Sports and Entertainment Group Announces Strategic Partnership with AEG

WONDERCON MOVES TO L.A. FOR 2016 CONVENTION

Los Angeles, CA (April 6, 2015) – AEG Facilities’ Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is pleased to announce that the venue will host WonderCon March 25-27, 2016, solidifying L.A.’s position as a prime site for meetings and conventions. Since the inception of WonderCon in Oakland, CA in 1987, the event has consistently grown in all aspects including content and attendance, with 60,000 attendees in 2014. Previously held in the Bay Area and then Anaheim, WonderCon is the sister show to Comic-Con International, sharing all main aspects of that show.

“Los Angeles is honored to have been selected as the destination for WonderCon 2016. We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with Comic-Con International, the presenter, and helping them establish a home-base in L.A. We anticipate the show to be highly attended and to set the precedent for future successful Comic-Con events in L.A.,” remarked Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The LACC is an integral economic component of the Southern California area, and attracting citywide conventions such as WonderCon is critical for stimulating L.A.’s economy. Convention attendees generate considerable income and tax revenues for the City through direct and indirect spending on travel, lodging, meals, and entertainment, which in turn sustains thousands of local jobs and supports the economy. The projected total economic impact of WonderCon for L.A. is over $32 million dollars over a 3-day period.

“The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LATCB) sales and marketing team, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), AEG, and the hotel and business community have extensively collaborated to offer a mutually beneficial proposal that would be appealing to WonderCon and its attendees while simultaneously driving millions of dollars in economic impact for the City of Los Angeles,” commented Jon F. Vein, President, Board of Los Angeles Convention & Tourism Development Commissioners.

WonderCon will be held next Spring and the LACC along with the City’s many hospitality stakeholders are already preparing for what promises to be a special event. “We’re accustomed to hosting large-scale, highly attended events here at the Los Angeles Convention Center and our neighboring L.A. Live Campus. Los Angeles is the second largest market in the country, positioned at the doorstep to Hollywood and offers unparalleled natural growth for WonderCon,” added Brad Gessner, AEG Facilities Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Los Angeles Convention Center.

About the Los Angeles Convention Center

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is one of the most technologically advanced convention and exhibition centers in the world. Operated by AEG Facilities, the LACC attracts more than 2.5 million visitors annually and is renowned internationally as a prime site for conventions, trade shows and exhibitions. An integral economic component to the Southern California area, total sales from client secondary spending tops $1.1 billion annually, generating and sustaining over 12,000 local jobs. LACC is a model environmental-friendly facility, holding the prestigious US Green Building Council’s LEED-EB GOLD Certification. LACC is also a Bronze Level recipient of the California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE), Eureka Award. For more information, please visit lacclink.com.

About AEG Facilities

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with more than 100 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. AEG Facilities also provides resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships, AEG Development, AEG 1Earth, AEG Encore and AEG Creative to support the success of AEG venues and events across the globe. For more information, please visit aegworldwide.com.

About the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for leisure travel, meetings and conventions. L.A. Tourism is recognized as the City's official tourism marketing organization. For more information about meetings and conventions in Los Angeles, visit discoverlosangeles.com/meetla