Wow. I am still taken aback by what we were all a part of. The turnout to the Salt Lake Comic Con was tremendous. Seeing the carpet on the floor was a rare site, while seeing amazing costumes was not. For three days the Salt Palace was jam packed with people geeking out. This con wasn’t just a big deal for local fans of all things comics, but for the Salt Lake Valley. According to the Governor’s office this was the largest convention ever held in Utah. Our first year we rivaled some of the biggest comic conventions in the nation.Because of this there were some hiccups, but nothing catastrophic. Even the long lines it didn’t seem to get most of the attendees down. In the same sentence we would hear, “I just waited for two hours to get in here and it is so awesome!”
There was lots to do, and even more to check out. If you didn’t want to wait in line for a signature there were tons of vendors with amazing stuff to buy. If you didn’t feel like spending cash you could attend one of the panels. Or maybe take a photo with one of the many cosplay groups there. The Ghostbusters of Salt Lake and the 501st had a huge presence.
Here is what the official Salt Lake Comic Con had to say in response to the event:
According to fire marshalls and Salt Palace Convention personnel we had 70-80,000 people attend Saturday which makes 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con the largest 1st year Comic Con in the nation.
The Governor’s office tells us we had the largest convention of any kind in the State of Utah.You were a part of history. Next year Salt Lake Comic Con will rival San Diego, thanks to you.
There were some glitches, without a doubt. We will make sure that next year, things will be better in every way.
When Stan Lee tells you at the last minute he’s willing to come to Salt Lake City for your first Comic Con, do you say, “Sorry Stan, we don’t have enough time to plan for your participation.”
When Adam West and William Shatner tell you in the last week that they will agree for the first time in history to be on stage together, do you say, “Sorry Gods of Geeks, we don’t have enough time to plan for this.”
We did the best we could. And we hope that you, our fans, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, guests will look at the best that we did, rather than the worst. You’ll find whatever you’re looking for.
Thanks again for making this a super fun, record breaking event.
Those are some big numbers. Thanks to all of those that stopped by and said, “Hello.” And a special thanks to all the cosplayers that let us take their picture to post up on the site. We have shared some in our posts about Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. For all of our pictures of the cosplayers visit our FaceBook page. Oh, and of course go check out our audio recording of Stan Lee’s Q and A. We will definitely see you all at next year’s Comic Con in Salt Lake City.
