How did you spend Labor Day weekend? Pick one:
- DragonCon
- Salt Lake Comic Con
- Baltimore Comic Con
- FaxExpo Canada
- The Star Trek event in New York
- PAX West
- San Francisco Comic Con
- Floating in your pool with a beer before you close it up for fall
If you picked the last one, you're a lazy slacker compared to William Shatner, who tweeted that he was featured at 4 of the above this weekend. How did he manage it? I have no idea - the fact that he's in his eighties makes it even more incredible - but we do know that the demand for Con talent is on the rise.
This article from Forbes examines the multiplication of events and how celebrities - even YouTube and cosplay celebrities - are compensated and the ensuing rise in ticket prices. The driving cause of this madness: us. Our insatiable thirst for these events means money to be made. Is it going to peak? Will people burn out on going to Cons, and will the oft-predicted financial crisis around 2018 have any impact on our ability to keep spending on this madness? Or is Con life becoming a quasi-permanent part of our culture like sports?
I'm not sure, but I do know that we all have an embarrassment of riches to choose from when it comes to conventions. San Diego Comic-Con may still be the pick of the litter, but there are enough consolation prizes to make sure everyone has somewhere to go. You just have to appreciate your options.
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