Los Angeles Comic-Con plans to move forward with their in-person event, but not until December.
LACC introduced plans for a number of COVID-19 safety measures that will be in place during the new convention dates, December 11-13. It was previously scheduled for September 25-27.
Chris DeMoulin, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment (LACC’s parent company) said organizers are actively monitoring the pandemic situation and making changes to ensure participants’ safety.
“At L.A. Comic Con 2020 attendees and participants will have the chance to experience a fun and safe event, complete with some of the biggest and best names in the entertainment industry, along with a handpicked selection of panels, events, exhibitors, artists, costume contests, and meet and greet opportunities. Organizers will continue to monitor the development of the current pandemic and plan to release tickets and further details for LACC 2020 after Labor Day Weekend,” said DeMoulin.
What safety measures will LACC have?
In addition to increased cleaning of convention facilities, LACC announced the following plans to operate the event safely.
1. All attendees must wear face masks.
2. Capacity will be drastically reduced to allow for social distancing.
LACC added West and Petree halls to the convention space, giving them 850,000 sq feet of indoor room to work with. On top of the added space, fewer tickets will be sold. The new ticket cap is 12,000 per session – about a third of normal capacity. Waiting will be socially distanced, too. LACC also added over 400,000 sq ft of space inside and outside to allow lines to have the necessary distancing.
3. The Con setup is different.
The Main Stage moves to West Hall, allowing a 3,000 person capacity with social distancing. The vendor area will feature spaced-out booths and one-way aisles.
There will be a digital experience…but not like SDCC
San Diego Comic-Con (now running through July 26) moved to a completely virtual event this year. All SDCC panels are available free to stream to the public – no pass required.
LACC will go digital too – but only for those who buy a pass. An LACC ticket includes a digital pass which will allow the user to watch panels virtually.
Of course, with COVID-19 making everything so uncertain, LACC may change again.
“While we believe strongly that the steps outlined will allow us to put on a safe event, if at ANY TIME we receive guidance from the City or County authorities which indicates that isn’t possible, we will reschedule the dates into 2021,” DeMoulin said.
Source: ComicBook
