Comments on: San Diego convention center expansion: the case AGAINST

by: ZEITGEIST / Random Comics News Story Round-Up

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:08:53 +0000

[…] Random Comics News Story Round-Up * Heidi MacDonald dug up a fun article from the San Diego Reader where one of their columnists cuffs to the floor recent calls for convention center expansion — or at least calls into question the figures being used. The first half of the thread that follows is interesting reading as well. A bit of news in that article is that the W is in trouble, but I can’t imagine this is surprising to CCI-goers: that hotel almost always has rooms available, and no one I know that’s stayed there has liked it much. There’s discussion at MacDonald’s original posting, too. * it’s not comics, but the complete Topps Mars Attacks Trading Cards set is one of the standbys of pleasurable visual pulp culture, last century edition. * Shaenon Garrity on samurai manga. * go to D&Q’s site through here and tell them about your local comics shop. * one thing that’s great about the non English language sites is that you get interviews with professionals and discussion of material out of the comfortable North American release schedule expectations, if that make sense. Case in point: an interview with Miriam Katin. * not comics: a bookstore closes via twitter (via someone I forgot; sorry). * I’ve added a pair of quotes from the great writer about comics Bob Levin to yesterday’s obit for BN Duncan. Duncan was a unique cartoonist, and I wish we could find more ways to talk about the legacy of someone like that over whatever passes for the latest flash-paper comics controversy. * not comics: I’m personally all over the place regarding issues of digital pricing — for example I think the book publishing industry’s resistance to $9.99 books is more about preserving an infrastructure than anything else — but I think Malcolm Gladwell does a pretty good job in terms of the constraints a mainstream article has of throwing water on some of the goofier arguments made by technological enthusiasts. It’s not a complete brief, so I imagine it will be dismantled in a bunch of fussy little nerd courts over the next several days, but even then there’s a lot of room to expand his arguments as well as dig into and discredit them. One thing I never see people bring up is when you’re extolling the virtues of selling something for free over selling something for 14 cents, this means someone has to be selling it for 14 cents despite the pressure of a competitor selling their stuff for free. I frequently wonder about the long-term applicability of these principles and if they’re not just a staked position that only works against standard ways of doing things, and sometimes not even then. * finally, I bought this originally just for the cover. I think there was either a poster of this or someone at Fantagraphics had put up one of the cover proofs as a poster. […]

by: Alan Coil

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:30:52 +0000

Wow. Lots of hatred for San Diego politicians.

by: John Layman

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:17:57 +0000

Barbara Warden= another San Diegan scumbag and crook. Of COURSE she is for the expansion.

by: Alan Coil

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:07:31 +0000

I thought the pic looked like Mike Gold.

by: Synsidar

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:10:58 +0000

Barbara Warden wrote a 06/28/09 piece supporting a Convention Center expansion:

In order to retain and expand our share of the top-tier conventions that generate the biggest returns for our city, the San Diego Convention Center must be expanded. In 2008, San Diego lost the equivalent of 705,000 hotel room nights because of conventions that wanted to come to San Diego but could no longer be accommodated in the existing convention center. These room nights represent approximately one year’s worth of business, or to put it in perspective, about $25 million in tax revenues the city will never see.

In addition, it is projected an expanded San Diego Convention Center could attract new, larger conventions totaling an additional 574,000 room nights worth over $19 million in transient occupancy (hotel room) taxes – taxes which go directly into the city’s general fund to support neighborhood services.

If lack of floor space is the direct cause of particular conventions not coming to San Diego, the problem should be addressed, shouldn’t it?

SRS

by: Wayne Beamer

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:51:34 +0000

Until the SDCC folks actually decide to attempt to relocate Comic-Con — and generate bigger revenues — elsewhere because future con sellouts could happen in hours, not weeks, nothing will change.

Besides, all the SDCC management folks live in SD and really want nothing to do with moving “their little show” out of their home base to LA or LV. Who can blame them?

It made sense to consider other venues long before these sellouts starting happening. And, if the city of SD won’t pony up for a new Chargers’ stadium, as Don Bauder says, the revenue generated by 125,000 comic nerds won’t matter either.

by: Mickey

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:04:45 +0000

Isn’t San Diego one of the most corrupt cities in the US or something in recent history? It is the home of Randy “Duke” Cunningham after all. That virtually guarantees the expansion will go ahead. Too many great opportunities for bribes and kickbacks.

by: john layman

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:06:35 +0000

I worked with Don Bauder for several years at the San Diego Union-Tribune and he knows his shit.

by: Torsten Adair

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:47:42 +0000

Interesting point: how much of nearby hotel convention space and ballrooms can be used for SDCC programming? Or is it exhibition space which is required?

Also, can the Convention Center find more anchors like Comic Con? Events which are held each year in the same locale, much like BEA is anchored in New York?