USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia-S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 20, No. 6
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
February 5, 2020
1 Section, 8 Pages
Pensacon Swings Into its 7th Year
Calling all nerds and geeks alike, the 7th annual Pensacon: Pensacola Comic Con is almost upon us. The convention will be held from Feb. 28 to March 1. By Dakota Parks
Conventions have a tireless history spanning back to the early 1940s. They’re a place for fans of films, television shows, comic books, actors, and genre-lovers like science fiction, horror, anime, etc. to gather in one giant convention center to celebrate. Planning, scheduling and orchestrating the constantly growing Pensacon is no easy feat though. Did you know that planning for the following Pensacon starts before this year’s convention is even over? That’s right—plans for Pensacon 2021 are already in the works. The Marketing and Media Director of Pensacon, Julio Diaz explained just how large Pensacon has grown over the last seven years: “Our direct economic impact in 2019 was 3.7 million dollars, according to surveys by Majority Opinion Research that Pensacola commissions every year. Our combined economic impact over the last six years to date is over 16 million dollars. In 2019 alone, 33,000 people attended Pensacon.” With 50+ vendors and nearly 100 guest stars from Star Wars, The Walking Dead, The Mandalorian, Lord of the Rings, Legends of Tomorrow, Tank Girl, Stranger Things and so many more, Pensacon 2020 has a little of something for everyone.
Pensacon was originally held in the Pensacola Bay Center and the Grand Hotel. Now, the footprint has expanded to the Saenger Theatre, the Rex Theatre, and the Pensacola Little Theatre. The parking lot behind the Bay Center is also being utilized for outdoor demonstrations. Nicknamed “Poseidon’s Bay,” the lot will host car shows, photo shoots, light saber demonstrations, science activities and more. With a limited capacity of 12,000 people inside the Bay Center, Pensacon is constantly looking for somewhere new to expand. This year, Pensacon is expanding into historic Pensacola through a partnership with the UWF Historic Trust. Museum Plaza behind the T.T. Wentworth Museum will host an 80s party/concert on Friday night and a first-ever public costume contest on Saturday night. Other buildings owned and operated by the historic district will host panels and sessions during Pensacon. “We’re continually looking every year for somewhere new that we can expand to keep growing. Even a few more buildings just to offer more things for the community to do. If we wanted to get more bodies in the door, we would need a larger venue to host vendors, guest stars, and attendees. We would love
for a convention center or a multiuse center to be built that can hold a higher capacity of people. It would allow us to expand,” said Diaz. One expansion to the footprint is hosting the Pensacon Short Film Festival in the Voices of Pensacola building, a historic trust owned facility. The short film festival was founded in the second year of Pensacon. The films are premiered on Saturday and Sunday with awards following the end of the festival. Judges have received over 70 short film entries. The films celebrate science fiction, horror, fantasy, comic books, superhero, pop culture, animation, and documentaries—really any genre films falling under the Pensacon fan umbrella. Safety is always a big concern when it comes to comic conventions. Pensacon works side by side with the security company that manages the Bay Center in addition to their own security team. There are metal detectors at every door, bag restrictions, and costume weapons are to be thoroughly checked over in the weapons check area. The
Pensacon Safe Environment Policy ensures that Pensacon is free from verbal, physical, or electronic violence, hate speech, sexual harassment and unsafe behaviors. “We want to make sure we’re offering everyone a safe experience. As far as other safety concerns, like sexual harassment, we have a zero-tolerance policy. Whether it’s a vendor or a guest at Pensacon, they will be banned from the convention and never allowed back. We do have safe spaces throughout the convention. If anyone feels like they’re being harassed or threatened, they can come to these spaces and know that they will be protected,” explained Diaz. With an outflux of patrons, visiting guests, celebrities and media personnel, Pensacon is one busy weekend for Pensacola. There are more people downtown, shopping, eating, walking around and partaking in the nightlife. “My favorite part about Pensacon is just seeing everyone out and about enjoying themselves. It’s a great weekend for the community. Even if you’re not someone that enjoys some of the fandoms, events, and guests of the convention, it’s still a wonderful time to come downtown and people watch and just walk around,” said Diaz. To purchase tickets or view a complete line-up for Pensacon weekend, visit pensacon.com
“My favorite part about Pensacon is just seeing everyone out and about enjoying themselves. It’s a great weekend for the community.”
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