MCM London Comic Con

The MCM London Comic Con (formerly known as the London MCM Expo) is the largest pop culture convention in the United Kingdom. It is held in London biannually, usually on the last weekend in May and October. It can be considered a flagship event among MCM conventions.

The convention is managed and produced by the MCM (Movie Comic Media) Expo Group, an event organizing company founded in 2001 by Paul Miley (Sci Fi Shows) and Bryan Cooney (Wolf Events). Along with the London Comic Com, the company hosts multi-genre conventions in Midlands (Telford), Liverpool, Birmingham, Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Stockholm, Malmö, Copenhagen, Brussels and Hanover. The inaugural MCM London Comic Con was held in May 2002. It has taken place two times a year ever since, with rare exceptions. As of 2016, its attendance is more than 130,000 visitors over the weekend.

Originally the MCM London Comic Con was a one-day event. Over they years, it has expanded to last three days, Friday to Sunday. It attracts involvement by industry luminaries such as 20th Century Fox, Manga Entertainment UK, Anime Limited (All the Anime), Neo Magazine, Marvel Comics, and Universal Studios. They attend the convention to announce upcoming projects to a wide audience.

The London Comic Con is dedicated to all things pop culture including anime, manga, video games, science fiction, fantasy, horror, movies, television shows, cosplay, action figures, collectible cards, and everything in between. Its program is similar to that of other events of this kind, because most fan conventions are modeled after San Diego Comic-Con International.

The convention is held at ExCeL London. It features a large floor-space for dealer stands and exhibitors which include various media companies. Along with the exhibitor hall, there is a theater space where panels and screenings take place. The convention’s program features meet & greets, autograph sessions and photo ops wit celebrity guests, cosplay championships, workshops and seminars, Comic Village, previews of upcoming films and television shows, and more.

Media guests from different countries are commonly invited to the MCM London Comic Con. They include comic book professionals, representatives of video games companies, actors and filmmakers. Most of them come to the convention to promote their latest projects or to raise awareness for a cause or charity important to them.