HELL CITY

What HELL CITY does

Hell City Tattoo Festival is a privately held, event-driven tattoo convention company founded in 2005 by Durb Morrison. The company organizes two annual multi-day tattoo conventions in the United States — one in Columbus, Ohio at the Hyatt Regency Downtown (November 6-8, 2026) and one in Phoenix, Arizona at the Arizona Biltmore Resort (August 14-16, 2026) — plus a separately organized Punk Rock Tattoo Expo in Las Vegas (June 20-21, 2026). Each event hosts over 250 tattoo artists, vendors, live painters, and industry professionals, and is supplemented with differentiated entertainment programming including tattoo competitions, burlesque performances (Debauchery Burlesque), fine art exhibitions, the Wet Paint Project, the Art Fusion Experiment, Battle Booth, Evil Easels, and after-parties. The company positions itself as "America's Favorite Tattoo Fest," with documented features on the History Channel and The Learning Channel supporting its 20+ year brand history.

The technology footprint is deliberately lean. There is no proprietary platform; ticketing, merchandise, and hotel room bookings are processed through a Shopify e-commerce storefront (hellcityclothing.myshopify.com), while artist and vendor booth applications are managed via Google Forms. Distribution extends to a secondary merchandise outlet at True Tattoo Supply and cross-promotion through sponsors such as Sullen, Blick Art Materials, Skin Deep, Skin & Ink Magazine, Art Noir, RedTree Tattoo Gallery, and COSI. The business is fundamentally a physical, in-person event business with a thin digital commerce layer.

Revenue is generated across six identified streams: presale and gate event tickets (single-day passes priced $27-$35, weekend passes $75-$80), official merchandise sales through Shopify and partner stores, artist and vendor booth rentals, festival advertising ($150 for big-screen placements), tattoo competition entry fees ($20 per category), and historical documentary DVD sales. All pricing follows a one-time/perpetual-license model with a clear presale-vs-gate differential. The customer base is split between tattoo enthusiasts and collectors attending for body art and entertainment, professional tattoo artists and vendors renting booth space, and a secondary general-public audience attending for the festival atmosphere and family-friendly programming.

Name

HELL CITY

Legal name

Hell City Tattoo Festival

Website

https://hellcity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hell City Tattoo Festival is a privately held event company that operates two annual multi-day tattoo conventions in Columbus, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona, hosting 250+ artists and vendors and monetizing through ticket sales, booth rentals, merchandise, and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tattoo Convention and Festival Events

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Tattoo convention services
• Tattoo festival events
• Live entertainment events
• Artist showcase events
• Body art exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets: Admission tickets sold for festival entry including single-day passes and weekend passes at different price points for presale and gate pricing.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of official Hell City merchandise including shirts, hoodies, hats, stickers, and accessories through their Shopify store and True Tattoo Supply partnership.
3. Booth/Vendor Space Rentals: Revenue from artist and vendor booth applications at both Columbus and Phoenix events, facilitated through Google Forms applications.
4. Advertising: Big screen advertisements and promotional opportunities within the official festival brochure and main stage screens throughout the event.
5. Tattoo Competition Fees: $20 registration fee per tattoo competition category with Tattoo of the Day free for attending artists.
6. Documentary DVD Sales: Sale of Hell City documentary DVD through their product catalog.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hell City Tattoo Festival is a recurring tattoo convention held annually in two U.S. cities (Columbus, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona). The festival brings together 250+ tattoo artists, vendors, live painters, and industry professionals over multi-day events featuring tattoo services, competitions, live entertainment (burlesque, live painting, art fusion), fine art exhibitions, seminars, after-parties, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Hell City Tattoo Festival is a two-location tattoo convention offering a comprehensive festival experience centered around body art and tattooing. The core product consists of the main festival events held in Columbus, Ohio (November 6-8, 2026 at Hyatt Regency) and Phoenix, Arizona (August 14-16, 2026 at Arizona Biltmore). The event features over 250 tattoo artists and offers ticketed admission through pre-sale and at-gate purchases, plus hotel room bookings at partner venues. Ancillary offerings include official merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, hats), tattoo competitions with custom awards, live burlesque performances, the Wet Paint Project live painting experience, Fine Art Gallery, Art Fusion Experiment collaborative performances, Hell City Hotties trophy models, festival advertising packages, and the separately-organized Punk Rock Tattoo Expo in Las Vegas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hell City Tattoo Festival Admission Ticketed admission to the multi-day tattoo festival event in Columbus, OH (November 6-8, 2026 at Hyatt Regency) and Phoenix, AZ (August 14-16, 2026 at Arizona Biltmore), with access to 250+ tattoo artists, live entertainment, competitions, and art exhibitions.
• Pre-Sale Tickets Advance-purchase festival admission tickets offered at discounted presale rates for single-day passes ($27 Friday/Sunday, $32 Saturday) and weekend passes ($75), available before gate pricing applies.
• Hotel Room Bookings Hotel room reservation services at partner venues including Hyatt Regency Columbus and Arizona Biltmore Resort, offered at discounted convention rates for festival attendees.
• Official Merchandise Official Hell City branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, beanies, stickers, jackets, and artist-designed apparel sold through the Shopify store and True Tattoo Supply partnership.
• Tattoo Competitions Competitive tattoo award program with multiple categories including Best Asian Tattoo, Best Neo Traditional, Best Small/Large Color, Best Black & Grey, Best Portrait/Realism, Best of Show, and specialty awards with $20 per-category entry fees and custom trophies.
• Festival Advertising Advertising packages including placements in the official festival brochure and big screen advertisements ($150) shown on main stage screens throughout the festival weekend for brands targeting tattoo industry attendees.
• Hell City Documentary DVD Physical DVD product documenting the Hell City Tattoo Festival story, sold through the official merchandise catalog.
• Artist and Vendor Booth Rentals Booth space rentals at both Columbus and Phoenix events for tattoo artists, live painters, and vendors, managed through Google Forms applications.
• Punk Rock Tattoo Expo Separate tattoo expo event organized by Hell City in Las Vegas, Nevada, scheduled for June 20-21, 2026, featuring similar tattoo convention programming.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SullencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSullen is a sponsor for the Hell City Hotties trophy models program. Provides free merchandise for photoshoots and supports the official trophy girls of the festival.
• Blick Art MaterialsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors the Hell City Fine Art Gallery, providing support for the wet paint project and art exhibition at the festival.
• True Tattoo SupplycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tattoo supply partner of Hell City Tattoo Festival. Sells Hell City merchandise and supports the tattoo community.
• Hyatt Regency ColumbuscoreOthersOfficial venue host for Hell City Columbus event. Provides convention room rates for attendees and hosts the Big Bar on 2 after-party venue. Located at 350 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215.
• Arizona Biltmore Resort (Waldorf Astoria)coreOthersOfficial venue host for Hell City Phoenix event. Luxury resort offering convention rates and hosts pool parties. Located at 2400 E Missouri Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016.
• Debauchery BurlesquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArizona-based alternative burlesque troupe providing live burlesque performances at Hell City Phoenix main stage throughout the weekend.
• Skin DeepminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTattoo industry media partner mentioned in site footer for cross-promotion.
• Ironclad InkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTattoo industry partner mentioned in site footer.
• Skin & Ink MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTattoo industry media partner and magazine.
• Art NoirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTattoo industry partner mentioned in site footer.
• RedTree Tattoo GalleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerColumbus' premier tattoo gallery and industry partner.
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerColumbus science museum partner mentioned in site footer.
• Punk Rock Tattoo ExpominorOthersSeparate tattoo expo event in Las Vegas (June 20-21, 2026) with cross-promotion and shared merchandise on the Hell City store.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• London International Tattoo Convention: Long-running European tattoo convention featuring hundreds of international artists, competitions, and live entertainment. Comparable event structure and audience to Hell City, but primarily serves UK/European tattoo enthusiasts rather than competing in the U.S. Midwest/Southwest.

Others

• Inked Magazine: Largest U.S. tattoo lifestyle media brand, covering artists, conventions, and culture. Comparable audience overlap with Hell City attendees, and serves as a cross-promotion partner in the tattoo ecosystem.
• Tattoo Life: International tattoo media company producing magazines, events, and content. Comparable to Hell City as a tattoo-industry brand and event producer, though with broader geographic reach and media focus.

Direct peers

• Star of Texas Tattoo Convention: Regional U.S. tattoo convention featuring artist booths, competitions, and entertainment programming. Directly comparable to Hell City's event format and primary customer base of tattoo artists and collectors in the U.S. market.
• New York Tattoo Convention: Major U.S.-based tattoo convention hosting hundreds of artists across a multi-day festival format. Directly comparable to Hell City in event model, target audience (tattoo enthusiasts and artists), and revenue mix (tickets, booth rentals, merchandise).
• Pittsburgh Tattoo Arts Convention: Multi-day tattoo convention featuring hundreds of artists, vendor booths, and tattoo contests. Comparable as a direct competitor in the regional tattoo-convention segment of the U.S. market.
• Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention: Large U.S. tattoo convention with artist vendor halls, tattoo competitions, and live entertainment. Closely comparable in operating model, attendee mix, and revenue mechanics to Hell City's festivals.

Broad incumbents

• Wizard World: Established U.S. fan-convention operator running multi-city events (originally comic/pop-culture focused) with ticketing, exhibitor booths, and celebrity programming. Comparable as a multi-city convention business, though broader in category than Hell City's tattoo specialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hellcity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnZlAAsJYh5OoGD2yqP7Czg/feed?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/hellcitytattoofestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hell-city-tattoo-fest-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/hell_city

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about HELL CITY