After past successes in Albuquerque, the New Mexico Comic & Film Expo was hoping to bring the event back to Albuquerque with the City's help, KRQE reported this week.
The Expo, which was supposed to be held in August at the Albuquerque Convention Center, had to be canceled for the second year in a row, founder Matthew Trujillo told KRQE.
"After the show happened in 2019, I went back to them they said, ‘Yes you proved your worth. We will definitely be willing to help out,'" Trujillo said.
The event is a fan convention with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture. Comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts and each other.
Trujillo said he feels the City has forgotten about the event altogether after COVID-19 hit.
“In 2019, the city said that we were the second largest event after the Balloon Fiesta,” Trujillo said. “They’re saying that based off of the amount of hotel rooms we had booked out. Something like that tells me that the numbers are there for them to be able to help.”
The expo attracted 50,000 people in 2019, KRQE reported. In 2021, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was smaller, but it still did well. Since the proposed August show was slated to be bigger, Trujillo said he could not do it without the City’s help.
Trujillo is looking for sponsorship from the City and has recently met with the Albuquerque Film Office and the Economic Development Department.
The Albuquerque Film Office released a statement saying that the City has met with the group in the past, but contacts have dissipated over the years. At this point, the City noted that it is basically starting over and meeting with the right people to discuss their new business plan.
“It’s just a matter of getting in a little bit more with the right departments to really see where we can make this partnership worthwhile – for myself and for the city – and really make something for the community," Trujillo told KRQE. He hopes the next event can be held in August of 2024.
Expo organizers said the good news is that City departments are being helpful, and they expect more meetings to be held.
Another comic-book-related event, Duke City Comic Con, is still scheduled for June 16-18 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, according to KRQE.