Los Angeles, CA – Since its founding in 2005, DesignerCon has grown into the largest designer toy and art convention in the United States. With COVID-19 disrupting the global event industry, founder Ben Goretsky remains determined to continue expanding—this time into the digital realm. For its 2020 edition, DesignerCon will broadcast and sell to thousands of attendees on Popshop Live, a groundbreaking platform at the forefront of streaming commerce.
In spite of the unusual presentation, attendees can expect many of the traditions they’ve come to love. Every year, DesignerCon organizes events and aesthetics around an important pop-culture theme, and 2020 is no different. For this edition of DCON, the expo celebrates the 35th anniversary of Back to the Future—a franchise more timely than ever—and will be honoring the iconic films with a fan art show,curated by Carmen “Jane Dope” Acosta. The exhibition will be held at Art Share LA, a non-profit arts organization in DTLA, and livestreamed to DCON attendees. Secret Walls will return with their signature live illustration battles, but this time with a virtual makeover.
Companies that have already signed up for the innovative approach to the convention include Japan’s MEDICOM (with DesignerCon being their only US convention), Toy Cube, and 3D Retro. Over 30 artists are participating in a DKE Toys curated limited-edition hand made action figure drop.
Participating artists include Valfre, Joel Ledbetter, Luke Chueh, and Jorge R. Guiterrez, to name a few. his year’s set of DCON exclusive Be@rbricks will be designed by Jermaine Rogers, Louis De Guzman, Valfre, Alex Pardee, and Greg Mike. Tickets will go on sale in October, and DesignerCon will be hosted live on the Popshop Live app from November 13 to 15th, 2020.
“Where we’re going, we don’t need halls,” says founder and producer Ben Goretsky. “This is unlike any convention that’s ever been done before, and certainly not something anyone has even tried until now. By broadcasting on Popshop, we’re going to bring the absolute best of DesignerCon directly to our community’s phones and screens for an experience they’ll never forget. In some ways they’ll have even more access to the artists they love than they might at a traditional DesignerCon, but all without the crowds, without the lines, and with the lightning speed of one-click purchases.”
Popshop Live founder Danielle Li recently told Forbes that her goal is to create a marketplace “that allows sellers of all sizes and types to create their own live shopping experience.” Live streaming, she believes, can be “a tool that levels the playing field between corporate brands and small and medium businesses,” because it lets small businesses tell their stories without traditional marketing expenses.
Goretsky has already adopted Popshop Live for his store, 3D Retro, and has had amazing results. “The customers especially love the interaction between us and them as we talk and joke while shopping and they get especially excited when we bring into the video a special guest or big name artist to join us,” he says. “The interactive experience is unlike anything else shoppers at home have ever had.”
Popshop’s innovative design and interface will allow DCON vendors to hype exclusive merch drops, host artist talks, field questions, and show off the amazing products in their stores. Artists will be able to offer and sell commissions live during one of their sessions, and even broadcast its creation to the fans that are watching. Hailed as the future of shopping, streaming commerce is still being experimented with and the possibilities are endless. Goretsky is thrilled to use DesignerCon as a way to pioneer this new type of buying.
More details will be announced as they are confirmed.
About DesignerCon
Founded in 2005 by Ben Goretsky, DesignerCon brings together artists, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in the designer toy / vinyl collectibles market and has grown to incorporate everything in the design world including apparel, plush, printing, sculpture, designer toys, and both fine and urban art. The steady growth DesignerCon has enjoyed correlates with its popularity in today’s art nerd, geek culture; collectors and designer toy lovers alike wait through the night for new releases, pre-orders for new artist collaboration apparel are sold out within minutes, and artists use the convention as an opportunity to announce exclusive releases and collaborations. www.designercononline.com
Media Inquiries: Hijinx PR | Heidi Johnson | heidi@hijinxarts.com | 323.204.7246
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