Fan Expo Canada

Toronto, Canada's Fan Expo Canada is an annual multi-genre fan convention. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1994 by Hobby Star Marketing Inc. It is a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday) typically held the weekend before Labour Day during the summer at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).

Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television and related popular arts, Fan Expo Canada has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture and fandom elements, such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games and web entertainment. The convention is the largest of its kind in Canada and among the largest in world, filling the entire South Building of the MTCC with 91,000 attendees in 2012.

Programming
Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films, portfolio review sessions with top comic book and video game companies, and evening events such as the Masquerade (a costume contest), special screenings and the Diamond Distribution Industry Night Dinner and Reception for industry professionals only.

Traditional events include screening rooms devoted to Japanese animation, gaming, and over 300 hours of other programming on all aspects of comic books and popular culture.

Like most comic book conventions, Fan Expo Canada features a large floorspace for exhibitors. These include media companies such as movie studios and TV networks, as well as comic book dealers and collectibles merchants. Fan Expo Canada also includes a large autographs area, as well as an Artists Alley where comic book artists can sign autographs and sell or do free sketches.

Exclusive collectibles
In recent years, Fan Expo Canada has become one of the few events that provides selling "exclusive" products to attendees. The vast majority of the exclusives offered at Fan Expo Canada are licensed properties of popular movie, comic book and related characters.

Attractions
Fan Expo Canada is the site of many unique attractions that include Exclusive Pre-screenings and live presentations of upcoming television series and feature films, often including live introductions from the Directors, Producers and Cast members. Some recent projects featured at Fan Expo Canada included the television series Revolution featuring cast members Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos and Giancarlo Esposito. Arrow cast members; Stephen Amell, Willa Holland, Colin Donnell and Katie Cassidy. Criminal Minds cast members; A. J. Cook and Matthew Gray Gubler. Flashpoint cast members; David Paetkau, Sergio Di Zio and Olunike Adeliyi. As well as entire casts and producers for Lost Girl, Continuum and Dead Before Dawn. In 2012, for the first time ever, Fan Expo Canada was the site of an actual legal Wedding. Two longtime Fan Expo attendees were married in front of a live audience of thousands of fans on the afternoon of August 24th. There was also a proposal of marriage that took place between two attendees on the afternoon of August 26th. The engaged couple credited Fan Expo Canada’s Nerd Speed Dating event from the previous year in finding one another. Some attractions at Fan Expo Canada have become standard from year to year due to their continued popularity. Some of these attractions include the aforementioned Speed Dating, Steampunk activities, Web series presentations, Star Wars sessions provided by the 501st Legion, Lolita fashion and others.

Issues
Capacity attendance at Fan Expo Canada in 2005 has raised crowding issues. Concerns have been that the event is possibly too big for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, even though they have moved to the largest halls in the facility. The worry of fans is that the event will sell out and potential attendees will be denied entry as has happened at similar events such as the New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con International.

The 2010 event left thousands of fans standing outside as capacity became an issue, many waiting several hours for re-entry. At one point during Saturday afternoon organizers announced (to a small group by the doors) that they would not be letting anyone else in, including those who had purchased tickets in advance, but the majority of fans remained unaware of this and continued to line up in ignorance until word-of-mouth reached them. Eventually they announced that they would be staying open an extra hour to try to accommodate the lines, though many had waited for more than 2 hours for re-entry.

Due to additional space, more staff, a new advance ticketing system, expanded hours and the additional day added to the event, capacity issues were avoided in 2011.

Criticism
In recent years, HSM has cleaned up their organization and become more respectful to attendees of their fan-based events. After the capacity issue at Fan Expo 2010 and extending the event, CEO and President Aman Gupta released an apology statement to the fans, and stated that while no refunds would be made under any circumstances, the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which had been the location in previous years, was booked immediately for the 2011 edition. Public relations employees at Hobby Star also contacted as many of the fans who had expressed their dissatisfaction, gathering feedback on the convention and expressing personal apologies.

Media articles
2012:
 * Murtz On The Scene: Fan Expo Canada 2012 Review, Inside Pulse, August 28, 2012
 * Fan Expo’s Massive Expansion, Toronto Sun, August 23, 2012
 * Fan Expo Canada Welcomes John Carpenter to Toronto, Toronto Star, August 23, 2012
 * Lou Ferrigno Opens Fan Expo Canada, CBC News, August 23, 2012
 * Couple Weds At Fan Expo Canada, Citytv News, August 24, 2012
 * Fan Expo Brings Geeks and Nerds Together in Toronto, Toronto Sun, August 23, 2012
 * Five Things To Do At Fan Expo Canada, Toronto Star, August 23, 2012
 * John Carpenter To Hit Fan Expo Canada, Toronto Sun, August 23, 2012
 * Toronto’s Fan Expo Canada Give Sneak Preview of Tim Burton’s Frankeweenie, CBC News, August 24, 2012
 * Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie Exhibit Wows At Fan Expo Canada, Canada.com News, August 24, 2012
 * All Things Comic and Gaming To Be Celebrated at Fan Expo Canada, 680 News, August 24, 2012
 * Thousands To Attend Fan Expo Canada In Toronto, Global News, August 23, 2012
 * Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie Set Pieces On Display At Fan Expo Canada, Toronto Star, August 24, 2012
 * CTV Delivers Ultimate Fan Experiences at Fan Expo Canada, News Wire, August 23, 2012
 * How Fan Expo Canada Became the Third Largest Convention of It’s Kind in North America, National Post, August 18, 2012
 * Couple To Say I Do At Fan Expo Canada, Toronto Star, August 19,2012
 * Fan Expo, Escapism, Nostalgia and Good Feelings For Sale, National Post, August 24, 2012
 * Zombies, Trekkies and Jersk: What Happens When Fan Expo Geeks Try Speed Dating, August 30, 2012
 * Convention Report on Toronto’s Fan Expo, September 1, 2012
 * Fan Expo Canada, John Barrowman Doesn’t Give A S**t and Billy West Inspired, The Huffington Post, August 27, 2012
 * Lafayette, Buffy and the Walking Dead At Fan Expo Canada, The Huffington Post, August 26, 2012
 * Toronto’s Fan Expo Gives Sneak Peek of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, The Huffington Post, August 24, 2012
 * Rose McGowan A Vision In Pink Arrives Canada For Fan Expo, Daily Mail, August 23, 2012
 * For Christopher Lloyd Back To the Future is a Blast From the Past, August 27, 2012
 * Couple who met at Fan Expo Canada Speed Dating get engaged exactly a year after meeting, upon their return to the event.The Comic Book Syndicate, September 4, 2012

2011:
 * Fan Expo Just Super, Toronto Sun, August 25, 2011
 * Fan Expo Canada: Happiness Is A Warm Gun Carried By A Woman, National Post, August 26, 2011
 * Tom Felton Casts Spell En Route To Fan Expo, Daily Mail UK, August 26, 2011
 * Fan Expo Sights, Sounds & Spandex, National Post, August 27, 2011
 * Fan Expo Canada Wrap Up, TV Guide, August 27, 2011
 * Fan Expo A Geek Mecca, The Record, August 2011
 * Fan Expo Canada Follow Up, August 2011
 * Robert Englund Kicks Off Fan Expo Canada, August 26, 2011
 * First Day Report on Fan Expo Canada TheGATE.ca, August 2011
 * DC’s The New 52 Announced at Fan Expo Canada, Newsarama, August 27, 2011

2010:
 * Cronenberg gets heroes welcome at hometown Fan Expo Canada. The Toronto Star, August 23, 2010
 * Zombies, Heroes and Villains gather at Fan Expo Canada, The Toronto Sun, August 27, 2010
 * Fan Expo Canada generates long lines. CBC News, August 28, 2010
 * Disney's Tron:Legacy revealed at Fan Expo Canada in 3D! Comic Book Resources, August 28, 2010
 * Adam West and William Shatner drop into Fan Expo Canada CTV News, August 29th, 2010
 * Phasers on stunned as Fan Expo Canada disappoints sci-fi devotees, The Toronto Star, August 30, 2010
 * Sci-Fi fans fume over sold out Fan Expo Canada, The Toronto Star, August 31, 2010
 * Stan Lee guest of Honour at Fan Expo Canada, Comic Book Resources, August 31, 2010
 * Aspen Announces Exclusives for Fan Expo Canada, Newsarama, August 2010

2009:
 * Leonard Nimoy Beams Up For Toronto Fan Expo, CTV News, August 2009
 * Live Long and Prosper at Fan Expo Canada, AOL Canada News, August 2009
 * Leonard Nimoy Keeps On Trekking, Toronto Star, August 2009
 * Bruce Campbell Has Fun With Fan Expo, Toronto Star, August 2009
 * Fan Expo Canada – Fandom FAQ’s, Toronto Star, August 2009
 * Interview with Jake Black Fan Expo Exclusive, Newsarama, August 2009
 * The Incredible Hulk Hitting Fan Expo Toronto, Metro News, August 2009
 * Fan Expo Canada DC Nation, Newsarama, August 2009
 * Roger Corman Still Mentoring At Fan Expo, August 2009

2008:
 * Buzz Aldrin and Henry Winkler at Fan Expo Canada This Weekend, August 2008
 * A Look Back At Fan Expo 2008, August 2008
 * Geek Week With Fan Expo Canada, August 2008
 * Don’t Miss Fan Expo This Weekend, August 2008

2007:
 * Fan Expo Canada 2007, Canada.com News, August 2007
 * Creatures of Rock: Creepshow at Fan Expo Canada, August 2007
 * Interview with former Paradise Co-Promoter (now expo employee) Kevin Boyd and re: the con war, August 2007
 * Listing of Sequential Comics Fan Expo Canada 2007 Show Reports

2006:
 * 5 reasons to/not to go to Fan Expo Canada by Torontoist, August 2006
 * Report: Fan Expo Toronto, Comic Book Resources, September 2006
 * Comic Book News at Fan Expo, Metro News, September 2006
 * Mike Mignola at Fan Expo, Metro News, September 2006
 * Stars of the DC Universe at Fan Expo, September 2006

2005:
 * Fan Expo Report, Comics Continuum, August 2005
 * Fan Expo Contests, Eye Weekly Toronto, August 2005

2004:
 * Documentation of harassment issues and news video of weapons arrest in 2004
 * Canadian National Expo 2004
 * 501st Legion at Expo, August 2004

2003:
 * Angel’s J. August Richards at Canadian National Expo, August 2003
 * The 501st Legion visits SFX, August 2003

2002:
 * The 501st Legion visits SFX, August 2002

2001:
 * The 501st Legion visits SFX, August 2001

2000:
 * The 501st Legion visits SFX, August 2000