Wired has an interesting article about Comic-Con, the largest comic book convention in North America. Comic-Con organizers are dealing with an issue many hybrid shows have to deal - pleasing small exhibiting companies and the larger media companies at the same time.

The comic book industry has always had a lot of smaller dealers it seems. Several sentences were interesting:

Not everyone is happy with the increasing presence of big media. Jamie Newbold of Southern California Comics, who had a booth at the third Comic-Con in 1971 and most of the intervening ones, says comics retailers like himself aren’t given the prominence they need to thrive. “The comic book convention itself has relegated dealers to one end of the convention center instead of the center where we used to be,” Newbold says. “This trade-show atmosphere tends to squeeze out the little guy.”

The first thing that popped into my mind is that, in this case, the exhibitor refers to “the trade-show atmosphere” in a way infers it is a negative thing - probably because many people feel that a “community” atmosphere is what they want - not the “carnival” feel of tradeshows. Right or wrong, we all have to be sensitive to the fact that the little guy feels he can’t compete on a tradeshow floor because he can’t offer the same circus sideshows that the big guys can.

When iTunes first added podcasts, the lists were dominated by independent podcasters. Now, however, the front page of the Podcast area in iTunes is dominated by big media podcasts. Having a tradeshow that reaches out to both groups and tries to make both happy can be tricky. The independent podcasters, many of whom produce their shows as a hobby, will always be an important set of attendees - they are the ones that got the whole trend moving and supported the Expo from the beginning. I will always work hard to keep the costs of attending the event low because they are the ones who are not coming to the show on someone else’s dime. The corporate attendees will benefit as well of course.

As we continue to grow the show, I will also have to work hard to make sure that smaller companies don’t feel alienated or “lost” in the hall when I sell sponsorships and 30′x30′ islands to large companies who come into the space.

Revenue growth is important, but I won’t ignore my first, and core base of attendees and exhibitors, in order to grab it.