‘Board of Little Experts’ Creatively Curates #KidsCon 2022 @ComicConAfrica #ComicConAfrica

Hi Friends, 

Comic Con Africa is excited to announce that KidsCon will be back this year and form part of Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture and gaming festival. Curated by an impressive ‘Board of Little Experts’, this year’s show will set KidsCon apart, as the ultimate immersive experience - a festival just for kids, designed by kids.

Collocated with, and taking place throughout the entire Comic Con Africa weekend at the Johannesburg Expo Centre from 22 to 25 September, KidsCon will have something for all little fans. Bringing together everything that dreams are made of, and more. KidsCon has heightened the experience and selected several of the brightest, and coolest kids between the ages of 7 and 11 to form a ‘Board of Little Experts’, which plays an important part in deciding which cool elements make it to KidsCon this year.

“With almost 60% of Africa’s population under 25 years old, listening to, and taking direction from the kids on the ‘Board of Little Experts’ is vital in shaping not only the most incredible festival experience, but it also lays the foundation for an intuitive, inclusive and representative society. They grow up with technologies and tools many of us could only have dreamt of at that age. Plus, they have a brilliant way of thinking outside the box that can surprise even the most creative of adults,” said Carla Massmann, Comic Con Africa Show Director.

‘Board meetings’ might sound boring… but this is where we find creative ways of discovering what’s fun out there and what they want. Coming from different backgrounds, and having varying interests and opinions on topics such as gaming, fashion, food, books and so much more, makes the board more dynamic and fun! From doing unboxing reviews, engaging in conversation, comparing what they like and don’t like as well as voting on certain games, gadgets and kids' gear, the ‘Board of Little Experts’ provides welcomed insight into what South African kids want to uncover at every turn.

“Even though we can’t bring a spaceship to the show or build a hall out of candy quite yet, our little experts have wonderful insights into the things that excite them. We also build incredible content with them, such as unboxing, game reviews, and art tutorials to name just a few. This year’s board have really surprised us, sharing so much creativity and inspiration, they are a confident bunch that gives us a taste of our future leaders and go-getters ” continued Massmann.

Kids have an incredible four days of fun to look forward to this year with more activities on offer than ever. There’ll be daily Kids Karaoke competitions, along with that are super-fun Just Dance challenges, Mario Kart races, Transformer Speed Builds, and so many other activities taking place live on the Kids Con stage every day!

Families can now look forward to a bigger and better KidsCon experience with daily cosplay and dress-up competitions with some stunning prizes. Other highlights will include the latest and greatest in toys and kids lifestyle products, KidsCon Comic and Art, Kids Tech, and of course tons for our Gamer Kids to thrill and delight.

One of the highlights in the gaming space will be the KidsCon E-sports tournament powered by RGB Gaming. The two-day tournament will see 64 players from 16 schools duke it out to decide who walks away with bragging rights and stunning prizes as the top team of the event. There will also be two days of free play where everything from robotics, esports and game-based learning to coding, build challenges, and 3D printing will be available to experience.

Buy your tickets today for the ultimate family day out and learn about all the amazing things Comic Con Africa and KidsCon has in store for the little ones by clicking HERE.

Comic Con Africa Information - 

Comic Con Africa, Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture and gaming festival, will be taking place in Johannesburg and Cape Town this year. For the latest Comic Con Africa 2022 news and updates, be sure to connect online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricaComicCon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ComicConAfrica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comicconafrica_official/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyeKw1HRrkpSJ5FJgXmtVCQ

Get tickets: https://bit.ly/CCA2022_Tickets

About Comic Con Africa

Comic Con Africa is Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture, gaming, and fan festival. The festival features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements including cosplay, comic books, anime, manga, tech, film and series, gaming (including video, mobile and esports) toys, gadgets, clothing, collectable card games, fantasy/sci-fi books and authors as well as the ever-popular Artists' Alley. The inaugural 2018 event welcomed over 42 000 visitors (ABC Audited) and 2019 saw over 70 000. In 2019 KidsCon was a new addition to the festival, allowing for the festival to be the ultimate family day out with loads of activities for all to enjoy.

This year Comic Con Africa will see 2 new additions at the festival StreamerCon and StreetCon. StreamerCon presents the magic and wonder of online - In Real Life. Bringing together everyone involved in making, watching, promoting, and creating the future of online video content. StreamerCon will host digital creators, platform innovators, and their fans, all in one place.

StreetCon is where streetwear and pop culture enthusiasts meet. This festival of brands, people and trends, celebrates current and upcoming trends in pop culture and urban culture. StreetCon is a place where street artists, curators and YOU converge to celebrate and shape our culture. Features the latest in the new fashion, merchandise, talent and emerging artist and creators.

A single Comic Con Africa ticket gets you to access to all these features and attractions at Johannesburg Expo Centre NASREC on 22 – 25 September 2022. (www.comicconafrica.co.za)

Comic Con Africa is owned by Reed Exhibitions (Pty) Ltd and used under license by Mogull Media Proprietary Limited.

Cheers!!!

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@ComicConAfrica Ends On A High Note #ComicConAfrica #ReedExpoAfrica #Reedpop

Hi Friends, 

The doors of Comic Con Africa 2019 closed for the final time on the evening of 24th Sep 2019, but the buzz and excitement generated by four days of the greatest celebration of pop-culture that South Africa has ever seen show no signs of abating. The sheer magnitude of this Con was something to behold – Reed Exhibitions and Reedpop promised that Comic Con Africa would be bigger and better, and on that promise they delivered. With an astounding 71,000 visitors, seven halls packed with 300 exhibitors, four international film, TV series, and gaming celebrities, 12 international comic artists and writers, 12 local comic creators, one international cosplayer, two international DJs, competitions, specials, and giveaways, an esports prize pool of R1.3 million, 26,000 square meters of event space, 120 hours of content, and one incredible Wingman in the form of KFC, Comic Con Africa 2019 exceeded all expectations.

This year the guests in Artist Alley tripled in numbers and the incredible line-up left fans spoilt for choice. In the feature area, artists and illustrators engaged in live drawings and sketch offs, sharing anecdotes and artistic tips as they did so. Ecstatic fans watched their favorite characters drawn in real-time on large screens mounted above the easels. Under the grading organization CGC’s watchful eye, comic books were signed and sent for evaluation and protective casing to preserve investment pieces. Alongside in the Writers Block, local novelists and authors signed their books and spoke on educational panels to encourage local writers to pick up their pens. The Block was filled with handmade creativity including pop-culture inspired clothing, décor, and jewelry.

The Cosplay of Comic Con Africa 2019 was a visual feast. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d bumped into Iron Man or Wonder Woman walking straight off a Marvel film set, such as the level of detail and skill evidenced in these pieces of walking art. Cosplay Central was buzzing all weekend long with skits and well-known local and international Cosplayers signing prints. Fascinating panels for newbies and pros alike gave insight into crafting the perfect wig, applying make-up, or how to cosplay with confidence. The Cosplay Karaoke Café was a real hit with Cosplayers belting out magnificent renditions of well-known songs. Casual Cosplay competitions took place every day on the main stage, and on Tuesday the highly anticipated Championships of Cosplay winners were announced. The overall Cosplay winner Jinxkitty, who wowed with her Priestess Bathory cosplay, will be representing Africa at the Championships of Cosplay Quest for the Crown at C2E2 in America. Leon de Bruin of GES, Comic Con Africa’s Cosplay partner, was blown away by the level of this year’s Cosplay and called on any interested Cosplayers to sign up for 2020’s competition.

Hall 5 housed Pop-Culture retailers and exhibitors, many of whom had special deals that were snapped up by happy visitors. Comics, figurines, collectibles, clothing and other merchandise absolutely flew off the shelves and into the hands of thrilled collectors. Radio partner to the Con, 5fm provided the musical vibes with live broadcasts from their DJs who were happy to chat with fans. TikTok’s WoahTikTok competition on the main stage was a fun addition from Con’s digital media partner. Television Media partner Viacom celebrated 25 years of the series Friends and brought THE show’s couch where fans queued up to have their picture taken. There was one particularly special exhibitor in this hall. The presenting sponsor of Comic Con Africa 2019, The Ultimate Wingman, the makers of finger-lickin' goodness KFC, made their home here with a gigantic KFC bucket housing a greenscreen set up where visitors could photograph themselves in a setting of their imagination. Also on their stand was a caricaturist and a special edition of local arcade game Boetfighter, along with cosplayers in the costumes of the specially commissioned Comic Con Africa KFC Captain Colonel.

Hall 5 was also the location of the KFC main stage where panels, Q&As, competitions, and interviews were held with international film and TV series celebrities like Star Trek’s William Shatner, The Originals’ Daniel Gillies, and video game voice actors Nolan North and Troy Baker. Audiences were awed in the presence of these pop-culture giants. The stars themselves were charmed by our South African audiences – in the words of Daniel Gillies, we are “the most polite people I ever met… the fans are so warm and kind, and polite.” Just off the main stage, Hall 6 was the scene of photo ops and autographs with the celebrities, and fans came out ecstatically gripping these souvenirs and treasuring their

Comic Con Africa’s 2019 gaming offering was nothing short of a paradise for both casual and avid gamers. The absolutely enormous esports set up of the Con’s gaming and connectivity partner Telkom VS Gaming filled an entire wall, giving Con-goers a panoramic-like view of the action. Featuring nail-biting finals of the likes of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota2, local esports teams kept their cool playing for their share of an R1,3 million prize pool – the largest prize pool at any esports event in South Africa. The spectators were captivated, their eyes glued to the live-action. Freeplay areas had gamers trying their skills on the latest titles such as Mortal Kombat, PUBG, and Fortnite, while Xbox exhibited exclusively at the Con. Playstation gave away a highly sought-after limited edition 20th Anniversary PS4, and ATK had state of the art equipment on display for players to test run. Red Bull’s Hit the Streets, a nationwide contest of the best Street Fighter V players from across the country, hosted their finals on the last day of the Con. In line with Comic Con Africa’s aim to uplift and develop local talent, Project Springbok provided a platform for up-and-coming developers to showcase their work.

Comic Con Africa’s newest addition, the first kid-focused convention in South Africa, was KidsCon. But don’t be fooled – KidsCon delighted adults too. The African continent’s largest LEGO® activation saw visitors swallowed up in pools of LEGO® bricks surrounded by LEGO® characters come to life. Kids could meet the My Little Ponies and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Nintendo brought Mario and Luigi along with the opportunity to play Splatoon, Mario Kart, and Supersmash Bros Ultimate. BIC and Exclusive Books were there to encourage creativity among other edutainment offerings from Hasbro and ToyZone. Sponsored by Jaguar Landrover, KidsCon was masterminded by our Little Board of Experts, 11 kids who shared their ideas and made KidsCon an event for kids, by kids. Those little experts were very much a part of the Con and strutted their stuff on the KidsCon main stage in the Cotton On fashion shows.

The Ballroom of Gallagher Convention Centre was the scene of a tabletop gaming extravaganza. With bottomless coffee supplied by KFC, tabletop gamers met and engaged in epic battles with cards, dice, and miniature figurines. As the organizing partner of this impressive battlefield, Solarpop encouraged players to engage in the connection and creativity of Tabletop Gaming with their Unplug Yourself arena. Next door in the auditorium were exclusive screenings of Abominable, along with The Angry Birds, films by Black Sands, and many more exciting showings. LARPing took place in the trees of Gallagher Estate, with players battling each other with safe play swords, giant shields, maces, and jousting lances.

The Business of Gaming Forum, now in its second year, was held on Monday. Fascinating keynote addresses, panel discussions, and shared ideas from the gaming industry were the order of the event. Speakers from South Africa, the African continent, and international thought leaders flew in for the day, sharing fascinating content on maximizing the value of gaming as a marketing tool or a commercial product, and the direction of the modern gaming ecosystem.

There truly was something for every fandom at Comic Con Africa 2019. As positive feedback comes flying in from visitors and exhibitors alike, Reed Exhibitions and Reedpop are thrilled to have hosted a second successful Comic Con Africa that remained true to our driving force: always put our fans FIRST! And what comes next? Comic Con Cape Town of course. Put 1 – 3 May 2020 in your diaries to experience the inaugural Comic Con Cape Town at the Cape Town Stadium.

Results

Championships of Cosplay

Youth: Jordan as Ayumi

Skills: Mittel Elf Cat Cosplay as Foxy from Five Nights at Freddy’s

Representation: Chaotic Good Cosplay as Moze from Bonderlands 3

Construction: Bites Cosplay as Rathalos Armour from Monster Hunter

Armour: Gammablast Cosply as Arthus from Warcraft 3

Needlework: BlueCat Cosply as Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet

Master Champion: Fredwolf Cosplay as Spawn from Spawn Universe

Champion of Cosplay: Jinxkitty Cosplay as Priestess Bathory

Telkom VS Gaming Tournaments

CS:GO

First place: Energy Esports

Second place: Big 5

Dota2

First place: Goliath Gaming

Second place: Sinister 5

Red Bull’s Hit The Streets Street Fighter V

Jesse "GXJes” Shabangu will proceed to the Grand Finale in Cape Town

Guests

Film and Series

• William Shatner
• Daniel Gillies
• Gaming voice over actors
• Nolan North
• Troy Baker

International Comic Artists

• Will Sliney
• Donny Cates
• James C Mulligan
• Aleksi Briclot
• Jesus Merino
• Paco Diaz
• Tomeu Morey
• David Angelo Roman
• Patric Reynolds
• Black Sands Entertainment
• David Mack
• Zu Orzu
• Ilya Kushinov

Local Artists and Authors

• Lauren Beukes
• Ray Whitcher
• Simangaliso Sibaya
• Terence Maluleke
• Warren Louw
• Jason Masters
• Sean Izaakse
• Mohale Mashigo
• Loyiso Mkize
• Clyde Beech
• Bill Masuku
• Moray Rhoda

International Cosplayers

• Leanna Vamp

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

@ComicConAfrica 2019 Media Launch #ComicConAfrica #KidsCon #ReedExpoAfrica #Reedpop

Hi Friends, 

Winter blues are becoming a thing of the past as visitors prepare their outfits and itineraries for the biggest and most interactive four-day pop culture festival, Comic Con Africa, which takes place between the 21st and 24th of September at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. 

Comic Con Africa 2019 will be presenting an incredible offering, with a programme that is bigger and better than before, catering to pop-culture fandoms and newcomers alike. With an estimated 60,000 visitors and 160 hours of content across five halls including panels, competitions, seminars, workshops and so much more, guest are waiting in anticipation to Drop-in and Geek out. 

With almost 300 exhibitors offering event specials on everything from gaming hardware and accessories, apparel, pop-culture merchandise, comics, figurines and much more, there is every reason to visit and stock up on sought-after collectibles and new releases. 

The list of guests that fans can expect to see at Comic Con Africa is awe-inspiring as international stars like legendary actor, author, producer and director, William Shatner, who became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise as well as Anthony Mackie, who has achieved global recognition with his portrayal of the Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will be at Comic Con Africa 2019. 

Celebrating and promoting local talent is crucial for the development of the local industry. Comic Con Africa have invited local artists such as Clyde Beech, who has worked on and helped develop some of the top comic books in the country, such as superhero comic Kwezi and soccer comic series Supa Strikas, as well as Loyiso Mkize, who worked as head illustrator for the Supa Strikas and on projects such as the Archie comics. 

Visitors will also be able to meet and interact with local trailblazers like Jason Masters, who has worked on various Batman titles including Legends of the Dark Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy, Wolverine and X-Men as well as Sean Izaakse, a Marvel illustrator and comic artist who has worked on comics such as The Thunderbolts, Avengers, Deadpool, Captain America, and The Uncanny Avengers. 

Over the four days, they will be joined by comic book artist Will Sliney, best known for working on Marvel’s Amazing-Spiderman, and Venom comic author Donny Cates. Nolan North, an actor and voice actor, known for characters such as Desmond Miles from the Assassin's Creed series and Troy Baker, who voiced Joel in The Last of Us (a Game of the Year winner), have become two of the most prolific voice actors in gaming, and will be among the international guests present at Comic Con Africa this year. 

Along with meet and greets, photo and autograph opportunities and panel discussions with international and local guests, visitors will be able to commission custom drawings, as well as get comic books signed and the signatures verified at the Artist Alley. 

Cosplayers will be arriving in their numbers to sing at the Cosplay Karaoke Café, compete in the Championships of Cosplay competition and meet international guests like model, actress and producer LeeAnna Vamp, and Italian cosplayer Leon Chiro, who is currently working for Riot Games as the official cos-model for the champion Rakan from League of Legends. 

Gaming enthusiasts, champions and amateur gamers of all ages can geek out in a dedicated gaming hall with free play zones, racing SIMs and the latest gaming equipment. And to make sure you don’t miss a moment, keeping “App” to date with all things Comic Con Africa will be easy than ever as the Comic Con Africa App allows attendees to plan their experience. Offering the full exhibitors list, interactive maps, a selfie camera and more, visitors will be able to plan their experience from the palm of their hands. 

Comic Con Africa is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention that features comic books, games, arts, movies, pop culture elements and so much more. For more information about Comic Con Africa 2019, please visit: https://www.comicconafrica.co.za/en.html

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!