Fort Con is to be the first Fort William Comic Con & Expo, set for the weekend of 22nd October 2016 and is set to draw pop culture fans and exhibitors from all over Scotland, the UK and beyond.
Events and promotions company The 57th Parallel with partner Highlands Entertainment are putting on the event which is very much aimed at the community and is gearing itself up to be one of the most fun events on the Fort William calendar.
Announced guests so far include Hammer Horror star Valerie Leon, actor Simon Fisher-Becker (creator of the one man show My Dalek Has A Puncture), actor and voice actor Ian McNiece and comics creator Richmond Clements – with more to come.
“Fort Con is not simply about comics,” says Fort Con creator Ben Belton. “It’s a celebration of pop culture, movies, TV, anime, games, music, celebrities and more importantly – fun!
“We expect hundreds of people from the local area alone to show up in an outstanding and colourful array of costumes. This is the event that Fort William needs and deserves!”
“This is by the community, for the community,” he expands. “The Fort Con crew is made up of dedicated local volunteers who want to make Fort Con an event to remember.”
Fort Con is being staged with private investment, sponsor funding and a lot of hard work, and will be held at the Nevis Centre in Fort William and various other smaller venues on the weekend of 22nd October.
The whole event will kick off on Friday 21st October with some small pre-con shows and then into the main event day on Saturday 22nd, where attendees can meet artists and celebrities, walk down artist’s alley, visit the dealer and trade area, take part in tournaments, workshops, Q&As. There will also be photo ops with life-size replicas from film and comics, and cosplayers are expected in force.
“We had wrongfully assumed that the Highlands is a deterrent because of location. In fact, it is because of the Highlands that people do want to come here,” Ben says of response to the event so far. “We live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and this will become part of the wider marketing campaign.
“We are also being contacted by celebrities and agents eager to be part of this new event and we are now listed on the major convention sites as something to look forward to.
“This is an event for the Highlands as much as Fort William,” he enthuses. “Fort Con will be promoted all over Scotland and will be a unique take on traditional Comic Con set ups.
“The aim is to give people everything they expect and more. We have marketing campaigns ready for Oban, Inverness, the Western Isles and beyond to make sure that no one misses out on it.
“This will be the first Comic Con & Expo of its kind in the Highlands that not only celebrates comics but every type of pop culture style you can think of.”
Tickets will go on sale at the start of the Summer.
• For more information visit the Fort Con the official website: www.fortcon.co.uk
If you can help out in any way then feel free to contact the crew via the website
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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