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It's never too early...EliteCon, March 12th, 2017...Embassy Suites, USF-Tampa FL
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EliteCon-logo2_zpsajawgpjn.jpg

 

So, after 23 years of the convention circuit (attended my first SDCC in 1993), and after witnessing the changing landscape in Florida conventions since 2002 (the year of my first MegaCon), my business partner and I have decided that Florida is ready for a different kind of show.

 

Before I get into what EliteCon is, I wanted to point out I am a big fan of the three big Florida shows. MegaCon, Supercon, and TBCC are all fantastic, and have grown so much in the decade and a half that I've lived in the sunshine state. It's awesome to see how the convention scene in Florida has evolved. It has, I believe, also opened up an opportunity for a smaller, one-day show geared more specifically toward advanced collectors who don't always enjoy the larger venues and crowds of the Mega-Shows.

 

For one, EliteCon isn't a media or guest-driven show. In our first outing, we won't have any guests at all. And even if the opportunity comes down the line for a local artist (like a George Perez) to do a signing, it still won't be our focus either. We're also not a cosplay show, an anime show, or anything of the sort.

 

What we are, is a Marketplace, where buyers and sellers of high quality items, generally speaking of $50+ retail value and above, can get together and freely buy, sell, and trade with one another. We are also not limited to comics, though comics are a large part of our focus. We'll have high quality toys, retired Lego sets, vintage carded and boxed action figures, AFA-graded toys, rare and Exclusive Pops!, collectible die-cast items, original art, and yes, lots of comics.

 

We won't have tubs of $3 toys, rows of dollar comic longboxes, and tables of common material that you can find everywhere. You can go to any store and any show to find that. Remember, collectible and scarce items of $50 and above is what you can expect.

 

Also, while we are working hard on bringing in quality local Florida dealers who can fill a booth with the pre-requisite $50+ items, we are also focusing on recruiting quality dealers from out of state who normally wouldn't do a one day hotel show in Florida, in addition to signing up local collectors who don't normally sell at a show, period. Hopefully, that should give our attendees a shot at acquiring some fresh, new-to-market gems and seeing inventory they normally wouldn't.

 

We are also trying some experimental concepts, like our Buyer's Survey (sent out to our buyers to better gauge their collecting interests). We'll aggregate the responses and send them along to our vendors a few weeks before the show so they know what our Attendees are looking for. Our attendees will be better served because our vendors will be better able to cater to their interests and price points. Another thing that makes us different is we're giving our attendees half of their admission cost in the form of a voucher that they can spend with any dealer at the show. We'll then reimburse our vendors at show's end with a check for as many vouchers as they collected...in effect, splitting half of the gate with our vendors, who are the real stars of this show.

 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the fact that we are a Marketplace that will allow it's attendees to bring in up to two short boxes of comics or two file boxes worth of toys to vend at our Trading corner. Yes, we will have tables set up specifically for attendees to bring in their own material if they so chose. Who doesn't have a short box or two of good stuff that's fallen out of their collecting focus or duplicates/triplicates that they just haven't bother to sell or trade off? You can bring it with you and find a way to sell or trade it, either with our vendors, or other attendees. Most enterprising attendees should be able to pay for their admission as well as come out ahead, all by getting rid of some stuff they didn't want anymore anyway. How does that sound?

 

Anyway, I'll have lots more information soon on how the show is shaping up, but you can find out more about it on our Website website or follow us on Facebook where we tend to announce things first.

 

We hope to convince you guys in the next six months that this is a convention worth attending, and more importantly, to support going forward. I'm not doing it for money, I'm not doing it because I'm bored (I have two full time jobs and a family that demands all my spare time already), I'm basically doing it because I want to finally attend a convention that caters to finicky collectors like me, and to meet other people who share my high grade manias, obsessions, and pricey interests, all without the cosplayers and crowds of your normal convention.

 

If you have any questions, about being either a dealer or an attendee, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks and we'll hope to see you there!

 

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We are a 20 minute or so ride from the airport.

 

 

..a hair over 15 minutes from the Hard Rock cafe

 

 

and about five minutes from Busch Gardens.

 

 

With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

 

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

 

 

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With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

 

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

 

 

With the trends being what they are in the major shows (SDCC, NYCC, Wizard, Fan Expo) I can definitely see shows like this as being the future of the serious comic collectors' marketplace. I'm gearing up to head to WW Chicago to spend the major money of my collecting year, and it intrigues me to think about a concentration of dealers catering to my sort of interests without all the collateral chaff that a Wizard show would bring.

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With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

 

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

 

 

With the trends being what they are in the major shows (SDCC, NYCC, Wizard, Fan Expo) I can definitely see shows like this as being the future of the serious comic collectors' marketplace. I'm gearing up to head to WW Chicago to spend the major money of my collecting year, and it intrigues me to think about a concentration of dealers catering to my sort of interests without all the collateral chaff that a Wizard show would bring.

 

I'll be in Chicago too. Love the show. Will be planting the seeds with dealers and fellow collectors for our show as the week progresses. When I explain the concept in its entirety, most people react very favorably.

 

I had an interaction with a toy dealer friend of mine at TBCC. I've spent good money with him in the past for boxed G1 Transformers stuff. When I asked him if he had any new quality items, he said he did, but didnt bring them to the show because "no one here wants to spend that kind of money". Personally, I believe he was wrong, but I understand as a dealer with hundreds of dollars invested into a booth, he needs to focus and maximize that space to cater to his average toy buyer at the show, not the rare guy who can spend $500-$1,000 on a single piece. There are also, of course, the concerns of security, with a rash of thefts at major shows this year, why even risk bringing expensive pieces that could get damaged or stolen if you aren't even sure you can find a buyer for them.

 

It is what it is, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

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With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

 

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

 

 

With the trends being what they are in the major shows (SDCC, NYCC, Wizard, Fan Expo) I can definitely see shows like this as being the future of the serious comic collectors' marketplace. I'm gearing up to head to WW Chicago to spend the major money of my collecting year, and it intrigues me to think about a concentration of dealers catering to my sort of interests without all the collateral chaff that a Wizard show would bring.

 

I'll be in Chicago too. Love the show. Will be planting the seeds with dealers and fellow collectors for our show as the week progresses. When I explain the concept in its entirety, most people react very favorably.

 

I had an interaction with a toy dealer friend of mine at TBCC. I've spent good money with him in the past for boxed G1 Transformers stuff. When I asked him if he had any new quality items, he said he did, but didnt bring them to the show because "no one here wants to spend that kind of money". Personally, I believe he was wrong, but I understand as a dealer with hundreds of dollars invested into a booth, he needs to focus and maximize that space to cater to his average toy buyer at the show, not the rare guy who can spend $500-$1,000 on a single piece. There are also, of course, the concerns of security, with a rash of thefts at major shows this year, why even risk bringing expensive pieces that could get damaged or stolen if you aren't even sure you can find a buyer for them.

 

It is what it is, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

I'd certainly be open to hearing more about it. I'm definitely far from a BSD as a buyer, but I do bring money to spend on higher end stuff and enjoy saving a chunk of my collecting budget to buy some bigger books in Chicago. If a similar shopping experience could be created outside of the Wizard model I'd be open to hearing more. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the show. I'm only there Thur-Fri but will be joining the sushi dinner.

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I'd certainly be open to hearing more about it. I'm definitely far from a BSD as a buyer, but I do bring money to spend on higher end stuff and enjoy saving a chunk of my collecting budget to buy some bigger books in Chicago. If a similar shopping experience could be created outside of the Wizard model I'd be open to hearing more. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the show. I'm only there Thur-Fri but will be joining the sushi dinner.

 

I'm at the Saturday dinner, but we'll probably be hovering around the same dealer's tables this weekend, so drop me a PM and I'm sure we can track each other down.

 

As for being a BSD, while I hope to secure a few of those, they really aren't our focus either. Basically, anyone who has ever taken $500-$1,000 to a show looking for quality items and reluctantly brought most if not all of that money home with them is our primary target group for Elitecon. Will we have key items for the $5k, $10k+ and up crowd? Absolutely. But we think our bread and butter customer is most comfortable around the $500-$1k price point, and wants a varied selection of items to choose from before they commit to a purchase. We'll be successful if the feedback from our attendees is that there was too much quality merchandise available.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback too. Every time the idea gets a positive reception, it reaffirms in my mind that it's something that needs to be explored.

 

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I'd certainly be open to hearing more about it. I'm definitely far from a BSD as a buyer, but I do bring money to spend on higher end stuff and enjoy saving a chunk of my collecting budget to buy some bigger books in Chicago. If a similar shopping experience could be created outside of the Wizard model I'd be open to hearing more. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the show. I'm only there Thur-Fri but will be joining the sushi dinner.

 

I'm at the Saturday dinner, but we'll probably be hovering around the same dealer's tables this weekend, so drop me a PM and I'm sure we can track each other down.

 

As for being a BSD, while I hope to secure a few of those, they really aren't our focus either. Basically, anyone who has ever taken $500-$1,000 to a show looking for quality items and reluctantly brought most if not all of that money home with them is our primary target group for Elitecon. Will we have key items for the $5k, $10k+ and up crowd? Absolutely. But we think our bread and butter customer is most comfortable around the $500-$1k price point, and wants a varied selection of items to choose from before they commit to a purchase. We'll be successful if the feedback from our attendees is that there was too much quality merchandise available.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback too. Every time the idea gets a positive reception, it reaffirms in my mind that it's something that needs to be explored.

 

The more you post, the better this sounds! Hopefully I'll catch you in Chicago.

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As of today, we are exactly six months away from EliteCon. We've updated our Facebook page as well as our website.

 

We are especially happy to announce Dave Kapelka of North Coast Nostalgia out of Ohio will be one of our vendors. Dave specializes in high grade material and always has a great booth at the major national conventions, but he generally doesn't do a lot of southern shows. We're glad to be bringing quality dealers like Dave to our show to the benefit of our attendees.

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Okay, so we are a little over two months out from EliteCon.

 

We are updating our Facebook page page daily with new items, promotions, and a taste for the high quality comics, Pops!, toys, and other assorted items that will be at the show. The emphasis has been on toys and Pops recently on the FB page, but don't worry, there won't be any shortage of high quality comics. We will be updating our vendor list shortly with new additions and looking forward to making this a great show for serious collectors.

 

We've also added two additional Admission's tiers. A Gold Level gives you everything the Platinum level does, but without the early access and without the $50 voucher. And a Silver Level that is essentially just a Buyer's Pass, without the ability to bring your own material to vend and without the exclusive Con T-shirt.

 

Please remember, we aren't planning on doing sales at the door....if you want to attend, reserve now and take advantage of the 20% Discount on Silver and Gold tier admission currently still in place on our site.

 

 

 

 

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I won't likely be able to attend but love the idea. Please post a recap of the show if you can.

 

There will be more videos on the Facebook page both before and after the show.

 

Unfortunate if you can't make it, someone with Sig Series books and expertise may have done well, even if you were just vending in our Attendee area.

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So, we are down to our last six weeks, so we have some upcoming announcements in the coming days to tempt everyone on the fence to come down and check us out.

 

For now, we have updated our Vendor list on our Website to reflect all of our dealers as of current. We still are finalizing our list, but we only have a couple of booths left, and we expect those to be gone soon.

 

Also, and this is pretty cool, but Randy Lawrence from Pedigree Art Auctions has unearthed a massive Marvel collection, with multiple full runs of all the keys and early titles from 1961-1985. We will be bringing both certified and ungraded books from this massive collection to the show...so if you are a Marvelite, and are looking for keys and early issues in various grades, then the show will be worthwhile for you for that reason alone. AF 15 & ASM 1-up, X-Men 1-up, FF 1-up, Avengers 1-up, etc., many with multiple copies to chose from. For Randy's contact info, just visit his site.

 

And that's just one of our fine comic dealers.....we have more then a few. If you are a dealer/collector/flipper, this is going to be a very good show for material.

 

Lastly, if you are interested in attending and want to purchase your tickets ahead of time, I have two limited use promo codes created especially for Forum members to use to save you 20% on the Gold and Silver Tier passes on our Registration page.

 

They are: cgcgold (for Gold passes) and cgcsilver (for Silver passes).

 

Thanks to everyone who has helped and contributed...we're hoping for a good turnout and validation of our proof of concept. It seems with the success of Terry O Neil's show in California, that these smaller, collector-focused "craft conventions" are the wave of the future for many folks.

 

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