SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – September 20, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) — Dan Farr is fast becoming as big a household name as the celebrities that show up to his Salt Lake Comic Con.
Over the last few years The S.L. Comic Con and it’s smaller component “Fan-X” (Short for Fan Experience) have become huge events in Salt Lake City. These “Pop Culture” conventions bring in an estimated 100,000+ attendees who will spend between $75 and $200 per day in the city’s malls, restaurants and stores.
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The yearly event also brings in fans of comic books, movies, toys and costumes to meet and compare knowledge and interact with celebrities in the worlds of movies, TV and books.
Farr, and his partner, Bryan Brandenburg, had to learn the “ins” and “outs” of working with celebrities and their managers and agents. The pair have managed to create very personal working relationships with some of the biggest names in the business.
Convincing A-list celebrities to journey to Utah for two or three days takes a lot of doing, but now with a few years under their belts, Salt Lake Comic Con is seeing some major talent come through. This year stars like “Captain America’s” Chris Evans, Haley Atwell and Anthony Mackie are among the many celebrities coming to the Salt Palace September 24, 25 and 26.
Even with the convention’s success, it’s not an easy road. Farr and company are going head-to-head with San Diego’s Comic-Con in a legal battle over the use of the term “Comic Con,” which is short for simply ‘Comic Book Convention.’
San Diego sued Salt Lake last year in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California for trademark infringement, alleging that Salt Lake’s name was too similar and that fans were confused between the two events.
You can read all about the pending legal actions by clicking this link.
Farr isn’t afraid to go to battle over this. Not just for his convention’s sake, but for many other comic book conventions around the world using the “comic con” name.
