If panels are a big yawn, how will that impact us?

 10 JULY 2023

So! We've seen what SDCC has to offer for the most part. I'm not going to bother summarizing Saturday and Sunday because you've seen them, you've seen the summaries, and I don't have anything to add. 

Overall, this is a humdrum year. It's definitely good for certain demographics like Star Trek fans or people who want to talk about mental health or people who prayed Chuck D or Bollywood would come to Comic-Con. 

But overall... let's not pretend this is business as usual, as I've seen some people insisting. It's also not "how it used to be," unless you're going back to the 1990s or earlier. (Wasn't around then; can't say.) This is not a rich or enthralling year, and it's okay to say that. You can love SDCC and point out when a year is less than exciting. Even the people I know who are thrilled with the programming (about 3 so far) acknowledge it's not a great year for most attendees. 

So! What's the real impact of all of this? I'll try to mix in the good with the bad:

We'll have more time to spend with our friends.

I guess this is only a win if you actually have SDCC friends. I know many of you don't, which I will address later this week. But if you do, this is the year to enjoy a long, leisurely get together.

On that note, you can actually see San Diego. 

Maybe you've always wanted to go to the famous zoo or take a ghost tour or take the ferry to Coronado Island or go surfing. You should be able to carve out a few hours to do so this year. And don't forget the museum exhibits.

The Exhibit Hall will probably be crowded.

The big rooms draw off crowds in two ways: the people who are inside the room and the people who are waiting to get inside the room. With both those radically reduced (math), I imagine more will drift toward the Exhibit Hall. Will it be capped? All I know is I will be grabbing everything I need on Preview Night. I suspect Friday and Saturday will be unbearable.

Some people will probably arrive late or leave early.

I'm probably going to jet out on Saturday night; I know of other people who cancelled their PTO request and will only come for the weekend. (Remember - you can't get your hotel deposit back but you can cancel the other nights.) This could provide some breathing room but it will also impact the city in terms of lower revenue than normal.

People may cancel altogether.

I don't know anyone who has but I'm hearing about it. This I can't really understand - it's still Comic-Con! There's still a lot to do!

Maybe the 2024 badge sale will be slightly easier.

I don't know about this one. I think most of us understand this lethargic year is tied to temporary factors and next year could look quite different. I'm sure the badge sale will be quite competitive. But if we are trending down year over year, yes, eventually it will be slightly easier to get a badge.

Tough times for sure. I hope you're still excited; I hope you dig into the entire sphere of SDCC and find something to covet and crave. I really do think that once we're there, we'll feel differently.

Maybe.