In a normal year, the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan would now be preparing for throngs of attendees looking to take part in the annual New York Comic Con celebration of pop culture. However, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing the cancellation of all kinds of large gatherings, the convention made the decision to go entirely virtual.
"We're a global company that runs global events, so we really wanted to take the tactic of: 'New York Comic Con is truly for everybody this year'," said Kristina Rogers, event director for ReedPOP, the company combining the New York convention with the MCM London Convention in a single online event dubbed Metaverse.
"It's been an interesting exercise in creativity, but such a fun project to take on," she said.
Some celebrities who will be appearing at this online event include names like Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Daniel Dae Kim, Lupita Nyong'o, Jodie Whittaker, and Neil Gaiman, according to Rogers, along with a variety of panels and screenings that make up the typical content at a pop culture convention.
"There are live chat and community features that are going to be open and running all weekend to really help fans give a sense of togetherness," Rogers added.
Part of that experience will also be featured in the virtual meet-and-greets. Typically, events like New York Comic Con would feature artist tables, autograph booths, and live panels where celebrities, creators, and other media figures would have an opportunity to connect with their fans and followers. This year, they're planning to bring that experience online.
"You purchase your meet-and-greet experience, and then you get a link to a private Zoom," explained Rogers. "And you're basically just hanging out with the celebrity of your choice for about five minutes."
She also explained there will be other paid panel opportunities that will further "replicate the autographing experience on the show floor," and will be downloadable so participants can keep them for posterity.
Forging a sense of community for 2020 is a challenge within a virtual space, but ReedPOP's event director said that they looked very closely at using YouTube's features and creating an interactive website at FindTheMetaverse.com to help foster "togetherness," including a virtual show floor, a normally pandemic-unfriendly, immensely crowded common area of merchandise hawkers and exhibitions in real life, that goes live on Thursday.
However, one feature of a live comic book convention that Rogers described as a hurdle to add to the virtual festivities was the cosplay, the act of dressing up as favorite figures in pop culture.
"This was the biggest challenge for us to figure out how to replicate and one of the most important ones because cosplay is next level at New York Comic Con," she said. "So the team has moved our cosplay competition digital and with a really great focus on how to make this feature shine in a completely different way." She also pointed out casual cosplay meetups throughout the weekend to also put a spotlight on the community's creativity.
Rogers also noted FindTheMetaverse.com will feature a virtual tribute that fans can add to in honor of Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther actor who recently passed away from cancer.
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