In 2001, Bryan Cooney of Wolf Events and Paul Miley of ScifiShows founded the MCM Expo Group to manage the MCM London Comic Con, originally known as the London MCM Expo. London’s fan convention quickly became one of the UK’s largest pop culture events, so the MCM Expo Group has since expanded its activity outside the UK capital. It currently runs a series of pop culture events including the Midlands Comic Con in the city of Telford located in the heart of the West Midlands region.
The MCM Midlands Comic Con is held every February. Unlike many other MCM events which last for two or three days, it is a single-day event, although the organizers may expand it in the future. The convention is always held on a Saturday. The event attracts over 6,000 attendees every year, most attendees are either young people aged 17 to 21 (39%) or children and teenagers (31%). The convention supports the MCM Expo Group’s Kids Go Free policy applying to children under 10. A paying adult can bring two children for free.
Each edition of the MCM Midlands Comic Con features celebrity guests, primarily actors known for their roles in sci-fi and fantasy films, television shows and franchises. For example, the 2016 edition of the convention featured Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who, The Hobbit trilogy), Kai Owen (Torchwood) and Sophie Aldred (Doctor Who).
Alongside panels, photo-ops and autograph sessions with celebrity guests, the program of the convention includes Comic Village (a meeting place for comic book artists and writers and comic book lovers), a cosplay contest and Masquerade, video game tournaments (MCM eSports), dealers stalls offering the very best of merchandise, presentations of new films, television shows and games, and a lot of other events and activities for visitors of all ages.
Photo: mcmcomiccon.com
