Emerald City Comic Con is back. But should it be?

Emerald City Comic Con has been a Seattle institution for nearly 20 years.

It started as a one-day event at Qwest Field Events Center back in 2003, with an attendance of 2,500 people. Since then, it has grown to become a four-day extravaganza with nearly 100,000 attendees in 2019, before the pandemic forced the convention to be canceled in 2020.

Last December, Emerald City Comic Con made its return with strict mask regulations and a limited attendance of 45,000 people. This year, ReedPop Vice President of Global Comic Events Kristina Rogers estimates that they'll see between 65,000 and 70,000 attendees.

Rogers joined Soundside to talk about Emerald City Comic Con's latest return, from Thursday, Aug. 18 to Sunday, Aug. 21. She said the plan for 2023 is to get back to their usual spring schedule, with the convention happening March 2 through March 5.

Rogers also talked about how one of the driving principles behind Emerald City Comic Con is developing a space that is safe and supportive for everyone.

"We hold very true to our anti-harassment policy. That's the first step," Rogers explained. "The second piece is when you involve the community."

"We don't put on panels for Black voices. We bring in Black voices to bring us a panel," she continued. "When you're creating a space like this, you have to have those voices as a part of building it. Not as an afterthought."

Disability advocates are not as enthusiastic about the return to in-person events, however.

Jennifer Kretchmer has been outspoken on Twitter about how large scale, in person events are doing more harm than good. She's a TV producer and actor, an award winning author, Twitch streamer, and disability advocate. She said that having hybrid options will help everyone.

"Having virtual components, having virtual events, making sure you have webcams and rooms and ways for people to access and participate from home. Ways for panelists to participate remotely so that you're including disabled panelists or panelists with young kids," Kretchmer explained. "Accessibility really does help everyone in so many ways."

"We have the ability to make these inclusive and accessible. We've learned how to do those things, how to create hybrid events," she continued. "And it's really frustrating to know that that technology exists — that we could be doing these virtually, that we could be doing these in hybrid ways that are a lot safer, and we aren't."

Dr. David Dowdy, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, agrees that there is reason to be concerned as Covid continues to make its rounds.

"It is true that people who are at a higher risk of getting sick from this disease through no fault of their own, are in some ways getting left behind," Dowdy said.

On the other hand, he said we can't expect everyone to put their lives on hold right now. He said there's a balance to strike with giving people the freedom to live their lives, while providing extra accommodations and accessibility options to keep people with different needs safe.

"There's always, I think, going to be that twinge of guilt. And I think if we're not at least considering the effects that we're having on other people with our actions, then we're probably not living things the right way. But also we have to recognize that we all been through a lot and give each other a bit of a break. We're all trying to figure this out together. Nobody's got the right answers."

Jay Justice is a game developer and consultant, she said she understands why conventions are hesitant to continue virtual events.

"I know that it's very hard to convert a click to an actual tangible dollar," Justice explained. "And that is the struggle that a lot of conventions have been having. But without that sense of urgency, you don't get the same amount of connection. And now you're competing against so many other events that are in person."

She also thinks that fans pushing back against lax health and safety guidelines can help create change.

"The real thing we're seeing here is that if people are not pushing and fighting and demanding more safety precautions, we will not get them."

The bottom line for both Justice and Kretchmer: if you don't have to go, consider skipping a large in person event.

"I know that there's a lot of pressure to go out and to try to make something out of the life experiences that you want to have," Justice said. "But because of how dangerous it is, I want everyone to really think about what's important to them. And to understand that reinfection of Covid is a thing."

Jennifer Kretchmer had a request: "I wish people would think about the impact that you deciding to try and protect other people has," she said.

"Deciding to encourage your friends and loved ones to be safe in social situations or to say, 'Hey, let's move that gathering outside,' or, 'Hey, please keep testing before things.' These are baseline things that have to stay part of it, so that we can participate."

If you are still on the fence about attending in person, but don't want to miss out, Emerald City Comic Con DOES include a $15 Digital Ticket. It includes access to live video panels streamed all four days of ECCC for most major panel rooms, audio streams for smaller rooms, and Video On Demand access to the recordings for 30 days after the convention ends.