Already a behemoth event, New York Comic Con grew to even greater proportions this year, gaining 20,000 visitors to push attendance to more than 200,000. Produced by ReedPOP, a division of Reed Expositions USA, the convention took place from October 5 to 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. As in previous years, organizers deployed venues such as the Hammerstein Ballroom and the Theater at Madison Square Garden to handle overflow. Lincoln Center and B.B. King Blues Club & Grill also hosted events this year, and other spots were home to live podcasts, concerts, and celebrity appearances.
Among the networks and brands that took part in the show with creative, interactive activations were USA Network, which created an intricate pre-Comic Con screening of Mr. Robot; the introduction of a game by Schick Hydro, in the company's first appearance at the event; an HBO activation for which guests needed appointments that could only be secured by following social media; and much more.
Here's a handful of the clever pre-show evening events, as well as activations and pop-ups at New York Comic Con.
On October 5, Classic Car Club at Hudson River Park's 1 Pier 76 was the site of a party to celebrate the release of Artemis, a new Audible audiobook set on the site of the first lunar colony. The event featured a recreated, internally lit moon, which was created by covering white linen with NASA surface images of the moon. Guests including astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and actress Rosario Dawson, who narrates the book and read at the event, attempted to "lift" the moon for a photo op.
Playfully acknowledging perhaps its most iconic program, Nickelodeon featured an ode to Spongebob Squarepants with a fabricated version of his pineapple home. The trade show floor booth at the Javits Center was created by Glow Media and Marketing.
The event, created by Civic, included astronaut figures and a hallway where the walls displayed quotes from Audible books.
In advance of the popular series' season three premiere, media and guests were invited on October 5 to an elaborately staged screening of the first episode at Terminal 5. Costumed talent hired for the event approached guests and asked, "Do you want to be enlightened?" Those who said yes were rewarded with stickers or messages to locate items such as event swag. The "enlightened" recruiters also told guests when to reveal flags that were inspired by the show. The event was created by HudsonGray and BBQ Films.
Wearing "F Society" masks—an element from the show—a band led a chant before the screening, while guests were bathed in red lighting.
Artists were hired to paint a mural of New York City, which is where the show takes place.
To debut its inaugural video game, Schick Hydro took part in the convention for the first time. On the show floor, using a Hydro 5 razor as a controller, visitors could try their hand at the game, where fans were given five minutes to compete head-to-head as virtual barbers in intergalactic space against fellow fans to “shave” various superhero-inspired facial hair styles.
The activation—which was created by the experiential design team at Edelman, a public relations agency—included a lounge where guests could get a shave; a "Hydrobot" was nearby for photo ops.
For its Westworld series, a science-fiction western about an amusement park populated by androids, HBO hosted an activation at a Midtown Manhattan art gallery during the convention. Vintage weaponry and the actual costumes of key characters from the series were on display.
Flanked by two hostesses, a piano similar to the one featured at the Mariposa Saloon—a key location in the show—played iconic songs from the series. HBO Marketing created the experience, in conjunction with Campfire and Kilter Films. Visitors only could see the offering after visiting the appointment desk, which appeared in a new location every day. The site of the desk was revealed each morning on Westworld's Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Freeform's activation space—located across the street from the Javits Center and created by Grandesign—included a replica of the Jade Wolf restaurant featured in Shadowhunters. Fans could take photos and receive a fortune cookie from the restaurant counter for a chance to win a poster or T-shirt in a Chinese food box.
Also at the Freeform activation space, a live, evil-looking mermaid was immersed in a 50,000-gallon tank of water to generate excitement for the network's new series Siren, coming in March. Â
Debuting on Freeform next year, the series Marvel's Cloak and Dagger—based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same names—was spotlighted with a black and white pop-up bodega where fans could try their luck with tarot cards. A black light shone on the cards revealed what prizes fans won.
In honor of the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney and Lucasfilm collaborated with Campbell Soup Company on a new series of soup labels. Union Square Group and designer Frederick Anderson built an interactive structure that featured a character from the film made entirely out of the limited-edition Campbell’s Star Wars soup cans. It sat on the streets of Manhattan, a few blocks away from the Javits Center.
A recreation of "Dangerboat," a talking vessel that's a character on the show Tick, was available for guests to "ride" on the show's main floor. The AI excursion included an actor's voice making comments on the journey.
While in line for the Dangerboat Experience, fans were greeted with quirky, erroneous sayings in keeping with what might be said by Tick, the show's funny superhero.
Created by NVE The Experience Agency, which produced all of Amazon Prime's activations, the interior build out of Dragonboat included a cockpit-type environment, where guests could touch the equipment to feel a greater connection to the show. The activation included customized promotional items, lighting effects, emergency alarms, and more.
Based on the podcast of the same name, Lore tells the stories that led to today’s myths and legends; the podcast launched today, October 13. Spooky posters on the activation's exterior provided a sense of place. The event was held in the Javits Center's North Concourse.
One of three rooms that comprised the activation, "the Unveiled" featured haunted mirrors that told the stores of troubled spirits looking to make contact with the human world.
