ReedPop

What ReedPop does

ReedPop is the world's largest producer of pop culture events, organizing large-scale conventions that serve fans of entertainment franchises including Star Wars, Marvel, and Game of Thrones, as well as book and comics communities. The company operates a portfolio of flagship events — most prominently New York Comic Con (NYCC), Star Wars Celebration, BookCon, MCM Comic Con (UK), and Florida Supercon — held at major venues such as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Events generate revenue through three primary streams: consumer ticket sales, exhibition floor space rental to publishers, retailers, and merchandise vendors, and brand partnerships/sponsorships with major entertainment IP holders.

The business model is event-driven and two-sided. On the demand side, ReedPop cultivates dedicated fan communities across multiple fandom verticals (sci-fi, comics, gaming, books), evidenced by rapid sellouts such as Star Wars Celebration 2027 selling out within 6 hours. On the supply side, the company secures flagship partnerships with Marvel, Lucasfilm, and HBO to anchor tentpole events, and works with publishers (Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores) and exhibitors on the show floor. Ticketing is handled through third-party virtual queuing systems (e.g., Queue It) to manage high-demand drops, and pricing is event-specific with purchase limits (e.g., 20 tickets per person for Star Wars Celebration 2027).

ReedPop is a division of RX (formerly Reed Exhibitions), a major global exhibition organizer, which provides shared infrastructure, venue relationships, and operational scale across international trade shows. ReedPop itself has pursued inorganic growth, acquiring MCM Comic Con (2017), Gamer Network (2018), and Florida Supercon (2019), and has run charity initiatives at NYCC including a $1M+ St. Jude's fundraiser and Make-A-Wish family experiences. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability disclosed; the company's competitive position rests on event portfolio IP, brand partnerships, fan community engagement, and operational scale within the RX parent.

Name

ReedPop

Legal name

ReedPop

Website

https://reedpop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ReedPop is a division of RX and the world's largest producer of pop culture events, organizing major conventions such as New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, and BookCon for fan communities and entertainment IP holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pop Culture Conventions & Live Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Collectibles & Hobby Shows (MPAGAFAN)

Keywords

• Pop culture events
• Comic conventions
• Fan conventions
• Entertainment exhibitions
• Trade show production

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Convention Event Revenue: ReedPop generates revenue through organizing and hosting large-scale pop culture conventions and exhibitions. Revenue comes from ticket sales (attendees pay for entry to events like Star Wars Celebration and BookCon), exhibition floor space rental to vendors, and potentially sponsorship deals with major entertainment brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ReedPop organizes and produces large-scale pop culture conventions and exhibitions, including Star Wars Celebration, New York Comic Con (NYCC), and BookCon. Revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales to attending fans, exhibition floor space rentals to vendors, publishers, and entertainment brands, and sponsorship partnerships with major entertainment franchises such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, and HBO.

Product overview

ReedPop operates as the world's largest producer of pop culture events, organizing major conventions including Star Wars Celebration, BookCon, and New York Comic Con (NYCC). These events serve as platforms for fan engagement with entertainment franchises, featuring panels, author signings, exclusive merchandise, and community experiences. The portfolio consists of physical event experiences rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Star Wars Celebration A major pop culture convention dedicated to the Star Wars franchise, featuring panels, exclusive reveals, autograph sessions with cast members, and franchise merchandise. Produced in partnership with Lucasfilm and aimed at Star Wars fans worldwide.
• BookCon An annual book convention held in New York City featuring author signings, panels, book giveaways, and celebrations of print book culture, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Targeted at book readers, publishers, and authors.
• New York Comic Con (NYCC) A large pop culture convention held in New York City featuring comics, manga, anime, video games, and related entertainment, known for hosting celebrity panels and exclusive merchandise. Includes charity fundraising initiatives such as the NYCC Charity Art Auction.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• RX (Reed Exhibitions)coreOthersReedPop is a division of RX (formerly Reed Exhibitions), the major exhibition organizer. RX provides strategic infrastructure, global resources, and operates international trade show portfolios including MIPIM, Smart Energy Week, and Paris Design Week. ReedPop operates as the pop culture events division within the larger RX organization.
• Make-A-Wish FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedPop partners with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes for families at NYCC events. At NYCC 2023, the company helped grant wishes for 7 families in partnership with Make-A-Wish and the Marty Lyons Foundation.
• Marty Lyons FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedPop collaborates with the Marty Lyons Foundation, working alongside Make-A-Wish to grant wishes for families at NYCC events and support children's charitable causes.
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedPop's NYCC Charity Art Auction raised over $1 million for St. Jude's, exceeding the $1 million fundraising target.
• LucasfilmflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLucasfilm works with ReedPop to organize Star Wars Celebration events. Lucasfilm confirmed the 20-ticket purchase limit was designed to accommodate groups needing multiple day passes. Star Wars Celebration 2027 was the highest-demand to date, coinciding with the franchise's 50th anniversary.
• MarvelflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedPop has collaborated with Marvel to create merchandise and events that fans are craving, leveraging Marvel's extensive character portfolio for convention experiences.
• HBO (Game of Thrones)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedPop has partnered with HBO for Game of Thrones related merchandise and events, creating products that appeal to the show's dedicated fan base.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Comic-Con International: Operator of San Diego Comic-Con, the most iconic pop culture convention in the US. Directly comparable as a fan convention organizer competing for the same attendee, exhibitor, and sponsor dollars as NYCC and ReedPop's other marquee events.
• Fan Expo HQ (Informa Markets): Operates Fan Expo events across Canada and the US (Toronto, New York, Dallas, etc.) as part of Informa Markets. A direct competitor in the comic/pop culture convention space, going head-to-head with ReedPop for attendees, IP holders, and exhibitors.
• Anime Expo (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation): North America's largest anime and manga convention. Overlaps with ReedPop's NYCC and other pop culture events for anime/manga exhibitors, cosplay communities, and Japanese IP partners.
• Wizard Brands (Wizard World): Runs a network of branded pop culture conventions (Wizard World Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.). Competes with ReedPop in the regional comic convention tier for both attendees and celebrity/guest programming.
• DreamHack: Major gaming and esports festival operator. Comparable to ReedPop's PAX events (acquired via Gamer Network) in targeting the gaming fandom segment with large-scale LAN-based live experiences.

Emerging players

• VidCon: Premier conference and festival for online video creators and fans. Comparable to ReedPop as a fan-driven live event business built around a specific content vertical (creator/online video), though targeting a different community than comic/gaming cons.

Regional players

• Tokyo Comic Con: Asia-Pacific pop culture convention that competes with ReedPop for global IP partnerships and Western exhibitor participation in the Japanese market, highlighting the international opportunity and competitive set for ReedPop's franchise-led events.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets: Global exhibitions and events business and parent of Fan Expo HQ. Broader incumbent competing with ReedPop/RX across B2B and consumer events, with significant resources to invest in pop culture acquisitions.
• Emerald X: US-focused B2B and consumer events operator running shows across multiple categories. Adjacent incumbent that could expand into pop culture conventions or compete with ReedPop for sponsorships and venue partnerships.

Others

• Funko: Pop culture-focused consumer products company with its own convention activations (Funko Fun Days) and deep licensing relationships. Not a direct competitor, but a key exhibitor and IP monetization partner at ReedPop events.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Reed_POP
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReedPOP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reedpop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ReedPop