Phil Con
Philcon is the world's oldest continuously running science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention (founded 1936), operated by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society as an annual three-day event each November at the Doubletree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ, drawing approximately 800-1,000 attendees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersNew Britain, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Phil Con does
Philcon is an annual science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention operated by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1936, Philcon is the world's first and longest-running continuously held science fiction convention, with the exception of the WWII years. The organization is essentially volunteer-run, with a small staff (1-10) and operates as a single annual event held each November at the Doubletree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, drawing approximately 800 to 1,000 attendees per year across attendees, dealers, artists, writers, gamers, and cosplayers.
The core offering is multi-track programming that includes panel discussions, workshops, an art show and auction, a dealers room, gaming gallery, writers' workshop with professional critique, a masquerade and costume competition, concerts, dances, and the Eric Flint 1632 Minicon sub-track. Technology is conventional and event-management-oriented: a WordPress-based main website (philcon.org), an online registration portal (reg.philcon.org), artist and vendor portals (artist.philcon.org, vendor.philcon.org), digital art-show inventory introduced in 2025 to replace paper-based tracking, and program scheduling powered by the open-source KonOpas/ConClár suite. There are no proprietary software products, API platforms, or AI features.
Philcon's revenue model is multi-stream and entirely event-driven. Primary revenue comes from membership fees (general adult weekend, military, student, teen, children, and kid-in-tow tiers, with pre-registration discounts). Secondary revenue includes dealer table rentals ($60-$350 depending on number of tables), art-show display space fees ($25 per full panel/table; $15 for eligible students) with no sales commission, program-book advertising (full page $165-$375 pro/fan), and merchandise sales (T-shirts at ~$27 each). Promotion is conducted through the website, a VerticalResponse email mailing list, downloadable flyers distributed at related conventions and stores, and word-of-mouth within the fandom community. The convention holds a registered service mark (Philcon®) and operates the Young Writers Contest as a recurring sub-brand.
Phil Con firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phil Con
- Legal name
- Philadelphia Science Fiction Society
- Website
- https://philcon.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Philcon is the world's oldest continuously running science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention (founded 1936), operated by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society as an annual three-day event each November at the Doubletree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ, drawing approximately 800-1,000 attendees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phil Con industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Fiction Convention Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro industry
- Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions OrganizersTravel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Exhibition & Trade Show OrganizersProfessional & Association ConferencesMedia, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)
Keywords
Where Phil Con is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Britain
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Phil Con business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Convention Memberships: Philcon generates primary revenue through weekend and day-pass memberships to attend the convention. Membership types include General adult, Military, Student, Teen, Children, and Kid-in-tow categories. Pre-registration discounts are available before November 10-11th.
- Dealer Table Fees: Revenue from dealers renting table space in the Dealers Room. Pricing varies by number of tables: half table $60, one table $90, two tables $205, three tables $350. Special dealer membership rate of $40-45.
- Art Show Display Space: Artists pay display space fees to exhibit in the Art Show. Full panel or table $25, reduced to $15 for eligible art students. No sales commission charged.
- Program Book Advertising: Revenue from selling advertising space in the convention's souvenir program book. Rates vary by ad size and type (pro vs fan rates).
- Merchandise Sales: Sales of convention merchandise including T-shirts with artwork from featured artists. Standard shirts $27, with size and style differentials.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time | General Adult 3-Day Membership |
| Subscription | One time | Children 7-12 and Teens 13-17 |
| Subscription | One time | Active Military and Students |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Dealer Table Space |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Art Show Display Space |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Convention T-Shirts |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Program Book Advertising |
| Other | Nightly | Hotel Room Rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Phil Con product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Philcon is an annual in-person science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention organized by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. It delivers multi-track programming (panels, workshops, concerts, dances), an Art Show and auction, a Dealers Room, a Tabletop Gaming Gallery, a Masquerade/Costume Competition, a Writers' Workshop with professional critique, and a Young Writers Contest, all included with paid convention membership.
Product overview
Phil Con is an annual science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention operated by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS). It is not a technology product company. The organization offers convention services including registration, an art show, dealers room, gaming gallery, writers' workshop, masquerade competition, programming panels, and hospitality suite. The convention takes place annually in November at the Doubletree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ, with the 90th anniversary celebrated in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Young Writers Contest: Annual writing competition for students in grades 5-12
- Eric Flint's 1632 Minicon
Products and services
- Annual Convention Memberships Tiered weekend and day-pass memberships (General adult, Military, Student, Teen, Children, Kid-in-tow) granting access to all convention programming, art show, dealers room, gaming, masquerade, and events at Philcon. Pre-registration discounts available before November 10-11.
- Art Show and Auction Exhibition space for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and fannish artwork with display space rental (full panel or table $25, half panel/table $15, reduced to $15 for eligible art students). No sales commission is charged. In 2025, moved to a digital reservations and inventory system.
- Dealers Room Table Rentals Rental of table space in the Dealers Room for vendors selling science fiction, fantasy, and horror themed merchandise. Pricing: half table $60, one table $90, two tables $205, three tables $350, with dealer memberships at $40-$45.
- Young Writers Contest Annual writing competition for students in grades 5-12 offering prizes and recognition for aspiring young science fiction and fantasy writers.
- Writers' Workshop Workshop for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers offering professional critique from authors and editors, with submissions reviewed ahead of the convention.
- Program Book Advertising Advertising space sold in the convention's souvenir program book at differentiated pro and fan rates by ad size (full page pro $375/fan $165; 1/2 page pro $220/fan $100; 1/4 page pro $125/fan $60; center spread $825 pro/$410 fan).
- Eric Flint's 1632 Minicon Special programming track within Philcon 2026 featuring authors and content related to Eric Flint's 1632 time-travel series, included with Philcon registration.
Companies that use Phil Con
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Phil Con technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Phil Con partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Doubletree by Hilton Cherry HillcoreThe primary convention venue for Philcon. The convention has held its annual event at this hotel location for many years (previously under the Crowne Plaza name). The hotel provides function space for programming, dealers room, art show, gaming, and masquerade events. Philcon reserves room blocks for attendees at negotiated convention rates ($125-129/night).
- Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA)minorPhilcon holds a silent auction to benefit ASFA during its Art Show. Donations of artwork for the auction are tax deductible. ASFA is an professional organization for SF&F artists.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Phil Con competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NecronomiCon Providence: Biennial literary horror and weird fiction convention. Comparable to Philcon's horror programming, literary workshops, and art show focus, though more narrowly themed.
- Boskone: Long-running New England science fiction and fantasy convention hosted annually by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA). Directly comparable regional fan convention with similar programming, art show, and volunteer-run nonprofit structure.
- FantastiCon: Smaller SF/F convention circuit events with programming and dealer rooms. Comparable in scale and regional model to Philcon's annual multi-track convention.
- Readercon: Annual literary-oriented science fiction and fantasy convention in the U.S. (Massachusetts) focused on written SF/F. Comparable to Philcon's literary programming, writers' workshop, and small-scale regional format.
- ConFusion: Annual science fiction and fantasy convention in Michigan with programming, art show, masquerade, and gaming. Comparable to Philcon as a regional multi-track fan convention of similar size and structure.
- Worldcon (World Science Fiction Convention): Annual international science fiction convention and the parent of the Hugo Awards. Directly comparable as a long-running SF/F fan convention with programming, art shows, dealer halls, and literary focus, though Worldcon rotates cities and is larger in scale.
Others
- Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA): Professional organization for SF/F artists that partners with Philcon via the art show silent auction. Comparable as an ecosystem participant in the SF/F art community that Philcon serves.
Broad incumbents
- Gen Con: The largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, held annually in Indianapolis. Comparable in its gaming programming and dealer hall model to Philcon, though focused specifically on tabletop/RPG gaming at much larger scale.
- New York Comic Con: ReedPop's flagship pop culture convention (200K+ attendees) at Javits Center. Overlaps Philcon's genre fan audience and dealer ecosystem but at vastly larger scale and broader entertainment/media scope.
- Dragon Con: Massive Atlanta-based multi-genre fan convention (50K+ attendees) covering SF/F, comics, gaming, costuming, and media. Comparable as a fan convention but operates at dramatically larger scale and broader pop-culture scope than Philcon.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Phil Con social profiles
Digital presencePhil Con financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phil Con leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Phil Con funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phil Con 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 Phil Con
What does Phil Con do?
Philcon is an annual in-person science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention organized by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. It delivers multi-track programming (panels, workshops, concerts, dances), an Art Show and auction, a Dealers Room, a Tabletop Gaming Gallery, a Masquerade/Costume Competition, a Writers' Workshop with professional critique, and a Young Writers Contest, all included with paid convention membership.
Is Phil Con a public or private company?
Phil Con is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Phil Con founded?
Phil Con was founded in 1936. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Phil Con based?
Phil Con is headquartered in New Britain, United States, in the North America region.
How does Phil Con make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Convention Memberships are the primary driver. The others are dealer Table Fees, art Show Display Space, program Book Advertising and merchandise Sales.
Who are Phil Con's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NecronomiCon Providence, Boskone, FantastiCon, Readercon, ConFusion and Worldcon (World Science Fiction Convention). Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Gen Con, New York Comic Con and Dragon Con.
Does Phil Con have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phil Con.
What industry is Phil Con in?
Phil Con's product category is Science Fiction Convention Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAN, Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAGAGAB, Professional & Association Conferences. Its NAICS code is 561920.