Two things work against such shows in San Francisco; as Python pointed out, one of them is the expense of producing them. The other is apathy. Organizers put on shows -- despite the amount of promotion -- and the turn-out is poor or just enough to break even. San Franciscans and Bay Areans, alike, certainly talk a lot about things not happening, but they are the very same people who don't show up when something does. A couple of years ago, I heard someone say, "I don't go to WonderCon because...", and that's the ONLY genre convention that happens in San Francisco! (Interestingly, it was only kept alive by being bought out by Comic Con.) And you know something, it was not always like this. 

When I was growing up here, there were huge conventions and smaller comicbook shows, and all of them drew lots of people (they must have made money, cause I certainly walked out of those shows with empty pockets). But, that was the '70s, I guess. Since the early 1980s, rental prices have shot through the proverbial roof and we haven't had any real big conventions here in the City (aside from a couple of small comicbook shows in Chinatown) since 1997's "Star Wars Expo" at the Concourse. Then, WonderCon moved from Oakland to San Francisco. Because events are so expensive and/or risky to produce, and the average turn-outs are comparatively low, it's no wonder that local promoters are often discouraged. People in the Bay Area really need to step up to the plate and support our local events.

Last Edited By: Hachigatsu Feb 8 10 5:57 PM. Edited 2 times.