The Interactive Zone at Petco Park has been one of the biggest, most comprehensive offsites at San Diego Comic-Con for years — a place where a multitude of companies and brands come together and let attendees explore, all for free (give or take a not-Mr.-Robot-ferris-wheel).
Grandesign Experiential, the San Diego-based experiental marketing company, who has helped put on many of these activations over the years, is coming back for San Diego Comic-Con 2019. While last year they had taken on more responsibility for the event and rebranded it as “The Experience in San Diego”, this year they have given control back to the San Diego Padres, the event’s original producers.
“The Experience in San Diego was the most thrilling and successful campaign we’ve ever done and one of my favorite accomplishments to date,” Aaron Gaeir, the Founder of Grandesign Experiential, said in a press release. “Though we want to recreate this business model again in the future at pop-culture events, we decided to return to our roots and lead Comic-Con-esque activations at various places throughout the city.”
That shift back in control shouldn’t mean much of any change for attendees — though whether some of Grandesign’s improvements from last year return, like a focus on nighttime entertainment, is anyone’s guess. You’ll still find a plethora of companies with activations at The Interactive Zone all week long.
Grandesign will also still be very busy during the convention, spearheading individual activations for clients both inside and outside the Interactive Zone. While they’re quiet on exactly what they’ve got up their sleeves, they are fielding “inquiries from the industry’s largest brands to ideate and execute activations in areas such as 5th Avenue Marina, Gaslamp District, Convention Center, Petco Park and more.”
“We’re lucky to call San Diego our home and the city, and our team, is never more alive than during Comic-Con,” Gaeir said. “We look forward to continuing to be the leaders of experiential marketing at San Diego Comic-Con and providing experiences.”
Sounds like it’s going to be a good year to be a San Diego Comic-Con attendee (or a local).
