Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC), Steve Wozniak’s wildly successful expo that celebrates the Age of the Geek, took over downtown San Jose the weekend of March 18 – 20, welcoming nearly 60,000 guests over the course of the three-day show. The event paired science and fiction featuring celebrity appearances, science/tech discussions, panels with award-winning authors, displays with comicbook artists, cosplay contests and more.
“We couldn’t be happier with the turnout at our first Silicon Valley Comic Con—from passionate fans to engaging exhibits and talks,” said founder Steve Wozniak. “Version 2.0 in 2017 will be even better!”
Marquee events included the first North American reunion of the cast of “Back to the Future,” “An Evening with William Shatner,” which included a spontaneous discussion with Steve Wozniak (a.k.a. Woz) about science and philosophy, and a fireside chat between the Woz and the founder and creator of Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey. Additional packed events included “Let’s Go to Mars!” which featured “The Martian” author Andy Weir, NASA’s Chris McKay and “MythBuster’s” Adam Savage, [X] Labs head Astro Teller and medical researcher turned author Danielle Teller with “Superbabies vs A.I.,” “Rockstars of the Internet” brought out social media superstars Alx James, Brizzy Voices and Mamrie Hart and fan Q&As were held with Stan Lee, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Renner and the teams behind “Deadpool,” “Big Bang Theory,” “Halt and Catch Fire” and “Con Man.”
Fan-favorite Hollywood celebrities joined the inaugural SVCC, including Stan Lee, William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, Nathan Fillion, Christopher Lloyd, Jeremy Renner, Lea Thompson, Alan Tudyk, Adam Savage, Peter Mayhew, Nichelle Nichols, Bonnie Wright, Jon Heder, Ray Park, and Vic Mignogna.
Several companies leveraged SVCC as the launching pad for new products and companies including Loot Crate, which debuted its premium Loot Crate DX subscription line, Legion M, which launched its crowdfunding studio that lets fans own a piece of Hollywood and Yaksee, a mobile broadcasting platform.
The sold-out show floor featured hundreds of exhibitors and attractions including a VR Zone curated by SVVR, an indie-filled App Alley, rare collectibles from the Stan Lee Museum and Rancho Obi Wan, wax figures from Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, photo opps with the “Back to the Future” DeLorean Time Machine, Artists Alley, ScreenUsed memorabilia auction and more.
