PopCon

Name

PopCon

Legal name

Pop Con LLC

Website

https://popcon.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pop Culture Convention

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Community Markets/Pop-Ups (Community-Led Bazaars) (MPAGAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail & Pop-up Experiences (In-store/Pop-ups) (MPAAAGAG), Virtual Conferences & Summits (Webinars, Keynotes) (MPAGAOAA)

Keywords

• Pop culture convention
• Comic convention events
• Fan community events
• Cosplay competition
• Celebrity meet and greets

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from convention admission passes sold to attendees through Eventeny ticketing platform.
2. Vendor Booth Rentals: Revenue from exhibitors and vendors renting booth space at the convention. Booths are assigned based on application and sponsorship level.
3. Photo Operations and Autograph Sessions: Revenue from celebrity photo opportunities and autograph sessions with special guests at the convention.
4. Show Guide Advertisements: Revenue from vendors purchasing advertising space in the printed PopCon program guide, with pricing ranging from $50 for business cards to $600 for back cover.
5. Creator Summit Tickets: Revenue from the PopCon Creator Summit event offering educational content for content creators, with early bird pricing at $495 and regular admission at $595.
6. Press/Media Credentials: Revenue from discounted fee-based press badges for media outlets that do not qualify for free press credentials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PopCon operates PopCon Indy, a multi-day pop culture and comic convention at the Indiana Convention Center featuring celebrity guests, panels, vendor marketplace, cosplay contests, gaming tournaments, and fan activities. The company also runs the PopCon Creator Summit, an annual educational event for content creators covering podcasting, filmmaking, writing, and digital content creation. Supporting offerings include the Ultimate Cosplay Championship, PopCon Podcast Awards, and PopCon International Film Festival.

Product overview

PopCon is a pop culture and comic convention company operating primarily in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company offers two core products: PopCon Indy, a multi-day convention featuring celebrity guests, panels, cosplay contests, gaming, vendors, and fan activities; and PopCon Creator Summit, an annual educational event for content creators covering podcasting, filmmaking, writing, and digital content creation. Supporting sub-products include the Ultimate Cosplay Championship, PopCon Podcast Awards, PopCon International Film Festival, Feel The Pop dance competition, Secret Games competition, fan panels, gaming arena, podcast live stage, vendor hall, and celebrity meet & greets. The company uses Eventeny for ticketing/registration and CaptureTicketing for photo ops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PopCon Creator Summit: An immersive experience for content creators featuring expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops, and industry networking across podcasting, writing, content creation, and filmmaking tracks.

Products and services

• PopCon Indy PopCon Indy is the flagship multi-day pop culture and comic convention held at the Indiana Convention Center, featuring celebrity guests, panels, cosplay contests, gaming, vendors, and fan activities across a weekend event.
• PopCon Creator Summit An annual educational summit for content creators covering podcasting, filmmaking, writing, and digital content creation with expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities across 4 learning tracks; admission includes PopCon Indy access.
• Ultimate Cosplay Championship Annual cosplay competition with craftsmanship categories divided by skill level (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced), prejudging process, and cash prizes for winners.
• PopCon Podcast Awards Annual awards ceremony recognizing podcasts across multiple genre categories including Audio Drama, Paranormal, Gaming, Comic Books, Film & Television, and more, with technical and top awards.
• PopCon International Film Festival International film festival featuring submissions of short and feature films and screenplays across pop culture genres including Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Horror, Documentary, and Anime/Animation, with awards and distribution consideration opportunities.
• Feel The Pop Dance Competition K-Pop and J-Pop dance competition for solo performers, duos, and groups of all sizes, with discounted convention passes for participants.
• Secret Games High-stakes competition inspired by Squid Games featuring modified children's games; winners receive a Lifetime Pass to PopCon.
• Celebrity Meet & Greets Meet-and-greet opportunities with actors, voice actors, content creators, artists, cosplayers, and authors featuring autograph sessions and professional photo ops, purchased via the CaptureTicketing platform.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hilton Garden Inn AirportminorOthersOfficial PopCon partner hotel located 10 minutes from Indianapolis International Airport and 14 miles from downtown Indianapolis and Indiana Convention Center. Features fitness center, indoor pool, whirlpool, and restaurant.
• Quality Inn Plainfield - Indianapolis WestminorOthersOfficial PopCon partner hotel located 6 miles from Indianapolis International Airport, 14 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, and 15 miles from Indiana Convention Center. Provides dependable accommodations with easy airport and downtown access.
• Crowne Plaza Union StationcoreOthersVenue for PopCon Creator Summit event. Located in downtown Indianapolis inside America’s first Union Station building. Features 273 guest rooms including authentic Pullman Train Cars, two restaurants, and unique historical atmosphere.
• Indiana Convention CentercoreOthersPrimary venue for PopCon Indy events. Located at 100 S Capitol, Indianapolis IN 46225. Provides extensive exhibition space for vendor hall, panel rooms, gaming areas, and all convention programming.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Anime Expo: Largest North American anime-focused convention. PopCon addresses an overlapping fan segment (anime/cosplay/pop culture) at a more inclusive, smaller scale.

Direct peers

• Awesome Con: Washington DC-area pop culture convention featuring comics, celebrity guests, cosplay, and fan panels. Comparable mid-sized multi-genre community convention with similar attendee profile.
• Dragon Con: Large multi-genre fan convention in Atlanta covering sci-fi, fantasy, comics, gaming, and pop culture with active fan panel programming. Directly comparable community-led format and celebrity-guest model.
• Fan Expo (various cities): Multi-city pop culture convention brand with comic, gaming, anime, and celebrity programming across North America. Closely comparable peer operating similar events in multiple markets.
• Gen Con: The largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, also headquartered in Indianapolis. Direct competitor for venue space, attendee dollars, and celebrity/creator bookings in PopCon's home market.
• New York Comic Con (ReedPop): Large multi-genre pop culture convention with vendor hall, celebrity guests, panels, and cosplay programming. Closest comparable large-scale operator to PopCon's format, run by ReedPop.
• MCM Comic Con: Multi-city UK and US pop culture convention series with comic, gaming, cosplay, and celebrity programming. Closely comparable community-led fan convention format with vendor marketplace.
• C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo): Midwest pop culture convention operated by ReedPop featuring celebrities, comic vendors, cosplay, and fan panels. Comparable multi-genre community-led format within driving distance of PopCon's footprint.

Broad incumbents

• PAX (Penny Arcade Expo): Multi-city gaming-focused convention series with adjacent categories. PopCon's Gaming Arena programming overlaps with PAX's core audience and event format.
• Comic-Con International (San Diego Comic-Con): The largest pop culture convention globally and category-defining incumbent. Operates at massive scale, but PopCon targets a similar attendee base with a more local, community-led approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PopConNation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@popconnation
• Facebookfacebook.com/popconnation
• Instagraminstagram.com/popconnation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/popcon

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about PopCon