Official logo of the GIjOECon 2013. (Graphic: GIJCC)
Announcement immediately met with both praise AND scorn from many fans.
Heads up, Joeheads! The international GIjOE Collector’s Club has just announced the details for its big, 2013 GIjOE Con, to be held April 4th through the 7th in Indianapolis, IN. Unfortunately, the date they’ve set for the convention is only 18 short days after the big Joelanta show in Atlanta. What the..?
We’re not exactly sure what the national club was thinking when they set the date for this year’s con. Its close proximity on the calendar to Joelanta is guaranteed to cause a great deal of angst and unnecessary pain for many fans, logistically as well as financially.
“Battle of the Joe Cons?”
Official logo of Joelanta 2013. (Graphic: Joelanta)
Unwittingly, the two organizations (Joelanta and GIjOECon) may have positioned themselves into a sort of “battle” for fans, their dollars and affections. Setting such close event dates risks dividing the fan base into smaller groups based on income, ultimately lessening attendance to BOTH events. Here’s how…
Let’s face it, these big shows are expensive. And in these tough economic times, fans are having to choose ever more carefully how they spend their precious hobby-related dollars. Most are looking at travel, hotel and dining expenses, all before ever stepping onto a dealer room floor. Put another big show just 18 days after the first, and well…you can see the problem.
Instead of making it financially and logistically easier by spreading out the dates, the club is actually making it harder for fans to attend, and that could make dealers nervous about whether or not THEY should risk spending the money required to rent a table, travel, etc. It all has a ripple effect, (potentially the most harmful to the second show in the queue).
JW Marriot, Indianapolis, IN. Can you say, “Parachute Drop?” (Photo: funcityfinder)
Here’s the official club press release about the GIjOECon 2013:
“G.I.JoeCon 2013 is coming to Indianapolis, Indiana, April 4th through April 7th. You can make your hotel reservations now at GIJoeCon.com. Fans and Collectors’ who register for G.I.JoeCon as a General OR American Hero package holder will receive either the 12-inch Secret Mission to Dragon Island or 3 3/4-inch Nocturnal Fire convention set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Saturday Night Casino Night Dinner event. General and American Hero package attendees will also receive a special bonus to go along with their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered guests will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.”
Bottom line: Both shows have great activities and incentives to offer fans. Most of us would LOVE to go to both shows. But it’s simply too expensive. To prevent placing such a difficult choice and financial hardship on fans in the future, the organizers of these two major events should work together so as to set more reasonable and mutually beneficial event dates—not competing ones.
