Comic-Con International has responded to the news that the planned $500 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center appears to be dead (see "No San Diego Convention Center Expansion"), by noting the many factors that go into its planning for the event in San Diego, and hedging when asked what the organization will do with Comic-Con when its agreement with San Diego runs out.

"With regard to the convention center expansion, I can say that any decision to remain in San Diego has always been dependent upon a number of factors, and no one issue could really trump the others," David Glanzer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Comic-Con International told ICv2.  "As an example, we knew when we agreed to stay in San Diego until 2016 that an expanded convention center wouldn't be complete.  However working with the mayor, city officials, hoteliers and convention center staff allowed us to utilize space outside the convention center facility and mitigate some of those concerns. We now use more ballroom space at area hotels than I think we ever have.  And we are still working on other issues that include space, hotel rates and other logistical factors that need to be addressed if we are to remain in San Diego.  And I am happy to say we continue to have dialogue with those entities and we will see what the future holds."

That statement certainly makes it seem like Comic-Con could stay in San Diego without a Convention Center expansion, depending on other factors.  As we observed when the news came out, it’s unlikely that any decisions will come quickly.