FanX Salt Lake (formerly Salt Lake Comic Con) is a semi-annual multi-genre pop culture expo held in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is produced by
Dan Farr
Dan Farr (born February 15, 1967) is an entrepreneur, known for co-founding Daz 3D, a 3D content and software company, and for founding Salt Lake Comic Con.
Career
Dan Farr co-founded Daz 3D Inc. in 2000. Daz 3D is a company that develops and publ ...
and
Bryan Brandenburg
Bryan Brandenburg (born February 18, 1959 in Châteauroux, France) is a biophysicist, author, technology entrepreneur and former game programmer. Brandenburg is best known as co-founder of Zenerchi, Sculptured Software and Salt Lake Comic Con and ...
under Dan Farr Productions and is Utah's most attended convention according to the Governor's Office of Economic Development.
[Salt Lake Comic Con organizers have San Diego in their sights](_blank)
September 9, 2013 The first convention took place at the
Salt Palace Convention Center
The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two ...
in Salt Lake City.
The second event, Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience, was inaugurated in April 2014.
History
The first Salt Lake Comic Con was held September 5–7, 2013 and included special guests including
Adam West,
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
,
[William Shatner, Adam West make history at Comic Con](_blank)
September 6, 2013 and
Stan Lee with attendance over 70,000.
[At the 11th hour, Salt Lake Comic Con inks icon Stan Lee](_blank)
September 4, 2013[Massive crowds set several records at 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con](_blank)
September 8, 2013 People attended with ticket sales that exceeded 50,000.
[SLC Comic Con wraps up with over 50K tickets sold](_blank)
September 8, 2013
September 7, 2013[Salt Lake Comic Con Sets Record By Leveraging Social Marketing Trends](_blank)
September 18, 2013 Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience, the first of two Salt Lake comic conventions in 2014, took place on April 17–19, 2014.
[Two Comic Con Events Planned for 2014](_blank)
November 20, 2013 FanXperience was attended by over 100,000 people.
April 18, 2014
On July 25, 2014
San Diego Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
sent Dan Farr Productions a cease and desist letter over the use of the word "Comic Con."
Convention organizers responded with a press release citing their legal position and unwillingness to comply to the cease and desist letter. In December 2017, a San Diego jury found San Diego Comic-Con does hold a trademark on the term "Comic Con," but also found Salt Lake organizers Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg did not willfully or intentionally violate it. They awarded SDCC $20,000 in damages, less than the $12 million the non-profit wanted. Subsequently, Farr and Brandenburg re-branded the convention under the name FanX. On January 16, 2018, Farr and Brandenburg filed a motion for a new trial.
In March 2016, Dan Farr Productions partnered with POP Life to expand FanXperience to Asia.
Bryan Brandenburg stepped aside in May 2018 in response to criticism of how he handled a sexual harassment complaint. In 2019, Brandenburg devoted himself full-time to Zenerchi, a biotech company he founded in Salt Lake City.
List of events
See also
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Fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
*
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expre ...
*
Comic Art Convention
The Comic Art Convention was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, ...
References
External links
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{{Multigenre conventions in North America
Multigenre conventions
Comics conventions in the United States
Comics conventions
Festivals in Utah
Tourist attractions in Salt Lake City
Conventions in Utah