Arisia
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersSomerville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Arisia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Arisia
- Legal name
- Arisia, Inc.
- Website
- https://arisia.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Arisia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Somerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Arisia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Convention Membership Fees: Primary revenue source from convention membership sales at various price points (year-ahead, pre-reg, at-door rates). Student discounts available. Includes full-weekend and single-day options.
- Art Show Sales: Commissions from art sales at the Arisia Art Show. Panel space ($28 per 4'x4'), table space ($36 per 30"x6'), and print shop services available for artists.
- Dealers Room Fees: Fees charged to dealers and vendors operating in the Dealers Room ($120 per table) and Dealers' Row ($120 per room, plus hotel rental).
- Donations and Grants: Arisia receives support through grants from Massachusetts Cultural Council and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. Individual donations also accepted.
- Advertising: Souvenir book advertising rates available at various sizes (full page $580, half page $360, etc. for pro rates) with extra charges for color, center placement, and covers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Year-ahead membership for early registrants |
| Subscription | Annual | Pre-registration rates by deadline |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | At-door registration |
| Subscription | Annual | Student membership (ages 13-25) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single-day at-con registration |
| Subscription | Annual | Babysitting/Childcare |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Arisia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arisia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-run organization that hosts an annual four-day science fiction and fantasy convention at the Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge. The convention features programming panels, costuming events including a Masquerade, tabletop gaming and LARPs, an Art Show marketplace, a Dealers Room for vendors, a Creators' Corner/Night Market, youth programming (Fast Track and Turtle Track babysitting), and community spaces, supported by year-round Discord engagement.
Product overview
Arisia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-run organization hosting New England's largest science fiction and fantasy convention. The organization operates a portfolio of convention programs including the core annual Arisia Convention (January 16-19, 2026), the Art Show exhibition space, Dealers Room, Gaming areas (tabletop and LARPs), Masquerade costume competition, and Creators' Corner/Night Market maker space. Educational programs include Student Art Contest, Student Writing Contest, and College Student Writing Contest for New England students aged 14-25. Community engagement is supported through the Mentor Newsletter (corporate newsletter), official Discord server (year-round community platform), and Progress Report newsletters. Youth programming includes Fast Track (children's programming) and Turtle Track (babysitting). Arisia is currently planning a hiatus for 2027 with return planned for 2028.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Arisia Annual Convention
Companies that use Arisia
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Arisia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Arisia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Arisia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- NecronomiCon Providence: Biennial Lovecraftian/Weird fiction convention held in Providence, RI; comparable as a New England regional SFF/fantasy convention with academic programming, art show, and dealers, but more thematically specialized than Arisia.
- PAX East: Pennsylvania-gaming focused convention held in the Boston Convention Center since 2010, directly overlapping Arisia on geography; comparable on gaming programming and convention size, though Arisia's SFF lens differs.
Direct peers
- Readercon: Annual literary science fiction convention held in the Boston area (Burlington, MA), running since 1985; directly comparable to Arisia as a New England SFF convention with a similar volunteer-run nonprofit structure and overlapping attendees, though more literature-focused.
- Boskone: Long-running New England science fiction and fantasy convention organized by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA), also based in the Boston area and overlapping Arisia's regional attendee and volunteer base; the closest direct analog in scope, scale, and audience.
- World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon): The flagship annual international science fiction and fantasy convention that rotates cities globally; a direct peer as a general SFF convention with broad programming tracks, dealers room, art show, masquerade, and overlapping volunteer/community structures.
- WisCon: Long-running feminist-oriented SFF convention held in Madison, WI; directly comparable as a nonprofit volunteer-run SFF convention with literary focus, panels, and similar community-driven structure.
- Dragon Con: Massive Labor Day weekend SFF and pop-culture convention in Atlanta drawing tens of thousands; comparable as a multi-track SFF convention with costuming, gaming, art show, and dealers, and represents the larger end of the same convention category Arisia operates in.
- Convergence: Annual multi-genre SFF convention in Minneapolis running since 1976; directly comparable volunteer-run nonprofit SFF convention with broad programming tracks, dealers room, and masquerade-style events.
Broad incumbents
- Gen Con: Premier tabletop gaming convention held annually in Indianapolis, comparable to Arisia in its mix of gaming (tabletop, LARPs), dealers hall, and community programming; operates as a much larger commercial convention.
- San Diego Comic-Con: The largest pop-culture convention in the United States; comparable as a multi-track fan convention with panels, art show, dealers room, and masquerade-style programming, but operates at much larger scale and broader (non-SFF) scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Arisia social profiles
Digital presenceArisia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Arisia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Arisia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Arisia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Arisia
What does Arisia do?
Arisia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-run organization that hosts an annual four-day science fiction and fantasy convention at the Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge. The convention features programming panels, costuming events including a Masquerade, tabletop gaming and LARPs, an Art Show marketplace, a Dealers Room for vendors, a Creators' Corner/Night Market, youth programming (Fast Track and Turtle Track babysitting), and community spaces, supported by year-round Discord engagement.
Is Arisia a public or private company?
Arisia is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Arisia founded?
Arisia was founded in 1989. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Arisia based?
Arisia is headquartered in Somerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Arisia make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Convention Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are art Show Sales, dealers Room Fees, donations and Grants and advertising.
Who are Arisia's main competitors?
Regional players on record are NecronomiCon Providence and PAX East. Direct peers are Readercon, Boskone, World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), WisCon, Dragon Con and Convergence. Broad incumbents are Gen Con and San Diego Comic-Con.
Does Arisia have an API?
No public API is recorded for Arisia.