Emerald City Comic Con have taken measures regarding the impending and escalating Coronavirus outbreak, giving attendees the opportunity to get full refunds for their tickets should they opt to not attend the event which takes place 12th – 15th March and is headlined by the Back to the Future cast and Mark Ruffalo.
Since its inception, fans have comprised the very core of Emerald City Comic Con and all of Reedpop. We speak daily (and at great length!) about how to always put our fans first in everything we do. The evolving situation with the COVID-19 virus and developments in and around the city of Seaמּle have most certainly been at the forefront of our minds as Emerald City Comic Con approaches. Our customer base is central to all Reedpop decisions, and this scenario is no different. We value all of your voices and the spectrum of feedback that we have been receiving. Knowing that no two fans are alike, we have decided to make an exception to our no refunds ticket policy for our fans who are unable or uncomfortable aמּending Emerald City Comic Con in light of current events.
We here at Reedpop remain dedicated to running Emerald City Comic Con but understand that not everyone will be comfortable with that decision; if you wish to forgo aמּending this year’s edition of Emerald City Comic Con, we absolutely respect your wishes and will refund your ticket purchase (details on just how to do this will be on our website).
We are commiמּed to following the enhanced cleaning guidelines, precautions and procedures that we recently deployed at our PAX East event in Boston and C2E2 in Chicago. We also insist that all fans, guests and exhibitors adhere to good sense and all protocols as suggested by the CDC. We are fully prepared to adjust our plans as the situation in and around Seaמּle develops.
We are following – and will remain in compliance with – all city, state and federal guidelines. If the direction from federal, state or local official public health authorities does change between now and the show, we will adhere to that guidance, act upon it immediately, and update you.
We recognize that not everyone will agree with our decision: it is our feeling that this community values coming together and building connections, even in difficult times; that artists depend on fan relations to keep their work and careers growing; and that the very vibrancy of what makes our community special is just the type of energy and optimism that can buoy us as a broader community through these challenging and anxious times. In short, we feel we owe it to the customer to grant you the personal choice of whether or not to aמּend.
Our staff are fans, too, and we will be offering them the same option regarding aמּendance and working the show. In addition to extended daily work hours to bring you the best experience possible, incredibly long hours are dedicated yearlong to building Emerald City Comic Con.
Staff are stakeholders in this event as well and we will honor their personal preferences. Please stay in touch with us via our website and social media channels as this situation evolves.
We continue to enthusiastically look forward to seeing you in Seaמּle very soon.
Gentle Giant and Hot Toys have posted tonight regarding their involvement at the event.
1/2 – The health and safety of both our own teams and our trading partners are of utmost concern to us. So, we have made the difficult decision to cancel both Gentle Giant, Ltd. and Diamond Select Toys’ attendance at Emerald City Comic-Con.
— Gentle Giant Ltd (@GentleGiantLTD) March 5, 2020
2/2 – We appreciate the efforts of the Reedpop team and the state and local authorities they’re working with, and hope that the show is successful for them, their exhibitors, and the many fans who look forward to the show each year.
— Gentle Giant Ltd (@GentleGiantLTD) March 5, 2020
It’s admirable of ECCC and Reedpop to offer this to fans and attendees, and it’s a situation that is likely to be repeated worldwide at events during spring and early summer as the virus takes hold.
UPDATE: A growing list of guests and dealers have opted not to attend, which you can view by clicking here.
London Book Fair has also been cancelled this coming weekend, 10th – 12th March.
Reed Exhibitions has today announced that The London Book Fair 2020, scheduled to take place at Olympia, London, from 10 to 12 March will be cancelled following the escalation of COVID-19 Coronavirus in Europe.
The effects, actual and projected, of Coronavirus are becoming evident across all aspects of our lives here in the UK and across the world, with many of our participants facing travel restrictions. We have been following UK government guidelines and working with the rolling advice from the public health authorities and other organisations, and so it is with reluctance that we have taken the decision not to go ahead with this year’s event.
We recognise that business has to continue. With this in mind, we will of course support and collaborate with exhibitors and visitors to keep our world moving during this difficult period. We thank all those from the UK and a multitude of other countries who have prepared over the last year to deliver what promised to be a wonderful book fair showcasing, as ever, the exciting best of the global book industry. The London Book Fair will return, better than ever, in 2021.
