How Jatin Varma Grew Comic Con India from 15,000 to 200,000 Guests

Описание: Jatin Varma held India's first ever Comic Con in New Delhi's Dilli Haat back in 2011. In the last nine years since that first event, the pop culture celebration has spread to five cities with an annual attendance of over 200,000 guests. This is the story of how Jatin built Comic Con India. 00:00

SECTIONS

00:33 Identifying a Need for Comic Con India
04:46 India’s First Ever Comic Con in 2011
06:43 The Challenges of Growing a Market
10:21 Comic Con India Over the Last 9 Years
16:11 The Future of Comic Con India
19:03 Attending Comic Con India 2019

Identifying a Need for Comic Con India: Before starting Comic Con India, Jatin Varma was the founder of Twenty Onwards Media, as well as the man behind the Golden Kela Awards. He had the connections, he had the passion for comics and pop culture, and he had savings from his previous ventures. Equipped with these three things, he took a leap of faith and started planning India's first comic con. Little did Jatin know that Comic Con India was positioning itself perfectly to ride the wave of pop culture that was about to pass over India over the course of the next decade.

India’s First Ever Comic Con in 2011: After several months of planning, Jatin Varma and the Comic Con India team held the first Comic Con India at Dilli Haat in New Delhi. Tickets only cost Rs. 20, but Jatin was worried that the unseasonal showers that rained down on the convention would thin the crowds. Luckily they didn't. Comic Con India 2011 was a huge success, and this success encouraged Jatin to expand the convention to new cities.

The Challenges of Growing a Market: Jatin had drawn inspiration from the original Comic Con in the United States. However, copying and pasting their model simple was not possible because of how different the market in India is. In 2011, you couldn't even get a licensed superhero t-shirt in India. You had to import shirts from abroad, or you had to buy knockoffs. What is more, India has a completely different popular culture than the United States. Indian pop culture, according to Jatin, is built on cricket and Bollywood, history and mythology. In spite of these challenges, Jatin went ahead and continued to build Comic Con India.

Comic Con India Over the Last 9 Years: Comic Con India was initially attended by 15,000 guests back in 2011. In 2019, Comic Con India will be attended by over 200,000 guests in five different cities. Tickets have increased in price, from Rs. 20 to Rs. 600. For the brands and companies that purchase booths at the convention, the focus of Comic Con India has shifted away from selling to marketing, as pop culture items become more and more accessible in India. Also, the focus has expanded from just comics to games, merch, cosplay, and many other facets of popular culture.

The Future of Comic Con India: In 2020, Comic Con India will be celebrating it 10 year anniversary. They aren't going to focus on expanding into new cities (although that will probably happen) but rather, will focus on improving their existing conventions. They are now a profitable company, and intend to expand by producing more Comic Con India content, and hosting smaller pop-up events in India.

If you want to attend Comic Con India, want to know more about the convention's history, or are curious to know more about its founder, Jatin Varma, please make use of the following links:

Jatin's LinkedIn:   / jatinvarma  

Comic Con India's website: https://comicconindia.com/
Comic Con India's Instagram:   / comicconindia  
Comic Con India's YouTube channel:    / comicconindia  
Comic Con India's Twitter:   / comicconindia  
Comic Con India's Facebook:   / comicconindia  

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