Friday morning, an announcement from ReedPop revealed that the traditional 3-Day and 4-Day passes to this year’s New York Comic Con would be eliminated. Only single day tickets remain.
New York’s largest event venue, the Javits Center, will be undergoing construction to expand the space to 3.3 million square feet, roughly a one half increase of its original size. This development brings a 500,000-square-foot exhibition floor, as well as the largest ballroom in the northeast at 60,000 square feet.
How construction – which would limit the total amount of daily attendees – has anything to do with the types of passes those attendees hold is somewhat of a mystery.
In light of this construction, ReedPop’s announcement states, "we’ll be working with some space limitations and we want to make sure as many people have the opportunity to buy a ticket and come to the show as possible. Selling only single day tickets will give more fans the chance to buy a ticket for at least a day to experience the fun of NYCC."
For fans who attend the convention for multiple days, this is a significant jump in price. Last year, 3-day tickets were offered at $85, and the 4-day pass was $115. This year, 3 separate days can run you $145-$150, and purchasing all 4 will cost $195.
In addition, ReedPop has confirmed the return of Fan Verification and the digital queue, allowing them to offer NYCC 2016 attendees a chance to purchase tickets during a special presale where quantities are limited. Finally, while there are still no dates, an official Facebook poll has determined ticket sales to begin on a Saturday or Sunday.
These changes are sure to stir up some controversy, as the multi-day passes were a popular option in the past. Attendees find them useful for the discounted price, but they also make a great safety-net. A multi-day pass acts as a guaranteed opportunity to see all that a convention has to offer, while a single day ticket can only guarantee the programs and guests that appear on that specific day.
The problem with this system is that programs and guests continue to be announced long after most tickets have sold out. In theory, this change should allow more tickets to be sold to more people. A likely consequence, however, is the same tickets being sold to the same people for a much higher price.
New York Comic Con 2017 will return October 5-8.
