Pod Goes the Con
Don’t you hate it when you can’t get to an important convention? Reed Exhibitions’ new podcasting venture will bring the con to you year-round.
The Norwalk, CT-based convention producer recently launched an ongoing podcast to promote the New York Comic Con held in February. Reed first tried podcasting last year for BookExpo America, says Rob Simon, president and CEO of BurstMarketing, which is assisting Reed in the venture.
The BookExpo site logged 60,000 downloads from more than 20 countries, and drew 220,000 unique visitors to the podcast Web site (www.bookexpocast.com). According to Simon, the site helped Reed broaden the show’s reach to consumers without compromising the event’s trade component.
“What’s exciting about a podcast is that it [helps] to extend a convention,” he says. “The podcast becomes a way to reach out not only to attendees but to the industry that likes to [deliver] compelling content to fans year-round. Think of it as a digital booth or showroom.”
At press time, content on New York Comic Con’s site (www.nycccast.com) was slated to include coverage of the American Anime Awards, which debuted at the show; audiocasts of conference events, such as speeches and panels; one-on-one interviews with comic book writers and artists; and previews of television shows and movies being promoted there.
Reed marketing director Kelly Hartman sees the podcast as a means to build an online community for the show.
“There are, of course, travel limitations on people being able to get to New York City, but there are a lot of great special announcements and editorial events happening at the show,” she says. “We want to make sure the whole comic book pop culture community is able to access this content. Nothing replaces being there in person, but this is an opportunity to become engaged.”
New York Comic Con was also promoted with blogs, television commercials, viral video on YouTube and e-newsletters.
