Posted in: Boom, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW, Image | Tagged: comicspro, diamond, pittsburgh

Diamond Cancels Comics Retailer Summit 2024 As ComicsPRO Steps Up

Previously, Diamond Comic Distributors announced that it was postponing its 2024 Diamond Retailer Summit to avoid a conflict with ComicsPRO.

Previously, Diamond Comic Distributors announced that it was postponing its 2024 Diamond Retailer Summit, planned to coincide with Megacon in Florida next month, as part of a two-year deal with Fan Expo, to avoid a conflict with the ComicsPro Annual Meeting, which is also planned for February.

Now Diamond has decided to entirely cancel the previously postponed 2024 Retailer Summit. Diamond states, "we understand that this news may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Our team is committed to finding alternative ways to engage and collaborate with all our retail partners, including seeing many of you next month at the upcoming ComicsPRO Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh and hosting our annual Retailer Appreciation Luncheon at Comic-Con International: San Diego in July. We look forward to seeing you at these upcoming events."

I might make it myself to ComicsPRO in  Pittsburgh next month, as I have been told it has opened up to press for the first time. A couple of retailers asked if I was going, and I found myself struggling to think of a reason, aside from money, as to why not.

Comic book distributors have been running conferences with comic book stores for over forty years as a way for retailers to work together, and with publisher and creators, face-to-face. They have often been used to announce news and encourage promotions, often incentivised with exclusive collectables provided to the event. This would have been Diuamond's 40th anniversary of retailer seminars, and while Capital City Distribution made them bigger events, Diamond started running big annual events from 2000 to the present did, with a virtual replacement during the pandemic lockdowns. But the subsequent loss of business from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW and others since then has made the practicalities of such events harder, with less of a presence from these publishers. ComicsPRO, being distributor-non-partisan might provide a greater focus for such activity outside of San Diego and New York Comic Con.

The upcoming ComicsPro Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh will have high prominent presence from Diamond, Lunar and Penguin Random House, Marvel Comics President Dan Buckley as a keynote speaker, with Marvel EIC CB Cebulski also in attendance. Yeah, okay, time to book my plane ticket I think.

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