There’s a misconception that Comicpalooza is owned by “the City”, which is not exactly true. The GHCVB, short for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, invested in our show in 2013, increased their ownership in 2015 and bought it fully in 2017. The GHCVB is a member-based organization largely comprised of local leisure and hospitality businesses of all sizes, dedicated to building a thriving community. Events are one way to do that. The GHCVB saw the benefit of a show like Comicpalooza and were committed to helping it grow and succeed---a rising tides lifts all boats thing.
We’re not mad about it, not even a little. In fact, people from the legacy team that made Comicpalooza a proud, annual tradition for many Houstonians continue to be a large part of the show. The GHCVB put Houston First in charge of the day-to-day management and we added operational experts that have worked on some of the biggest events in the world. Since the GHCVB’s investment, we have more year-round team members to focus on the development of the show and it was because of their confidence in us that we were able to bring in names like Tom Holland and Emilia Clarke.
And, when the pandemic hit, they trusted us when we said we needed to refund everyone quickly and fully. All ticket holders. All exhibitors. All sponsors. Everyone. That took a financial toll on a group whose members were devastated by the pandemic. The GHCVB could have closed the doors on Comicpalooza but instead, they remained faithful to the event and those of us that make it happen. We’re proud to have them behind us. We love that Comicpalooza’s mission is not just about pop culture, it’s about pop culture and Houston, and we hope you are, too.
Any questions? Please email us at info@comicpalooza.com
If you’d like to learn more about the GHCVB click here.
If you’d like to learn more about the GHCVB members click here.
If you’d like to learn how to become a GHCVB member click here.