For convention-going nerds, the Anaheim Convention Center has most notably been recognized as the home of WonderCon. But thanks to the new CBS All Access series, Star Trek: Picard, MANY MORE nerds, now recognize the convention center as Starfleet Headquarters!
In episode two of Star Trek: Picard, when the unmistakable Anaheim Convention Center is prominently displayed during the title character’s visit to Starfleet Headquarters, its enough to cause seasoned WonderCon attendees’ heads to explode, as their fictional and real worlds collided!
Now that the Anaheim Convention Center has entered the collective consciousness as Starfleet Headquarters, Star Trek and WonderCon are forever linked! And as long as the coronavirus doesn’t continue to wreck havoc on pop-culture conventions, the series and the Comic Con organization (which owns WonderCon) are perfectly positioned to promote Star Trek: Picard with a uniquely WonderCon fan experience!
Last year, to promote Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access held a panel, and set-up a booth & pop-up shop at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). They had props and costumes on display… They had an autograph session with Sir Patrick Stewart… They sold exclusive merchandise… And they gave SWAG, including replicas of the “Visitor Badge” Picard wears during his onscreen visit to WonderCon… “*ahem…” I mean, “Starfleet Headquarters”.
Additionally, on January 23, CBS All Access and the Comic-Con organization hosted a Star Trek: Picard premiere episode viewing at the future site of the Comic-Con Museum, in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Along with the episode, the streaming service, again brought props and costumes. And similar to the SDCC events, the museum presentation was a SWAG-filled event- with attendees walking away with posters and subscription gift cards!
These recent events demonstrate an established relationship between CBS All Access and the Comic-Con Organization. Given this relationship, and the recent Anaheim Convention Center connection… a Star Trek: Picard presence at WonderCon is one of life’s EASY, “no-brainers”.
WonderCon takes place April 10-12.
At that time, the last episode of Star Trek: Picard, season one, will have recently been released- making it an ideal time for promoting the show’s binge-worthiness.
Promoting the series, and emphasizing its Anaheim Convention Center connection during WonderCon would definitely be a crowd-pleaser…
- Imagine actors in Starfleet uniforms greeting WonderCon attendees, in-character, at the convention entrance, or welcoming visitors to admire props and costumes set-up for display on the exhibit floor…
- Imagine SWAG such as an exclusive Fansets pins of the convention center, adorned with the Starfleet Delta…
- Imagine a panel featuring casts and other creatives…
It’d be a travesty if CBS All Access didn’t take advantage of this fortuitous marketing opportunity, and it’s stating the obvious to say…
STAR TREK: PICARD NEEDS TO BE AT WONDERCON!!!
Hopefully, the CBS All Access marketing team recognizes this perfect pairing, and will seize the opportunity to… “Make it so!”
Part of that hype is the SWAG created to market and promote the horror flick.
The Funko Pop! was highly prized, but the most exclusive It: Chapter Two SWAG at SDCC was the coveted movie cast signing!
The poster was signed by the whole, “Losers” cast, including:
With the Conan show, ScareDiego, a cast signing, and an EW cover story, it seems the It: Chapter Two marketing and promotion teams were hellbent on making sure most, if not ALL, con-goers walked away from SDCC with an awareness of the movie’s impending release. And with SWAG as physical souvenirs of the It presence in San Diego, the movie hasn’t been far from the minds of SDCC attendees since late July- when the convention ended.