MCM stands for “Movie Comic Media”. The company was founded in 2001 by Paul Miley of Sci Fi Shows and Bryan Cooney of Wolf Events, both well known organizers within the fan convention entertainment industry. They got together to organize a large-scale collectors show in London, which is now the flagship event of MCM Central known as the MCM London Comic Con.
MCM Central hosts a series of fan conventions throughout the United Kingdom and abroad. Its shows are held in Telford, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Glasgow, Dublin, Hanover, and other cities. The MCM Manchester Comic Con is one of MCM's most successful events. It features over 60 exhibitors and attracts more than 38,000 visitors over two days.
The Manchester Comic Con takes place in late July at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, an exhibition and conference center converted from a former railway station. The convention is a huge celebration of modern pop culture that has something to offer to all comic collectors, sci-fi fans, movie buffs, gamers, and anime enthusiasts.
The programming of the MCM Manchester Comic Con is similar to that of other multi-genre fan conventions. It includes panels, Q&A sessions, photo-ops and signings featuring comic book authors and celebrity guests, a large exhibitor area with special zones dedicated to comics and gaming, Cosplay Masquerade, Comic Village, eSports competitions, and more.
At each convention, visitors can meet special guests from the world of sci-fi and fantasy television and film. For example, the celebrity guests at the 2016 MCM Manchester Comic Con included Luke Pasqualino (The Musketeers), Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Warwick Davis (The 10th Kingdom, Star Wars, Leprechaun, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), Terry Molloy (Doctor Who), Andrew-Lee Potts (Primeval), and Game of Throne actors Ian Beattie, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Ian Gelder, and Ian McElhinney.
Photo: mcmcomiccon.com
