Spa-Con gains momentum

Spa-Con, the upcoming multigenre comic convention, is building momentum with each passing day and is on track to potentially surpass the River City Comic Expo in Little Rock and be the biggest such event in Arkansas, Bill Solleder, special events manager for Visit Hot Springs, said Friday.

Advance ticket sales are going well for the event, scheduled for Sept. 23-25 at Hot Springs Convention Center, he said, even though the majority of attendees at similar events are walk-ups. “I expect ticket sales to keep going forward, too.”

Solleder said most conventions in Arkansas have focused on one element, while Spa-Con has tried to cover multiple interests and genres including gaming, science fiction, comic books, cosplay, animé, Pokemon and other elements of pop culture.

“It has the potential to become the biggest in the state,” he said, noting how Gen-Con in Indianapolis had 200,000 people and the San Diego Comic Con had 140,000.

“Those are the ones I have my eye on,” he said. “I want to play ball with the big boys. Why not go for it?”

He said they have “really ramped up” internet and social media marketing. A video commercial is in production by John Cooksey with Hot Springs Broadcast Network, playfully featuring many of the planned guests and exhibits coming to Spa-Con with clever special effects.

Cooksey “did the whole thing,” Solleder said. “He’s

a nerd at heart,” and has worked extensively in television and video. “It’s all internet plugins and effects,” he said. The commercial is scheduled to debut Sept. 9 and should increase enthusiasm for the convention even more.

As of now, there are more than 30 panels and workshops planned which Solleder said the Garland County Library were coordinating and organizing. “They are master programmers,” he said, noting there are multiple events planned for the Kid Con area, and events in the Expo.

“There will be a lot of role playing and video game playing events. Some D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) stuff that has people coming in from all over the state,” he said.

The unveiling of the replica of the TARDIS, the time-traveling blue box from “Doctor Who,” at the library had more than 150 people in attendance, he said. The TARDIS next appeared at Mid-America Science Museum and then Magic Springs.

“Then it’s going to Hot Springs Mall next week and then the Arlington (Resort Hotel & Spa) and then will make its way back to Spa-Con,” he said.

Preparations, including travel logistics for celebrity guests, have been hectic, he said. Among the guests booked are actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series in the 1960s, and two stars from both iterations of the cult sci-fi program “Battlestar Galactica,” Richard Hatch and Michael Hogan.

Hatch, who played Capt. Apollo on the original version of the series in the late 1970s, and Hogan, who played the stoic Col. Saul Tigh on the early 2000s version, will also be joined by acclaimed author of children’s books, Jennifer L. Holm and noted voice actress Caitlin Glass, who has worked in 150 animated television shows and 16 movies.

Solleder said Spa-Con should become an annual event “unless it’s just a complete and utter disaster,” but “I think it will have legs. I think it has a lot of potential.” He said they are already making plans and setting tentative dates for 2017.

“I’m anxious to see just how big it can really get,” he said. For the entire event schedule, visit http://www.spa-con.org.