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Coordinating Comic Con

Christopher D’Lando helps plan a massive event that celebrates pop culture

October/November 2022
By Jennifer Marino Walters

Shutterstock.com (Background); Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPop (Freaky Fred); Mike Coppola/Getty Images (Spider-Man)

For four days in October, roughly 250,000 people head to New York City  for one of the most popular conventions in the world—New York Comic Con. At events like this, fans meet celebrities, dress up like comic characters, play games, and much more.

For a huge event, the team that plans it is small—only about 30 people. Christopher D’Lando is one of them.

For four days in October, roughly 250,000 people head to New York City. They’re going to one of the most popular conventions in the world: New York Comic Con. At events like this, fans meet celebrities. They dress up like comic characters. They play games and so much more! It’s a huge event. But the team that plans it is small. It has only about 30 people. Christopher D’Lando is one of them.

Lev Radin/Sipa USA via AP Images (Beta Ray Bill); Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Images (Nightmare Before Christmas)

Fans called cosplayers dress like their favorite pop culture characters.

Powerful Planning

“It takes a massive amount of work to plan a show of this scale,” says D’Lando. “That’s why our planning for the next year begins the day after the show is over.”

The planning team has many jobs to do. They contact companies such as Marvel, Disney, and Funko to sell them space on the exhibit floor. They recruit celebrities and plan fun activities. They hire security, tech experts, and other event staffers. For D’Lando, it feels like the to-do list never ends.

“It often can feel like we are assembling a puzzle without knowing how many pieces there are or what the shape is,” says D’Lando.

“It takes a massive amount of work to plan a show of this scale,” says D’Lando. “That’s why our planning for the next year begins the day after the show is over.”

The planning team has many jobs to do. They contact companies such as Marvel, Disney, and Funko. They sell them space on the exhibit floor. They recruit celebrities and plan fun activities. They hire security, tech experts, and other event staffers. For D’Lando, it feels like the to-do list never ends. 

“It often can feel like we are assembling a puzzle without knowing how many pieces there are or what the shape is,” says D’Lando.

Courtesy of Chris D'Lando

One of the biggest pieces of that planning puzzle is the event’s budget. A budget is the amount of money available to spend. It totals all the event’s planned expenses, or the money spent on products and services to bring the event to life. A budget is often based on the expected income of the event, or the money that is likely to be made from ticket sales, product purchases, advertising, and more.

The budget for New York Comic Con is a whopping $9.5 million! Planners must be careful to stay within that budget.

D’Lando says he loves his job because no two days are alike. But most of all, he loves the event itself.

“I love New York Comic Con because of the community it creates,” D’Lando says. “It brings people together to celebrate all the geeky stuff they love.”

One of the biggest pieces of that planning puzzle is the event’s budget. A budget is the amount of money available to spend. It totals all the event’s planned expenses. Expenses are money spent on products and services to bring the event to life. A budget is often based on the expected income of the event. Income is money that is likely to be made from ticket sales, product purchases, advertising, and more.

The budget for New York Comic Con is $9.5 million! Planners must be careful to stay within that budget.

D’Lando says he loves his job because no two days are alike. But most of all, he loves the event itself. 

“I love New York Comic Con because of the community it creates,” D’Lando says. “It brings people together to celebrate all the geeky stuff they love.”

Math Talk

Why is it important for event planners to keep their expenses within their budget amount?

Math Talk

Why is it important for event planners to keep their expenses within their budget amount?

Hands-on Math: Plan a Mini Comic Con

Imagine you’re planning a mini comic con for your family and friends. You have a budget of $250. Use the charts to complete your budget and answer the questions.

Step 1

Fill in the expense amounts with the following information. Then find the total expenses.

• Your parents, your younger sibling, and you will dress as superheroes. An adult superhero mask costs $12, and a kid’s mask costs $8.

• You buy 10 comic books to give away as free gifts. The comic books cost $4 each.  

• You buy 8 superhero capes to sell. You pay $5 each for the capes.

• You want to have a drawing station where kids can draw their favorite characters. A pack of paper costs $10, and 3 sets of colored pencils cost $15.

Table showing the expense of different items, the quantity and price, and the total

Step 2

Fill in the income amounts with the following information. Then find the total income.

• You sell tickets to 10 kids for $10 a ticket.

• You sell 6 superhero capes for $15 each.

Table showing the income of ticket and superhero cape sales, the quantity and price, and the total

Hands-on Math: Plan a Mini Comic Con

Imagine you’re planning a mini comic con for your family and friends. You have a budget of $250. Use the charts to complete your budget and answer the questions.

Step 1

Fill in the expense amounts with the following information. Then find the total expenses.

• Your parents, your younger sibling, and you will dress as superheroes. An adult superhero mask costs $12, and a kid’s mask costs $8.

• You buy 10 comic books to give away as free gifts. The comic books cost $4 each.  

• You buy 8 superhero capes to sell. You pay $5 each for the capes.

• You want to have a drawing station where kids can draw their favorite characters. A pack of paper costs $10, and 3 sets of colored pencils cost $15.

Table showing the expense of different items, the quantity and price, and the total

Step 2

Fill in the income amounts with the following information. Then find the total income.

• You sell tickets to 10 kids for $10 a ticket.

• You sell 6 superhero capes for $15 each.

Table showing the income of ticket and superhero cape sales, the quantity and price, and the total

Analysis

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Your budget was $250. Were your total expenses less than your budget?

Your budget was $250. Were your total expenses less than your budget?

When your total income is greater than your total expenses, the difference is called profit. Profit is how much money you made. Did your event make a profit?

When your total income is greater than your total expenses, the difference is called profit. Profit is how much money you made. Did your event make a profit?

If you planned the same event again, how would you budget differently?

If you planned the same event again, how would you budget differently?

Financial Literacy
Budgets, Income, Cost, and Profit
income

Money a person or business receives in exchange for providing products or services
staffers

People who work for an organization
exhibit

A public display
profit

Money a business keeps after expenses are paid for
budget

The total amount of money available to spend, or a plan for earning and spending money
expenses

Money a person or business spends to create and advertise a product or event, or money used for necessities
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