LA Comic Con Will Only Move Forward if LA County Department of Public Health Signs Off

LACC organizers say they are “hopeful” they will host the event in December at the LA Convention Center.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 13: A cosplayer dressed as “Scream 3” poses at 2019 Los Angeles Comic-Con at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images

Today, LA Comic Con released the first block of 4,500 tickets to their in-person event on Dec. 11-13. Those passes are the entire inventory of 3-session passes which breaks down to 4,000 regular 3-day passes and 500 3-day VIP passes. Chris DeMoulin CEO of Comikaze Entertainment, LA Comic Con’s parent company says safety is their number one priority at this potential show.

“And I say potential show because while we’re planning to move forward and have a show and we’re starting to sell tickets to that show, at the end of the day all of our plans, and this is true for any event, get reviewed by the city. They get reviewed by the County Department of Public Health. At the end of the day, they have to approve the final plans. And because this event is still 2 ½ months away, that final approval hasn’t happened.”

DeMoulin believes ticket sales will be a good indicator of interest. When the announcement came out that LACC would move forward with an in-person event, some fans expressed concern since sporting events, and concerts aren't even allowed yet in LA County. DeMoulin says they aren't looking to be an exception to the rule, but they are preparing just in case restrictions ease up.

"Our hope is that the guidelines and restrictions will evolve by then.  For us to have any chance of having a successful Con, especially with all of the CV-19 precautions put in place, we needed to move forward with some ticket sales as part of the plan.  We have contracted exhibitors and talent and are hopeful fans will buy tickets to express their commitment.  All of our fan surveys indicate they will, but the only way to know for sure is to start selling tickets."

Chris DeMoulin CEO of Comikaze Entertainment, LA Comic Con’s parent company explains their plan for holding an in-person event for LA Comic Con.

However the LA Times is reporting the Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development says under current state health guidelines, conventions are not allowed. And it's unknown when they will be.

As previously announced, the organizers completely changed the size, layout and procedures for the event, in the hopes of ensuring the safety and well-being of attendees, vendors, talent and staff.  DeMoulin says to ensure COVID safety compliance, LA Comic Con will be smaller than last year and attendees per session in 2020 will be less than one-half the density as in 2019. 

LA Comic Con will reduce the amount of tickets sold to 12,000 per day.
LA Comic Con
LA Comic Con will reduce the amount of tickets sold to 12,000 per day.

The event will have a maximum of 12,000 tickets sold for each day, roughly 20-25% capacity with expanded Con space at the convention center. Organizers say the main stage has been moved to the West Hall, which can hold up to 3,000 WITH social distancing guidelines and more. 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 12: A general view of atmosphere during the SponeBob Squarepants Panel at 2019 Los Angeles Comic-Con at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/FilmMagic)
Joe Scarnici/FilmMagic
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 12: A general view of atmosphere during the SponeBob Squarepants Panel at 2019 Los Angeles Comic-Con at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/FilmMagic)

They also say the West and Petree Halls were added to bring the total space to over 850,000 square feet indoors. There will be an additional 400,000 square feet of space both inside and outside to safely manage lines with social distancing, with triple the number of entrances with magnetometers for security checks to reduce lines. 

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And they believe fans will have enough room to maintain a minimum of 6 feet between all guests (outside their own party). Everyone will be required to wear a face mask and all cleaning standards from LA County and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will be followed before, in between and after all sessions.

“I want to reinforce for everybody, that if any point in the process, the city or the county tell us that they don’t think we can have a show safely, that the numbers are going in the wrong direction, that it wouldn’t be a good thing for Los Angeles, that it would be a good thing for us to do that, then we will cancel the show,” 

DeMoulin says if they don't have at least a provisional OK by mid-to-late October, they would likely need to cancel. And even with even with a provisional OK at that time, the City and LA County Department of Public Health would have the right to cancel their permit at any time before the show opens.

If the show is cancelled, DeMoulin says all of the tickets will have a 100% rollover or refund guarantee. For those who cannot or do not want to attend in person, digital access will be made available to everything on the main stage, and a Cosplay Cam. For more details on their safety measures and tickets, visit comicconla.com

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