On May 7th, 2006 the first Calgary Comic Expo took place. Over the next few years it slowly grew, drawing comic creators and artists as well as celebrities like George Takei, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, William Shatner and Kevin Sorbo. Over the past four years it has truly exploded, bringing in many major names in the comic, anime, animation, and voice world, in addition to major names like Sigourney Weaver, Bruce Campbell and cast members from popular current shows and movies like The Walking Dead, The Hobbit and Sons of Anarchy. It has been a roller coaster for the organizers as the event has grown to draw nearly 100,000 people to the Stampede Grounds each year.
"It is pretty fantastic – I am not going to lie. It is a really great feeling that so many people have pulled together for so many years to make this thing absolutely amazing. Of course it wouldn’t have been possible without Kandrix Fong. This was his brainchild and baby all the way," Lindsay Thomas, known as Emily Expo, told GayCalgary.com. She volunteered shortly after the 2010 show and eventually became a full-time member of the staff. Seeing the show grow from one hall to the entire grounds, and expansion into Edmonton and Saskatoon, has been an amazing experience, but also had its growing pains, including 2012 when the convention was slammed with more people than expected.
"The 2012 year was a big eye opener for us in terms of seeing how big this thing could be. Obviously there were a lot of crowd control issues, and way more people than had been anticipated came down to the show, and we realized we needed to make some major changes. With that came the thought that maybe there was some potential in other areas like Edmonton and Saskatoon. We had always worked quite closely with the fire department and Stampede and we increased those efforts the following year, as well as looking at what we could do in other cities as an expansion plan."
There was a time in the 1980s to early 2000s when the concept of a ‘comic convention’ was relegated to stars who hadn’t been active in film or TV in awhile and were known more for their past glory. An actor the level of a Patrick Stewart or Sigourney Weaver would have been unheard of. The current incarnation of the entertainment cons around the world is a whole different story, with current actors meeting fans.
"Absolutely the whole culture has changed quite drastically. A lot of that has to do with the way the attitude has changed towards our demographic. It’s not shameful to be a nerd or a geek; it is something to be celebrated and we are all very proud of it. All of us at the office are all nerds and geeks in our own respective ways, and interests, and passions. It is something we are very happy about. The general population no longer sees it as a bunch of anti-social people in their mom’s basement just kind of crawling out of the woodwork once a year – and that is not what it is. That is a terrible stereotype that I hope we have helped to kibosh in a way. So now we are seeing the general public going Oh wow this is really neat! I want to be a part of it. That goes not just for the attendees, but anybody who decides to give these shows a chance," Emily said, adding that agents, artists and actors also have a different perspective. "When they see just how wonderful the fans are that makes a really big difference. Calgary is notorious for having great fans that are welcoming and hospitable, and all these wonderful words have been used in terms of our show internally and externally."
Everyone has favourite guests, and working for the Expo doesn’t exclude you from that.
"Sigourney Weaver was a big one for me. She is somebody that I have looked up to growing up. I loved Ripley. I love what she has done with her career. To have the chance to tell her the impact – not only that she had on my life, but the lives of people around the world – I thought it was quite powerful for me. That is somebody that was a very good one. Over the years we have had some amazing guests, and have some incredible guests this year. It is going to be a great time," she said, adding the top of her wish list is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Another favourite guest was Leonard Nimoy, who retired from appearances after the 2010 Calgary Expo. His passing in February added the sombre realization that events like the Calgary Expo are often fans’ one and only chance to meet influences.
"It definitely made the entire thing a little more... I don’t want to say sombre, but you certainly give it a little bit more consideration and thought. Life is short... Leonard is someone that I am very honoured to have met and I am very happy that we had him here. That is what initially drew me to the show, was Leonard Nimoy and Malcolm McDowell. These shows really do provide a great outlet for fans to be able to meet their heroes – even if only once."
The Expo has had many one of a kind events over the last few years: 2012’s full cast reunion of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 2013’s "Weird Al" Yankovic concert and signing and appearance by Nathan Fillion, and 2014’s Aliens full cast reunion are just some of the major events that have happened. The Calgary Expo has lucked out into landing guests that have not appeared elsewhere on the circuit such as Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage. Because of those opportunities, the Expo has in some ways set the bar so high that some people will not be satisfied with anything short of a full Avengers’ cast attending the event. Despite a stellar line up that features actors from current shows like Arrow, The Flash, and The Walking Dead; top name wrestling stars like Mick Foley, Trish Stratus and Lita; the first ever appearance together of Ian Ziering and Tara Reid (Sharknado); and the queens from Once Upon A Time, there have been several vocal fans complaining.
"It is very hard not to take it personally actually. We put 150 per cent into every year –whether it is the sixth year, eighth year, tenth year or twentieth year. We always put all of our effort into creating an amazing line up each year. What I have been telling the fans is we have these amazing opportunities like TNG, Aliens, Torchwood, Peter Dinklage. We would be very wrong not to take those opportunities and I think fans would be very upset if they thought we were turning away those opportunities just because we didn’t think we would be able to match it the following year. It is very important to remember that things like TNG and Aliens. Yes, they are awesome, but they are not the norm. If you look at other shows and their line ups you will realize that it is a very rare thing that you will get these things happening. Peter Dinklage has yet to appear at another convention in North America. There has yet to be another TNG event that has everybody, including Wil Wheaton. Sigourney has appeared at New York and us; that’s it. There are things that we have done that have been absolutely amazing, but are not the norm. They are the exception. That said, we keep trying right up until the show to do our best to make the fans happy, and we never stop."
Often it is simply a case of the stars aligning that everyone is available or a name is free. As working actors, the priority becomes projects they are filming and, as such, availability is key. An example is Bruce Campbell, who was on the request list every year but the Expo coincided with the filming of the TV show Burn Notice. When the show ended, Campbell was available and appeared at the 2014 Expo.
"Availability is number one; are they available? Unfortunately when the expectation is something like The Avengers cast or Harrison Ford, or whomever, you are dealing with some mega availability issues. Avengers 2 opens a few weeks after our show so that means press tours. A lot of the people that fans are demanding or asking for are people that are extremely busy with their careers, not only in filming, but with promotional tours. It is not a matter of just picking up the phone and saying Hey. I know you are not doing anything this weekend, do you want to come up to Calgary? It doesn’t work that way unfortunately. Believe me, if fans are thinking we haven’t tried for Tom Hiddleston, Robert Downey Jr. or Gary Oldman, and these types of people, they would be sorely mistaken. That is what I spend a large chunk of my time doing, is contacting these people and trying to get them to come. Rarely has it been they don’t want to do it; it’s been they are filming, busy, ‘really sorry can’t do it’."
One of the biggest challenges with any convention is cancellation. In recent weeks both The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and Arrow’s Brandon Routh cancelled their appearances, disappointing fans who were excited to meet them.
"Definitely we have to stay positive. The second you get into an atmosphere where you are whining and complaining to each other, then everything goes downhill and you don’t have the positive energy to be able to manage these situations. We knew when we heard that Norman was no longer able to come to the show that people would be unhappy. We knew that going into it, but we also know that is part of the convention business and it happens to every show everywhere. There will be cancellations; it is convention life. We bite the bullet and are honest with the fans, and do our best to bring people in right up to the show. We also try and highlight other parts of the show that are really cool to see, like the Artists’ Alley and the vendors. If you go with an open mind you will have a really good time. People who are there solely for the celebrities, it can be a gamble because their schedules can change at the last minute. We’ve got that right on the website that cancellations and changes do happen and we can’t guarantee 100 per cent that any guest will ever make it."
Until she walked on stage at Aliens: EXPOsed there was the possibility and fear that Sigourney Weaver wouldn’t make it. When they do arrive it is a sigh of relief for organizers.
"That is part of the stress of a job like this; you can book somebody amazing and once they are booked and it’s official it is exciting. There is that fear of Oh my god, what if they have to cancel? What do we do? These are all risky things that we have to take into consideration as promoters, but we don’t let fear stop us from trying to do our best. We are fortunate to have had these great line ups. Believe me, Norman was not happy he had to cancel. It wasn’t a flippant Oh, I am not going to go now. That is never how it has worked for any cancellation."
Pricing for autographs and photos is also often out of their control.
"It is dictated to us so we don’t have a ton of pull in that regard."
One of the things that the Expo staff strives for is to give fans an experience that they cannot have anywhere else. Past years have included a Princess Bride themed photo op with Cary Elwes and Chris Sarandon, a Terminator cast photo op with Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Robert Patrick and Kristanna Loken, and the large cast photos with casts from Lord of the Rings, Aliens and Star Trek: TNG. This year is no exception, offering photo ops with 90210’s Luke Perry, Jason Priestly and Ian Ziering; Ziering and Tara Reid; and Perry and Kristy Swanson of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Fans of TV shows will get the opportunity for photos with cast members of Arrow, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.¬, Once Upon a Time and The Walking Dead.
"I always try and look for different opportunities that the fans would enjoy, and [that] hasn’t happened anywhere else. Luke and Kristy, and Ian and Tara, haven’t appeared at a show together. Not everybody is a fan of Sharknado but those that are will find that really cool to get a picture with them. That is why the line up is so diverse, because we know not everyone is a Buffy fan or Game of Thrones fan. We want to bring in people from all different corners of pop culture. If everybody has at least one or two people they are interested in seeing then I am happy and we have done a good job."
At times it can be too much of a good thing, with so many options and limited budgets, choosing your photos or autographs can be difficult.
"It is definitely a pick your poison type of thing. Right now the demand is for more and more and more, but there is something to be said for having it be more in line with what standard conventions would offer, because it is more sensible for everybody. Either way, there will be people who are unhappy no matter what we do, so we just keep doing our absolute best."
It is clear when speaking to Thomas that she is very excited for this year.
"I am really excited for Lana Parrilla, the evil queen from Once Upon a Time. It is a wonderful character. I love the show and character and she hasn’t appeared at a show in Canada before, so that is another unique guest. Skeet Ulrich: I love the Scream movies; they are some of my favourites and he was a big deal for me growing up, so it is pretty cool having him at the show. There are a lot of great guests this year and I think if people would kind of forget about the Avengers thing for a moment, and focus on the fact that these are people that I will be able to meet and it’s a once in a lifetime thing, I can go and have fun anyway, then they will realize they can go and have fun anyway! It doesn’t have to be all about the star power."
With ten years of amazing memories, incredible guests, and its share of challenges and successes, the Comic Expo is something special – but they are not resting on their laurels. There are lots of opportunities to continue to grow in Edmonton and Saskatoon and perfect the Expo experience for everyone.
"I am more interested in making the show better, not necessarily bigger. I want us to perfect things like line control, prop policies – I want us to be the very best in what we do. We are really maxed out for space in Calgary. Now that we have hit that ceiling, as it were, there are a lot of things internally that we can improve on to make the Expo experience better for fans, which is important. We definitely expanded on a lot of areas. Our outdoor areas, kid zone, and Thursday night preview night is going to be pretty rockin’. There are different ways we have tried to make it more spectacular. Come down and have an amazing time; it is going to be an awesome show."
