The third annual Middle East Film and Comic Con has come to an end, though the work doesn’t stop now. Organisers said this year was their best and biggest yet — and many seem to agree, if MEFCC’s two-day Twitter trend is any indication. But there are already a few improvements in mind for next year: more female celebrities, more space and better-organised queues.
“We’re in our third year, and we’ve come leaps and bounds from where we started, but we still have a long way to go,” said co-founder Arafaat Ali Khan on Sunday.
This year, the convention, which ran from April 3-5, found a new home at Dubai World Trade Centre’s Zabeel Hall. There was a projected 30,000 people in attendance, though Ali Khan said they are still waiting on a finalised figure. In 2012, the convention’s first year, it drew half this number with 15,000 attendees. In 2012, it attracted 21,000 attendees. The first two conventions took place at the less spacious Dubai International Marine Club at Mina Seyahi. But despite the upgrade, there’s still going to be room for more.
“I think we can probably grow the size of the venue [next year], as well,” Ali Khan said. “On Friday, at times there was almost no place to move. The word spreads between guests, between exhibitors, between artists — the word gets out.”
A side effect of this was congested, lengthy lines throughout the day that went on further than the eye could see.
“The queue, even though we kept bringing people in, didn’t seem to get any shorter,” Ali Khan said. “We now know how many people to expect altogether on a Friday, so we can obviously improve on that. Cons around the world are notorious for long lines, but we want to be the best in the world, and that means tightening up a few various elements. We’re very dedicated to that.”
Though the lack of women celebrities on the opening day panel garnered some negative feedback, Ali Khan says they had initially approached a few Game of Thrones actresses who were very keen to come, but didn’t have the time.
“Leading ladies — they’re just as talented as anyone else. For us, when it comes to guests, it doesn’t matter male or female, there’s no boundary — we reach out to whoever we can. Hoping that next year there are more and more ladies.”
This year, there was an estimated 300 artists and exhibitors showing and selling their work compared to 190 last year and 120 the year before that. Other than celebrity guests such as Seth Green and Giancarlo Esposito, some of the most popular attractions were the attendance of Danny Choo, director of Culture Japan, a video conference with Marvel legend Stan Lee on Saturday night, and the launch of the Power League Gaming (PLG) Grand Arena. Overall, the reaction from fans has been positive and the convention has certainly grown from where it started.
“I’m not talking about the response from exhibitors and guests and sponsors, either, but the fans,” Ali Khan said. “The response is overwhelming and can be quite emotional. We put our blood, sweat and tears into it. It makes you want to do an even bigger and even better show next year.”
