Hello Everyone,
This is Mike with Springfield Comic Con. I’m here to talk to everyone about what happened at the show and also talk about what happens next.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Saturday July 23, 2022, The extreme heat and long lines from much higher than expected turnout led to the venue becoming overcrowded.
To avoid people waiting outside in the heat, the MassMutual Center offered “Cool Off” Rooms to attendees before coming into the venue.
At no point was the event oversold, but the combination of people with and without tickets trying to get in at the same time led to a high risk safety situation.
On the guidance of the MassMutual Center Staff, The Public Safety Manager, and the Springfield Police Department, we stopped online and day of ticket sales at noon on the day of the show to help alleviate the situation.
At that point, We tended to heat casualties and asked people without tickets to leave the line. Anyone who did not already have a ticket by that point was turned away. We were able to get things back on track without canceling the event.
We apologize to anyone who was unable to get into Springfield Comic Con this year. We know this was a big upset to many fans but safety was, and will always be, the top priority.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
If you decided to leave the line to avoid the heat, we completely understand your decision, and are happy to offer anyone with an un-scanned ticket (or tickets) a credit towards next year or a full refund. Click the button below and fill out the request form. It’s that simple. It should take only 2-3 days to process your request.
THE FUTURE
We are already in talks with the venue and public safety to look at options to keep anything like this from happening in the future. We’ll announce those plans prior to next year but here’s a little peak at what’s already been discussed.
• Additional Exhibit Space
• Additional Indoor Line Space
• VIP Entrance
I do want to talk about the space issue in super frank terms. We bought the amount of space we could afford and it was enough to accommodate the folks that got tickets in advance. We even got additional space about a month out based on a slow increase in ticket sales. The giant leap in demand for the event, and to be clear we’re talking 5x the number of people that bought in advance vs. showed up to buy at the door, was not anticipated by anyone.
ONE LAST THING
Saturday was tough for folks in the hot line and those behind the scenes helping to make it better. I want to thank everyone for their patience, understanding, and support. We’re looking forward to 2023 and hope you are too.
Mike and the Springfield Comic Con Crew
