For months, we have seen this image from Salt Lake Comic Con, letting us all know that FanX was coming back in 2015, and today, they made it official by letting us know the dates and beginning the tickets sales. One thing I have always liked about Salt Lake Comic Con and their Fan Xperience is that they have always tried to be fan centric. In my experience of attending the cons, I have seen the folks running it reply and respond quickly to any kind of negative fan feedback. Looking at what is coming for FanX 2015, or at least what we learned today, I would say that trend is continuing. They are really building an event that is centered on the fans in almost every way. There were 3 big takeaways for me that illustrated this point.
1. Tickets and Event Entry
This could really be two different things, but I thought I would bundle it here. If there was one thing that I saw more feedback about on the SLCC Facebook page, it was tickets and entering the con. The first day of September’s SLCC was a mess, and the organizers got that. They honestly dropped the ball, and they know we deserve better. With FanX, the wristbands will have RFID in them. This is high-tech stuff. Like Disney World high-tech stuff. I mean, if you are wanting to find solutions to getting a large crowd through your front doors quickly, why not look to the most visited theme park in the world? With the new RFID wristbands, if you purchase your tickets prior to some yet to be announced date in January, then you will receive the wristbands in the mail. No need to go down and register early somewhere, or show up and register day of. Your done, once you receive the wristband, and then it should get you through the door with a quick scan. How is that for a response to all the concerns from September? If this works like they are planning, it will be pretty slick.
The other big complaint was the cost of tickets, especially Gold and V.I.P. They have addressed this too, by putting them on sale right out of the gates. Right now, you can buy a V.I.P. pass for $125- a full 50 % off. Same percentage off for Gold and MultiPass. Oh, and were you one of the folks that did not get a T-shirt last time, but still paid for a VIP or Gold pass? They addressed that too. No more T-shirts, instead, you get a voucher for FanX stuff.
I have seen a few comments on Facebook about the service fees associated with the passes. Welcome to purchasing tickets and passes online. The service fees for a MultiPass and Gold Pass are pretty comparable to September, and now you don’t have to pre-register.
If you are looking at buying tickets now (and I would recommend it) then just click on the VIP pass above, and it will take you to the ticketing page.
2. The Date of the Event
Remember that poll they had a while back? Asking when or if we wanted a FanX in 2015? They took your feedback, and that is what decided that the event would take place at the end of January. I know a lot of folks wanted the April event or wanted no FanX so they could concentrate on one big event. It looks like the majority of people wanted it in January, which is awesome, I think. What else do you have going on in January? They couldn’t please everybody, but hopefully those of you who wanted it in April will not stay away. I am curious to see how it goes in January, and I am hoping this will be a permanent spot for the event. Plus now my wife knows what to get me for Christmas (wink, wink)
3. The Guests
I saw a lot of requests on the Facebook page for more Harry Potter, more Star Wars and more Firefly. And who do they announce? Guests from Harry Potter, Star Wars and Firefly, not to mention Christopher Lloyd, who was supposed to be here in September, but couldn’t make it due to a filming conflict. Now he is back in January. Plus, I mean, Princess Leia? Can you get anymore big time than that? This is totally a great beginning line up, and I am excited to see who they announce in the coming weeks. There have been other initial announcements that were a little disappointing, but this was killer, I thought.
All in all, I think it was a successful press conference, and I am excited about the majority of what was announced there. I feel like they really are trying to put together a great event for fans. There will always be people who will not be happy, but you have to give them credit for taking the feedback and trying to respond.
