13
Yearly CanJoeCon Discussion / Official 2014 Canadian Joe Con News
« on: February 04, 2014, 01:41:35 PM »
Let me preface this by saying that I love G.I. Joe.
Seriously. When I was a kid, my Star Wars figures merged into my G.I. Joe world and Han Solo became the co-pilot of the Skystriker w/ Ace. Some of my Masters of the
Universe figures became mutant creations of Cobra, and many times the Joes didn't win against them. As I said, I LOVE G.I. Joe.
Over 10 years ago, I took my money and with the help of a couple of other people, held a gathering for people of G.I. Joe. People came from various parts of the
country the first year, then parts of the world in the years that followed (U.S., Japan, UK, Australia, etc). Even during a time in my life when money was VERY tight
(just bought a house), I went into debt to ensure that you guys had a convention to attend, with guests, and trading cards to give away. You don't do these things if
you're not passionate about something. You do it because you care about the hobby, or in this case, the longevity of the brand of G.I. Joe.
However, it doesn't look like Hasbro does anymore. We're in the 50th Anniversary of the original "Man of Action", and Hasbro has had nothing to show for this year so
far. To a fan of G.I. Joe, this is a swift kick to the nards (Wolfman Style).
Due to actions from another local convention, Hasbro Canada no longer attends any cons in Canada. We had to bend over backwards for them to attend in 2012, knowing
full well that they may never come back to a Canadian Joe Con again.... And they're not.
Last year, the 2013 Canadian Joe Con was put on hiatus due to no product being available for our exclusive sets. NO other reason. Hasbro had nothing to offer us since
they pulled all Movie product to re-release it when Retaliation came out. That made perfect business sense, and that was fine. We looked for alternative avenues to get
items for our Con Set, but prices were either too high, or there wasn't enough in stock via the places we contacted. Why didn't we run one without the exclusives?...
Simple, they pay for the con, the guests, advertising, the comics, etc etc. No exclusives, no con. Simple logic, and nothing else behind it.
This past year (2013), I was told that Hasbro would still be able to help us out with something in 2014. Last week, I was told otherwise. Once again, we're at a point
with no figures to use for our con set. On top of that, the Sheraton Hotel has just informed me that the entire banquet hall section is being re-done this summer,
thus, we lose our date & location. (Which would of been Aug. 1st and 2nd).
In short, that's two years in a row that influences outside of my control have worked against me, and things I thought were confirmed, weren't. So, unfortunately, after 10+ years of sharing our love of this hobby, I am officially declaring the Canadian G.I. Joe Convention done.
Thanks to everyone who made this con as great as it was.
I'm thrilled to of offered a place for fans of G.I. Joe to gather and enjoy their hobby. Most conventions don’t last ten years, nevermind becoming a world-wide known event. It started in a small toyshop in Hamilton, Ontario, and who knows, it may return again at some point. But as of right now, the Canadian Joe Convention is finished.
Thank you again to all involved over the years.
Michael Heddle
Seriously. When I was a kid, my Star Wars figures merged into my G.I. Joe world and Han Solo became the co-pilot of the Skystriker w/ Ace. Some of my Masters of the
Universe figures became mutant creations of Cobra, and many times the Joes didn't win against them. As I said, I LOVE G.I. Joe.
Over 10 years ago, I took my money and with the help of a couple of other people, held a gathering for people of G.I. Joe. People came from various parts of the
country the first year, then parts of the world in the years that followed (U.S., Japan, UK, Australia, etc). Even during a time in my life when money was VERY tight
(just bought a house), I went into debt to ensure that you guys had a convention to attend, with guests, and trading cards to give away. You don't do these things if
you're not passionate about something. You do it because you care about the hobby, or in this case, the longevity of the brand of G.I. Joe.
However, it doesn't look like Hasbro does anymore. We're in the 50th Anniversary of the original "Man of Action", and Hasbro has had nothing to show for this year so
far. To a fan of G.I. Joe, this is a swift kick to the nards (Wolfman Style).
Due to actions from another local convention, Hasbro Canada no longer attends any cons in Canada. We had to bend over backwards for them to attend in 2012, knowing
full well that they may never come back to a Canadian Joe Con again.... And they're not.
Last year, the 2013 Canadian Joe Con was put on hiatus due to no product being available for our exclusive sets. NO other reason. Hasbro had nothing to offer us since
they pulled all Movie product to re-release it when Retaliation came out. That made perfect business sense, and that was fine. We looked for alternative avenues to get
items for our Con Set, but prices were either too high, or there wasn't enough in stock via the places we contacted. Why didn't we run one without the exclusives?...
Simple, they pay for the con, the guests, advertising, the comics, etc etc. No exclusives, no con. Simple logic, and nothing else behind it.
This past year (2013), I was told that Hasbro would still be able to help us out with something in 2014. Last week, I was told otherwise. Once again, we're at a point
with no figures to use for our con set. On top of that, the Sheraton Hotel has just informed me that the entire banquet hall section is being re-done this summer,
thus, we lose our date & location. (Which would of been Aug. 1st and 2nd).
In short, that's two years in a row that influences outside of my control have worked against me, and things I thought were confirmed, weren't. So, unfortunately, after 10+ years of sharing our love of this hobby, I am officially declaring the Canadian G.I. Joe Convention done.
Thanks to everyone who made this con as great as it was.
I'm thrilled to of offered a place for fans of G.I. Joe to gather and enjoy their hobby. Most conventions don’t last ten years, nevermind becoming a world-wide known event. It started in a small toyshop in Hamilton, Ontario, and who knows, it may return again at some point. But as of right now, the Canadian Joe Convention is finished.
Thank you again to all involved over the years.
Michael Heddle
