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BIG-CITY AMENITIES, BEACH-TOWN VIBE: Long Beach is California’s fifth-
largest city, but its walkable downtown and five-and-a-half miles of sandy beaches give it an intimate charm. For more, see p. 26.
PLENARY
News and notes for the meetings and conventions industry
COMIC RELIEF: San Diego Comic-Con hit an attendance limit of about 125,000 people in 2007.
San Diego’s Superheroic Battle to Keep Comic-Con
ON_THE_WEB: To learn more about San Diego Comic-Con International, visit www.comic-con .org/cci.
HERE ARE HUNDREDS OF ANNUAL COM- ic-book conventions across the country and thousands around the world, but
mention “Comic-Con” and any half-interested fan knows exactly which one you’re talking about: San Diego Comic-Con International. From its debut in 1970, when it drew about 300 people to the U.S. Grant Hotel, the four-day show has grown into a high-profile, 125,000-at- tendee behemoth that maxes out the San Di- ego Convention Center. Two years ago, the San
Diego Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC) announced plans for a $700-million expansion project that would add 225,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space to the facility. Mean- while, with Comic-Con’s contract with San Diego expiring in 2012, several other cities — including Anaheim and Los Angeles — began aggressively wooing the show, which is now so popular it sold out on four-day passes for next continued on page 28
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