Silicon Valley Comic Con Teams Up with IRL Events and Adds New CEO

SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON TEAMS UP WITH IRL EVENTS, ADDS MARY DOLAHER AS CEO

​SAN JOSE

, Calif. – Oct. 25, 2017 – Silicon Valley Comic Con, Steve Wozniak’s technology and entertainment expo, has teamed up with IRL Events, award-winning producer of entertainment and technology trade shows and fan-fests, to plan and produce SVCC 2018 and future events. Mary Dolaher, CEO of IRL Events will take over as CEO of Silicon Valley Comic Con. Outgoing CEO Trip Hunter will stay on as a partner and advisor. With the addition of IRL Events to the existing core team, SVCC will double its staff size. Silicon Valley Comic Con 2018 will take place April 6-8 at the San Jose Convention Center and surrounding areas.

“We made huge changes and additions between SVCC 1.0 and 2.0, but our team didn’t grow at the same rate,” said Steve Wozniak. “Lab and digital cloning aren’t quite there yet, so it was time to bring in reinforcements!”

Debuting in 2016 to a sell-out crowd of 60,000 guests, SVCC 2017 expanded both its footprint and attendance, welcoming 65,000 fans over the course of the three-day show. SVCC 2.0 saw massive physical expansions and layout changes, adding a free public outdoor festival, programming at City National Civic and registration inside South Hall. SVCC 2017 also introduced a Kids S.T.E.A.M. Lab, Geek Fashion Show, science fair, dog cosplay contest, Space Village and more. SVCC 2018 will see further additions to be announced in the coming weeks.

“With more than 25 years of experience in running events, I know a great one when I see it,” said Mary Dolaher, CEO of Silicon Valley Comic Con and IRL Events (www.irl-events.com). “We look forward to being part of the show and its success in the years to come, and to working with the SVCC community. Please stay tuned for more details about the 2018 event in November!”

The team behind both E3 and Anime Expo (AX), IRL Events will bring its experience running large scale events showcasing technology, video games, anime and K-Pop, and fandom. An award-winning event producer, Mary founded IRL Events after serving as CEO of IDG World Expo.

“With two booming startups – Primary Data and Silicon Valley Comic Con – Woz, Trip and I had to find a way to expand and prioritize our resources,” added Rick White, chairman of Silicon Valley Comic Con. “Mary and her team at IRL Events have decades of experience running pop culture and technology events like E3 and Anime Expo, so we knew they were the experts to supplement our core team to take SVCC into the future.”

To learn more about SVCC or to inquire about exhibiting and sponsorship, please visit www.svcomiccon.com.

ABOUT SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON

With Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak at the helm, Silicon Valley Comic Con celebrates the Age of the Geek by bringing together America’s two greatest superheroes: pop culture and technology. Featuring top celebrities, comics, independent artists, cosplay, video game creators, consumer electronics, music and apps, Silicon Valley Comic Con is where entertainment and our electronic worlds intersect. Silicon Valley Comic Con will return to San Jose April 6-8, 2018.

ABOUT IRL EVENTS

IRL Events (www.irl-events.com) is an award-winning producer of entertainment and technology trade shows and fan- fests in areas ranging from video games, anime, and K-Pop, to hardware and user-specialized conferences. IRL’s current event portfolio includes Silicon Valley Comic, E3, and Anime Expo (AX).