotel Pennsylvania. Originally planned for 500 guests, the event became an instant blockbuster with more than 3,000 in attendance. ReedPOP, global experts at producing and curating the world’s best fan experiences, will develop a unique program that will entertain and engage thousands of Star Trek fans for a new and different stand-alone experience.
“Star Trek fans set the gold standard of what these type of experiential events are all about, truly establishing this industry that we’ve been so proud to be a part of,” said Lance Fensterman, Global Senior Vice President of ReedPOP. “Star Trek: Mission New York will be a completely unique fan event unlike anything seen before, giving them the chance to go beyond panels and autograph signings, and immerse themselves in the Star Trek universe.”
Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products, added, “There has never been a better time to be a Star Trek fan than right now with the 50th anniversary celebration on tap. Star Trek: Mission New York will celebrate everything going on in the Star Trek universe, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring it back to the birthplace of the original Star Trek convention and do so with a partner like ReedPOP.”
Since ReedPOP’s first event in 2006, the sold out New York Comic Con, the group has sought to dually produce exceptional experiences for passionate audiences and grow the industries surrounding these passions, and this philosophy has led to burgeoning attendance, the support of major creators and publishers, and partnerships with leading entertainment brands including Lucasfilm (Star Wars Celebration), UFC (UFC Fan Expo), Twitch (TwitchCon) and Penny Arcade (PAX).
In recent years, ReedPOP has turned its attention internationally, recognizing new pop culture audiences emerging throughout the world, where it has produced once-in-a-lifetime experiences for these fans and connected exhibitors to hungry, unexplored markets. ReedPOP’s global events have been set in London, Shanghai, Paris, Vienna, Germany, India, Jakarta, Singapore, and the company planted its biggest global flag in Australia.
