Fan Fest Events
Fan Fest Events operates Walker Stalker Con, a privately held fan convention series serving Walking Dead TV fans across 14 annual events in 4 countries, offering celebrity Q&A panels, photo ops, and autograph sessions with cast members.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersMultiple US Cities, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fan Fest Events does
Fan Fest Events, operating under the brand Walker Stalker Con, is a privately held fan convention organizer headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, founded in 2012-2013. The company produces a series of multi-day fan conventions centered on the AMC television series The Walking Dead, offering celebrity Q&A panels, professionally photographed photo ops with cast members, autograph sessions, and free family-friendly exhibit floor activities. Events are held in 7 US cities (Chicago, Cleveland, Nashville, Phoenix, Atlanta, Portland, New Jersey) and internationally in the UK and Australia, totaling 14 events annually across 4 countries with 250,000+ attendees per year. The celebrity roster features principal Walking Dead cast members including Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Melissa McBride, Chad Coleman, Khary Payton, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Josh McDermitt, who have provided testimonials praising the event's community atmosphere.
The company operates a pure event-driven business model with no proprietary technology platform. Revenue is generated through three transactional streams: ticket and pass sales (general admission and VIP), pre-sold and on-site photo operations (up to two adults and three children per session), and autograph sessions with cast members. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the walkerstalkercon.com website for online pre-sales (4-6 weeks before events) and on-site venue box offices. The company has built a 750,000+ Facebook community and generated 50M+ media impressions through coverage in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and USA Today. Branding emphasizes a 'for fans, by fans' positioning with relaxed environments designed for authentic celebrity interactions rather than transactional encounters.
The underlying business is asset-light, supported by only 9 employees and no disclosed technology stack beyond a basic mobile app for event scheduling. The model carries franchise-dependency risk tied to the ongoing cultural relevance of The Walking Dead IP, and the input data does not disclose revenue figures, ownership structure, funding history, or post-2019 operational performance, limiting financial diligence.
Fan Fest Events firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fan Fest Events
- Legal name
- Walker Stalker Con
- Website
- https://fanfestevents.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fan Fest Events operates Walker Stalker Con, a privately held fan convention series serving Walking Dead TV fans across 14 annual events in 4 countries, offering celebrity Q&A panels, photo ops, and autograph sessions with cast members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fan Fest Events industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fan Convention Events
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Fan Events & Meet-and-Greets (Q&A, VIP Access) (MPAGAOAG)
Keywords
Where Fan Fest Events is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Multiple US Cities
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Fan Fest Events business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Event Tickets and Passes: Ticket sales for convention admission across multiple event tiers and price points
- Photo Operations: Professionally taken photos with celebrity guests, purchased online in advance of events. Up to two adults and three children under sixteen per photo.
- Autograph Sessions: Autograph opportunities with cast members. Some pre-sold, most available for purchase in person. Actors provide selection of 8x10 photographs or sign fan-provided items at actor discretion.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | General admission and VIP passes available |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fan Fest Events product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fan Fest Events operates the Walker Stalker Con franchise, a series of fan conventions focused on The Walking Dead TV series held across U.S. cities and internationally. Each event features celebrity Q&A panels, professionally taken photo ops with cast members, and autograph sessions sold online in advance or on-site. Tickets and passes are sold directly to consumers through event websites and venue box offices.
Product overview
Fan Fest Events operates Walker Stalker Con, a single-brand convention event series rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The primary offering is the Walker Stalker Con event franchise, which encompasses multiple city-specific conventions held annually across the U.S. and internationally (including London). Each event includes core ticketed experiences: celebrity guest meet-and-greets, Q&A panels on the main convention floor, autograph sessions with photo opportunities, and free family-friendly floor activities. There are no separate add-on modules, sub-products, or technical platforms—the business model is purely event-based with tickets, passes, and ancillary purchases (photo ops, autographs) as revenue streams.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Walker Stalker Con A multi-city fan convention series focused on The Walking Dead TV series, featuring celebrity Q&A panels, professionally taken photo ops with cast members, autograph sessions, and free family-friendly convention floor activities. Held annually across U.S. cities including Chicago, Cleveland, Nashville, Phoenix, Atlanta, Portland, and New Jersey, with international events in London and Australia. Targeted at dedicated fans of The Walking Dead and broader pop culture enthusiasts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 250,000+ attendees annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Fan Fest Events
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Fan Fest Events technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Fan Fest Events partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Fan Fest Events competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ReedPop: Division of Reed Exhibitions running New York Comic Con, MCM Comic Con, and other major fan events globally — a much larger incumbent with broader IP coverage and deeper marketing budgets.
- New York Comic Con: ReedPop-operated flagship US pop-culture convention featuring celebrity panels, photo ops, autographs, and large-scale fan programming — comparable in format but orders of magnitude larger in scale.
- Comic-Con International: Non-profit operator of San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon, the largest fan conventions in North America, sharing the same celebrity-meet-and-greet, panel, and pop-culture DNA but at vastly greater scale.
Direct peers
- GalaxyCon: Multi-city fan convention organizer (formerly Heroes & Villains Fan Fest and Fan Fest Events) hosting celebrity-driven comic and pop-culture conventions across the US, directly comparable in format, attendees, and celebrity-led programming.
- Awesome Con: Washington DC-based annual pop-culture convention featuring celebrity guests, photo ops, autographs, and fan programming — directly comparable regional event competitor.
- Wizard World: Operator of branded pop-culture conventions in multiple US cities featuring celebrity guests, comic creators, and fan experiences — overlapping directly with Walker Stalker Con's celebrity-meet-and-greet, photo op, and autograph model.
- Creation Entertainment: Long-running fan convention operator for genre TV franchises (e.g., The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Star Trek), with celebrity meet-and-greets, photo ops, and autographs — a near-identical business model to Walker Stalker Con.
- Fan Expo HQ: Owned by Informa, Fan Expo runs major pop-culture conventions (Fan Expo Chicago, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, etc.) with celebrity Q&A panels, photo ops, and autograph sessions serving the same fan segments.
- Florida Supercon: Multi-day Miami-based fan convention with celebrity guests, comic creators, and fan programming, closely mirroring Walker Stalker Con's celebrity-meet-and-greet and family-friendly floor format.
Emerging players
- Heroes & Villains Fan Fest: Pop-culture fan convention focused on superhero and genre TV/film franchises with celebrity guests and fan experiences — a smaller, niche player that overlaps with Walker Stalker Con's single-IP approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fan Fest Events social profiles
Digital presenceFan Fest Events financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fan Fest Events leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Fan Fest Events funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fan Fest Events 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 Fan Fest Events
What does Fan Fest Events do?
Fan Fest Events operates the Walker Stalker Con franchise, a series of fan conventions focused on The Walking Dead TV series held across U.S. cities and internationally. Each event features celebrity Q&A panels, professionally taken photo ops with cast members, and autograph sessions sold online in advance or on-site. Tickets and passes are sold directly to consumers through event websites and venue box offices.
Is Fan Fest Events a public or private company?
Fan Fest Events is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Fan Fest Events founded?
Fan Fest Events was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fan Fest Events based?
Fan Fest Events is headquartered in Multiple US Cities, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fan Fest Events make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Event Tickets and Passes are the primary driver. The others are photo Operations and autograph Sessions.
Who are Fan Fest Events's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ReedPop, New York Comic Con and Comic-Con International. Direct peers are GalaxyCon, Awesome Con, Wizard World, Creation Entertainment, Fan Expo HQ and Florida Supercon. Heroes & Villains Fan Fest is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fan Fest Events have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fan Fest Events.
What industry is Fan Fest Events in?
Fan Fest Events's product category is Fan Convention Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAN, Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAGAOAG, Virtual Fan Events & Meet-and-Greets (Q&A, VIP Access). Its NAICS code is 711320 and its SIC code is 7900.