Our Detroit area store is receiving phone calls today about severe issues at Motor City Comic Con centered on guests not being processed in time and excruciatingly long lines to get into the event. I made some phone calls to get to the bottom of the issues, and this is what I found out:
Disclaimer
I know that some of you might question this article because this site, and the store it is associated with, are sponsors of Detroit Fanfare Comic Con. Rest assured, my task with this article is to supply you with information about what is going on in the area as it relates to comic books and comic book collecting.
DC’s WTF Certified
What is Going On at Motor City Comic Con?
Callers to our store and people on Facebook have been complaining all morning about excruciatingly long lines to get into Motor City Comic Con. According to the calls and to posts on Motor City Comic Con’s Facebook page, people who purchased advanced tickets online are being forced to stay in the same line with people who are purchasing their tickets on-site. This is causing for lines to get backed up and has apparently caused a lag in processing tickets.
Easily Avoidable Problem
I hate to do this, but the long lines are something which could have been avoided by the Motor City Comic Con staff and by the promoters of the event. Many major conventions have separate lines for on-site ticket purchasers and for those which have already purchased their tickets in advance. For those of you who have read my reviews of conventions on this site and on previous sites that I have written for, will remember how I praised Detroit Fanfare, Motor City Nightmares, and other conventions for splitting the lines to make sure they move faster.
The Fire Marshall Rumor
A rumor began to spread around noon today that the Novi Fire Marshall had closed Motor City Comic Con down or that he had temporarily shut the event down. I contacted the Novi Fire Department to find out if this rumor was true. The representative of the Novi Fire Department told me that the rumor was not true. The Fire Marshall is working with Motor City Comic Con to get the staff to move through processing ticket holders faster to ensure the long lines outside do not become a safety hazard. Already, some people have passed out in line and human safety is a strong concern. Again, this is something which could have been avoided with better planning.
The Parking
The Gridiron Greats Hall of Fame Dinner & Gridiron Greats and Detroit City Sports Autograph Signing & Sports Memorabilia Show is current going on at the Suburban Collection Showplace along with Motor City Comic Con. That event, according to the sources which I have seen, have been offering free admission and free parking. This event is taking parking away from Motor City Comic Con and has forced at least one visitor to park over a mile away at a Kroeger’s and walk for 15 minutes to simply wait in line. It is the responsibility of a convention staff to advise visitors of events going on in the area which might case for backups and other issues such as this.
The story of mishaps and miscommunications at Motor City Comic Con is ongoing and I will update this article as more information becomes available.
(Added)
Both the Detroit Free Press and Bleeding Cool have picked up on this story.
Are you facing issues at Motor City Comic Con? What is your story?
