2012 C2E2: Ticket Sales Up 52%, Exhibit Space Up 50%

c2e2

CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2) EXHIBIT SPACE TO BE 50% LARGER THAN LAST YEAR

Ticket Sales up 52%

Norwalk, CT, March 12, 2012: Building on the growth and gains achieved in 2011, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) officials are projecting considerably greater growth in 2012. On Thursday, March 8, 2012, with just 35 days to go until show time, exhibit space was 50% ahead of sales at the equivalent time in 2011. In addition, as of Friday, March 9, 2012 overall ticket sales were up 52% compared to the equivalent time in 2011. For some of the leading publishers and exhibitors in the pop culture universe, including Marvel and DC, C2E2 is the only show in Chicago that they attend. Both of these publishers, as well as many other leading publishers and exhibitors, bring prominent guests and creators to the show to participate in panels and to meet the thousands of fans in attendance. Marvel has provided original artwork by Olivier Coipel for this year's official C2E2 poster which will feature The Avengers and X-Men in battle at Buckingham Fountain, a Chicago landmark in the center of Grant Park. Other notable exhibitors at C2E2 include: Archaia, Nerdist Industries, Top Cow, Valiant Entertainment, and Zenescope.

C2E2 is scheduled to take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

"From the very beginning our goal has been to create a massive pop culture event in Chicago serving the Midwest and beyond and we are well on our way to doing that," notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. "For some of the leading publishers C2E2 represents the only time they come to Chicago and I think the level of their participation in our show in terms of booth size, as well as their involvement by bringing celebrity guests and creators and arranging special events, indicates the excitement they feel at being here. We are looking forward to making Chicago a center for the pop culture universe for many years to come."

Convention officials note that while the show floor will be filled with exhibitors and merchandise, the show floor will be crammed with other activity for convention-goers, too. Over 400 artists have already signed up to participate in Artist Alley as compared to 248 in total last year, and other exhibitor hall features include Ink-Fusion, The Variant Stage, and Autographing. Ink-Fusion is the official tattoo organizer of C2E2, and they will once again be on hand and accepting appointments for some of their top tattoo artists. The Variant Stage provides a unique opportunity to see live entertainment on a continuous basis all day long for the entire three days of the show, including interactive programming, music, costume contests, and geek comedy performances. The Autographing Area will be a place fans can meet celebrity guests and creators and get signed photos and other merchandise.

Some guests who will be participating in signings or panels at C2E2 include: Neal Adams, Axel Alonso, John Barrowman, Anthony Daniels, Chris Hardwick, Charlaine Harris, Adam Hughes, Stephanie Izard, Tom Morello, and Joe Quesada, to name just a few!

Tickets for C2E2 may be purchased at www.c2e2.com. Other information about the show, as well as news about ReedPOP, is available at Lance Fensterman's blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration VI, Fantasy Football Fest, and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.