Phoenix Comic Fest, formerly known as Phoenix Comicon, is changing its
Organizers of the annual pop-cultural and geek extravaganza, which will wrap up its 2018 edition later today, have announced they will rename the event Phoenix Fan Fusion.
Yup, that's right.
The new name will be in effect for the 2019 edition, which will take place from Thursday, May 23, to Sunday, May 26, of next year.
The name change was announced by Kristin Rowan, a spokesperson for Comic Fest's parent company and organizer, Square Egg Entertainment. It came during an early morning press conference on Sunday, May 27, regarding an emergency evacuation of Comic Fest on Saturday night after a false alarm.
The switch comes almost six months after the company changed the name of it's biggest event from Phoenix Comicon to Phoenix Comic Fest. The was reportedly the result of Square Egg's ongoing legal battle with San Diego Comic-Con
(It's the third name change overall for the event, which launched in 2002 at Phoenix Cactus Comicon before later becoming Phoenix Comicon in 2009.)
According to Rowan, Square Egg decision to rebrand its signature event this time around was caused by negative feedback to the name Phoenix Comic Fest that it's been hearing.
“We've been saying a lot this year [that] 'we hear you and we're listening. One of the things we've heard most is that Phoenix Comic Fest just doesn't roll off the tongue,” Rowan says. “It doesn't sound quite right to us either. Therefore in 2019, Phoenix Comic Fest, formerly Phoenix Comicon will become Phoenix Fan Fusion.”
Rowan also said that Phoenix Fan Fusion better summarizes what the geek-friendly event, which celebrates the fandom of everything from comic and anime to sci-fi and fantasy, is all about.
“Overwhelmingly, our fans our attendees, our staff, and everyone else said it's not the right name for what you do,” Rowan says. “We are focusing on our fans, we're focusing on the experience of bringing them all together and Phoenix Fan Fusion will be the name going forward.”
Square Egg currently puts on Fan Fusion events in other cities, including the annual Minnesota Fan Fusion in the Minneapolis area. Earlier this year, they announced the launch of Vegas Fan Fusion, which will take place in late September.
