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Desi Comic Con is set to get a videshi flavour. In its fourth year, Comic Con India has entered into an equal joint venture partnership with Reed Exhibitions to scale up the conventions in India.
Reed Exhibitions, part of the FTSE-listed Reed Elsevier Group, is the producer of New York Comic Con, Oz Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, and the Singapore toy, game and comic convention.
Jatin Varma, Founder, Comic Con India, said: “With an international partner, we will not just provide global exposure to Indian artists and grow the industry locally, but we may eventually also get American film and TV celebrities to India to elevate the experience for Indian fans.”
He did not, however, share details of the initial investment in the partnership. The Comic Con India team will work closely with the ReedPOP division of Reed Exhibitions. ReedPOP, at its conventions, has hosted famous international TV and film personalities, such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, William Shatner, Orlando Bloom, and Tom Hiddleston.
While the Indian market for comics is unorganised, with a mix of big publishers and independent artists, it is growing at a fast pace. At the first Comic Con India in February 2011, the turnout was around 20,000 visitors and sales touched ₹25 lakh in two days. The fourth convention in 2014, despite being a ticketed event, saw 40,000 visitors and ₹2 crore sales in three days.
Michael Mandl, CEO, Reed Exhibitions India, said: “India is a very important market for us to grow in the coming years. We have a strategic interest in forming this partnership to further grow our portfolio and also roll out our opportunities here in India to help the overall industry grow faster.”
On the need for an international tie-up, Varma said: “To grow the event to more cities, we need strategic guidance and resources in terms of how to scale a physical show and sell more. Also, with this partnership we will be able to give a platform to foreign companies who want to try out the Indian market.”
This would also boost Indian companies and small publishers to sell their content overseas.
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