Eventbrite, a leading marketplace for live events globally, has let loose the dogs of data regarding the economic power of fandom and the growth of conventions. Since so many events are gaming and gaming culture conventions, this data is worth a closer look with a wink and a nod of analysis.
Women participate in fandoms
Women do participate, and not just in a cursory or numerically insignificant way, either. It’s as important to note that the participation at cons is virtually a fifty-fifty split across the gender divide. Specifically, according to Eventbrite, 48.7 percent of fans are men, while women constitute an ever-so-slight majority at 48.9 percent.
Further, single male fans add up to 50 percent of attendees, while 47 percent are women. One area of difference between the genders is that 29 percent of single men journey to cons alone, while 18 percent of single women travel to cons in a group, with cosplay as a focus of their interest.
This kind of information underscores the necessity to ensure all attendees feel safe and comfortable to participate in a convention, which has cropped up as a recurring issue in fandom-driven conventions. Another consideration is ensuring the content reflects the full spectrum of attendees. A case in point where the content has been seen as falling short of the mark was at the recent Denver Comic-Con.
Where the money is
In the end, it’s a business and a matter of bottom lines for convention owners, so is it good business to address the minority of hardcore fans attending? The data suggests yes. This class of event-goers are the biggest spenders at fan events, going by Eventbrite’s data.
Almost three out of five respondents are willing to shell out 100 dollars to 500 dollars over and above the cost of travel and getting in through the front door, which is not a bad baseline. But, the big spenders are about 10 percent of all respondents — of whom almost two-thirds see themselves as “Super Fans” — are about 55 percent male and go to four or more events per year. That’s a lot of time, money and attention being spent on their fandom.
Not to mention that if engaged the right way, super fans can be big drivers of influence, which can focus the kind of spotlight a convention owner would want.
Have con? Will travel
More than just the super fans will pick up their bags and travel out of town for a convention. In fact, according to Eventbrite, 60 percent will visit at least one con, and almost half will go to three. More than four out of five of these attendees are either Generation X or Millenials (23-55). The frequent con-goers are happy to drop some cash on merchandise, like toys, figures, collectibles T-shirts, art and prints — but not celebrity autographs. Only 20 percent will spring for goods signed with someone’s John Hancock.
Cosplayers play a major role
Here’s a set of data that may surprise some. Eventbrite states that almost one-quarter of all con-goers are cosplayers. Nearly two-thirds attend three cons a year, while over a quarter attend at least five a year. About two-thirds identify as female and skew younger as an audience, with three out of five between 23 and 39. Seventy percent spend at least 100 dollars at a show, and half consider themselves super fans.
Cosplayers have received some flak lately, with stories saying cosplayers bring nothing of value to conventions popping up from time to time. Also, exercising that form of fandom has brought issues of super fans can be big>harassment to the fore at various events. Yet, the cosplayers also may prove to be one of the most engaged participants at a convention, so it makes sense to have a robust and fair policy for anti-harassment to allow participation at the level that allows everyone to take from the convention experience all they can.
