San Diego, CA: When the decision was made to move San Diego Comic-Con 2020 online as Comic-Con@Home, the first thought on most people’s minds was how organizers would handle the popular panels that are a major element of the convention. Thanks to current technology and platforms such as Zoom and YouTube, this challenge was quickly handled. However, another huge draw every year is the expansive Exhibit Hall that covers the first level of the San Diego Convention Center. This presented a new round of challenges, which organizers have worked to solve. What has been created can present its own challenges to the first-time online visitor, but with some tips and some practice these, too, can be overcome.
The first step to visiting the Online Exhibit Hall is to head over to the Comic-Con@Home homepage at comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome and click on either the Exhibit Hall link in the top bar or the Online Exhibit Hall link halfway down the page. This will give you a pop-up advisory that you will be leaving the Comic-Con@Home site for a third-party site. The good news is that you won’t leave the page, as a new tab will open with the complete floor plan of the Exhibit Hall. Once you are there, you can stay on the main Hall map with all the vendors and Artists Alley or go up to the Mezzanine where you can find fan clubs and organizations. On the main Hall map you can also click on either Floor Plan Tips or an Exhibitor List, both of which will take you away from the map.
Once you are on the map, navigation is fairly easy. You simply move your cursor around until you find a vendor or artist that interests you. When you click on the name, it will open a pop-up on the left-hand side with the name of the artist or vendor and a box with tabs for Company and Products. Under the Company tab you will generally find some links and perhaps a description of the company or the latest offerings. The Product tab may provide anything from one to more than a dozen product images and a link for More Information. This link will open a new pop-up with a more-or-less detailed description of the product. Generally, the Artists Alley pop-ups will simply have links to the artist’s home page.
While there is not the excitement and color of the live Exhibit Hall, the plus side is that there are no lines or crowds to deal with. Many of the vendors have special event offers that are only available through the Comic-Con@Home Online Exhibit Hall. And since it is open to anyone online, it may be your best opportunity to “walk” the San Diego Comic-Con Exhibit Hall.
Comic-Con@Home runs through Sunday, July 26. Access all the features through the home page at comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome. Panels are available through the Programming tab or through the Comic-Con International YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/ComicCon.
Author: Stephen Prendergast is a contributing writer to Geek Round Table.
