An ICv2 Release.  ICv2 has announced its final speaker list for the ICv2 Conference:  The New Comics Customer, its annual conference held in conjunction with New York Comic Con, and it includes comics, graphic novel, and digital thought leaders, who are gathering to discuss the exciting transformation of the comics audience.

The discussions will range from data-heavy presentations to thoughtful panel discussions, with audience participation encouraged.  Here are the sessions at the ICv2 Conference:  The New Comics Customer:

ICv2 White Paper
A highlight of the Conference each year, the 2014 ICv2 White Paper will concentrate on the New Comics Customer, and break down the data available from all sources on this growing segment of the market.
 
  • Presented by Milton Griepp, CEO, ICv2 
The Con Explosion
The rapidly expanding con scene is an important part of the changing audience for comics, a place where potential new customers are mingling with more committed fans, and the opportunities are great.  Who are these new attendees, and what does it mean for the medium?  Our speakers have data and personal experience to help us find the answers to these questions.
 
  • Christine Bohle, Sr. Category Marketing Manager, Eventbrite
  • Patrick Bradley, EVP Digital Media & Entertainment, Wizard World, Inc.
  • Shelton Drum, CEO, Heroes Convention
  • Lance Fensterman, Senior Vice President ReedPOP
  • Meg Lemke, Chair, Comics & Graphic Novel Committee at the Brooklyn Book Festival, and Contributing Editor at MUTHA Magazine
  • Rob Salkowitz, author, writer of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture
  • Moderated by Heidi MacDonald, comic editor and commentator from The Beat
The New Customer Connection
The new customers get comics and graphic novels in a variety of ways, including digital, e-commerce, and brick and mortar stores.  We discuss who these new readers are, where they’re coming form, and what kinds of books they like. 
 
  • Jim Crocker, General Manager, Modern Myths
  • Terence Irvins, Graphic Novels and Comics Buyer, Kinokuniya Bookstore, NY
  • Andrew McIntire, Vice President, Things from Another World
  • David Steinberger, CEO, comiXology
  • Tucker Stone, Director, U.S. Sales and Marketing, Nobrow and Flying Eye Books; Managing Partner, Bergen St. Books
  • Moderated by Milton Griepp, CEO, ICv2
 
The New Comics and Graphic Novels
The new comics customer wants a different kind of comic, and the creators and publishers that can give it to them are being rewarded.  Our panelists share their insights.
 
  • Ted Adams, CEO, IDW Publishing
  • Jon Goldwater, Co-CEO, Archie Comics
  • Joe Illidge, Partner, Verge Entertainment
  • Sven Larsen, VP-Marketing, Papercutz
  • Cassandra Pelham, Senior Editor, Scholastic's Graphix
  • Moderated by Calvin Reid, Senior News Editor of Publishers Weekly 
 
For registration, or for more info, click here.

The ICv2 Conference is open to all press accredited by New York Comic Con, but we need your RSVP.  Please click here to let us know you're coming. 

About ICv2
ICv2 is the #1 industry source on the business of geek culture, including comics and graphic novels, manga and anime, movie/TV products, and hobby games, on its Website, www.ICv2.com, and in its magazine, Internal Correspondence.  For the people on the front lines of the geek culture business, staying ahead of the trends isn't something that can be left to chance-it's a basic necessity for being successful.  That's why ICv2 is the #1 source of news and information for the buyers, gatekeepers, and tastemakers on the front lines.  ICv2 is where trend-watching is a science.

Conference Co-Sponsor: Eventbrite
Eventbrite provides a simple, streamlined ticketing platform to help organizers set up, promote, and sell out their events--from fan conventions and tournaments to local meetups, celebrity signings and press events.  With more than $2.5 billion in gross ticket sales to date, Eventbrite can help you reach more fans.  Visit www.eventbrite.com/cons.

Conference Sponsor: Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is your number one insider's guide for all pre-publication comics and graphic novels. 

Conference Sponsor: Heidi MacDonald's The Beat
The Beat, now in its ninth year, is dedicated to providing the timeliest and most pertinent news and information about comics, the people who make them, the readers who love them and the world that shapes them. 

Conference Sponsor: New York Comic Con
New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention.