UnCommonCon

Infobox Convention
name = UnCommonCon


caption =
status = Inactive
genre = Multi-genre
venue = Hyatt Regency Hotel-DFW Airport
location = Dallas, Texas
country = United States
first = 2000
last = 2001
organizer = James Echols, Uncommon Solutions
filing = For Profit
attendance = 1,200 in 2000
website = http://www.uncommoncon.com/

UnCommonCon was a short-lived comics and science fiction convention held in the Dallas, Texas area on Thanksgiving weekend. James Echols was the show chairman and president of event sponsor Uncommon Solutions. This combination of media, comics, and literary guests with gaming, art, anime, and film was an ambitious attempt to create a large convention with regional and national appeal. UnCommonCon suffered financial collapse just before the 2001 event.

UnCommonCon 2000

:The first UnCommonCon, UnCommonCon 2000, was held November 24-26, 2000, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel-DFW Airport located by Terminal C at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. [cite news |url=http://www.locusmag.com/2000/Future/Cons2000d.html#novcons |work=Locus |title=Convention Listings - November 2000] Guests included author Aaron Allston, author Tracy Hickman, author P.N. Elrod, actor Ted Raimi, Melissa Benson, "Babylon 5" actor Jason Carter, "Hulk" actor Lou Ferrigno, actor Victor Lundin, artist Bryan Talbot [Cite book |first=Bryan |last=Talbot |title=The Naked Artist: Comic Book Legends |publisher=Moonstone |location=Calumet, Illinois |url=http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4528 |date=2007 |isbn=1-933076-25-9 |page=69] , and many more. Screenings included "Babylon Park" and "Laughing Boy". Organizers were reported to have expected attendance of around 4000 but only 1200 people actually attended. [cite web |title=UncommonCon Convention in Irving TX |last=Grisaffi |first=Joe |url=http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-3643-5C1CFCA-3A29D134-prod1 |date=2000-12-02]

UnCommonCon 2001

:The second UnCommonCon, UnCommonCon 2001, was scheduled to be held November 23-25, 2001, at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. [cite news |work=Locus |title=Convention Listings - November 2001 |url=http://www.locusmag.com/2001/Future/Cons2001.html#novcons] Scheduled guests included author Aaron Allston, artist Sergio Aragones, author Lee Martindale, and author Michael Stackpole. The first major auction by Heritage Comic Auctions was scheduled to be held in conjunction with the convention. [cite web |date=2001-07-17 |url=http://comics.ha.com/common/info/press/default.php?ReleaseID=155 |title=Heritage Comic Auctions and UncommonCon Team Up for Major Auction Event] There were several factors, including a sharp drop in domestic travel after 9/11, that led to cancellation of the event roughly two weeks before the second convention was to occur but organizers publicly blamed slow dealer tables sales and their failure to meet room block commitments resulting in a $60,000 invoice from the hotel. [cite web |work=Comicon.com |title=Uncommoncon Cancelled! discussion |url=http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/43/t/001906.html]

Aftermath of failure

When UnCommonCon failed unexpectedly due to financial difficulties, A-Kon sponsors Phoenix Entertainment stepped in with Itzacon. [cite web |last=Blum |first=Dawn |url=http://boards.theforce.net/lubbock_tx/b10148/4741029/p1/?0 |title=ItzaCon3 - With Peter Mayhew |work=Jedi Council Forums |date=2001-11-14] This event was hurriedly put together and "inherited" a number of guests from the UnCommonCon roster who had already completed travel plans for this Thanksgiving weekend. Con organizer Meri Hazlewood later claimed a paid attendance of "about 540 people (not counting dealers and staff)."

Heritage Comic Auctions held its "million dollar" comics and movie poster auction, as scheduled, at the Wyndham Anatole. [cite web |title=UncommonCon Cancels Festival -- Heritage Auction to Proceed on Schedule |url=http://comics.ha.com/common/info/press/default.php?ReleaseID=178 |date=2001-11-13] They provided free vendor space to vintage comics and art dealers to advertise the now-smaller event and encourage more people to attend the auction in person. 703 of the 845 lots sold at auction bringing in a total of $960,649.05 [cite web |date=2001-11-27 |url=http://comics.ha.com/common/info/press/default.php?ReleaseID=181 |title=Heritage Comics Signature Auction Brings $960,000; Prices Soar]

References