The Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 (August 14-16)
SINGAPORE – 23 April 2009 – The Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) returns for a second year running! Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board as part of the MICE 1 initiative to anchor and grow quality business events in Singapore, the Convention is set to make waves at the Suntec International Exhibition & Convention Centre from 14 – 16 August 2009. Admission is free and the event is open to the public for all three days. Organised by local event planner PI Events, STGCC 2009 will take up almost double the hall space. At 6,110 sqm (up from 3,300 sqm last year), Convention-goers can expect more in terms of content, event highlights and Convention exclusives. Extended to three (3) days (up from 2 days in 2008), this year’s event includes a full day of Conference sessions, as well as a dedicated Trade session. Targeted at students and industry professionals, the Conference aims to engage its audience in a transfer of knowledge with key players from the global creative industry.
[CLICK THRU for full Press Release]
TOYSREVIL is pumped to be the "Official Blog" of The Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 and will endeavor to bring you the goodness associated with the 2nd Convention held in Singapore! Enjoyed the first, and August could't come sooner, IMHO!
[STGCC Press Con / April 23rd 2009 @ The Butter Factory]
CLICK THRU to find out who are the Key Exhibitors, Walk of Fame special
guests, Conference Speakers and Event Highlights for STGCC, and more!
KEY EXHIBITORS include Blythe (JPN), Dollz Inc. (SIN), Hasbro (SIN), LEGO ® (SIN), MINDstyle (USA), Nanospore (USA), Nintendo (SIN), Upper Deck (HKG), Simply Toys (SIN), tokidoki (ITA), Ugly Dolls (USA), and Wizards of the Coast (SIN).
WALK OF FAME: Considered one of the most popular features of the Convention, will host internationally-acclaimed artists and their works for the visitors of the event. The “Walk of Fame” will provide a valuable opportunity for Singaporeans to be exposed to leading names from design, comics, toys, and other creative industries and serve as an exclusive showcase for the invited guests. Confirmed “Walk of Fame” guests include [L-R]:
/// Gary Baseman (USA) – Renowned illustrator and cartoonist who has brought his talent to life through fine art, commercial art, as well as through his role as a television and film director and producer of a multiEmmy award-winning animation, Teacher’s Pet,
/// Joe Ledbetter (USA) – Popular LA-based artist, whose light-hearted, cute and cuddly character creations have been emblazoned on over 100 designer vinyl toys, as well as apparel and lifestyle brands across the world,
/// Brian Bolland (GBR) – An acclaimed British comic artist and one of the foremost cover artists for DC Comics, Bolland has drawn for such popular titles as Tank Girl, Camelot 3000, Batman: The Killing Joke, and Judge Dredd vs. Judge Death,
/// Tan Eng Huat (MAS) – A Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards winner, Tan is a penciller and inker for such comic favourites as Batman: Journey Into Knight, Doom Patrol, Silver Surfer: In Thy Name and Ghost Rider.
[Read the full-bios of Walk Of Fame-guests here]
EXHIBITORS include a host of names and brands (previously covered on TRE) including Branding Corp (Hong Kong) / Camilla d’Errico (Canada) / Coarsetoys (Hong Kong) / Devilrobots (Japan) / Dooodolls Design (Malaysia) and Play Imaginative (Singapore). [CLICK for "full" Exhibitor Highlights on TRE]
FRINGE EVENTS include live art demos with the Artist Invasion! @ The Butter Factory (where today's Press Con was held), as well as CONFERENCE SESSIONS featuring world-class players in Creative Industries, with confirmed speakers (to date) including: film-director Mr. Eric Khoo (SIN) / Feng Zhu of FZD School of Design (SIN) / Stanley “Artgerm” Lau from Imaginary Friends Studio (SIN) / Nichole "Toy Baroness" East of Kidrobot (USA) and Dennis Fong of LEGO Concept Lab (JPN).
[Further details and write-ups of Conference Speakers here]
ARTIST ALLEY: The Artist Alley will be a specially-reserved area at the Convention to promote up to 24 individual local and regional artists and designers. At the Artist Alley, these artists and designers will be free to showcase and sell their own works, giving such creatives the ideal platform to reach out to an international audience receptive to their creativity.
ARTISTS' GRAFFITI WALL: The live art performed on the Artists’ Graffiti Wall will be an exclusive feature of the Networking & Preview Night (Thursday, 13 August 2009). A large blank panel (dimensions and specifications to be confirmed) will be provided for the Walk of Fame members and international artists and designers to draw, sketch and paint on. The Graffiti Wall, as a unique work of art, will remain on display for the duration of the event.
[Artists' Wall @ STGCC 2008]
AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS: With the presence of so many famous artists and designers at this one event, the Convention will be a place where fans can meet their idols in person for autograph signings throughout the event days. Visitors can expect Autograph Signing sessions with such international names as Brian Bolland (GBR), Gary Baseman (USA), Joe Ledbetter (USA), Tan Eng Huat (MAS), Simone Legno of tokidoki (ITA), Camilla d’Errico (CND) and David Horvath of Ugly Dolls (USA). Autograph Signing schedules for the Walk of Fame artists may be enforced due to overwhelming response and demand from visitors.
CONVENTION GIVEAWAYS: One of the main highlights of the Convention will be Exclusive Giveaways of limited edition products, or products exclusive to the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009.
[STCC 2008 BE@RBRICKS from Medicom Toy]
COSCON COSPLAY COMPETITION: We welcome talented Cosplayers from all over the world to participate in the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 CosCon Cosplay Competition. Organized by Official Partner, Movie Mania, the contest will strive to feature costuming from both the East and West, with 2 main themed contests: (1) Movie and (2) Anime, both with Single and Group categories. To encourage active participation and visitor interactivity at the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009, each themed Cosplay contest will undergo two rounds of judging: (1) Judges Panel and (2) Audience Voting.
[Cosplay Special Guests at the STGCC Press Con / April 23rd 2009]
LIVE ART DEMONSTRATIONS: Guest artists and designers of the Convention, who would have come from all over the world, will be performing live art demonstrations for visitors at the Convention. With such demonstrations, visitors may get to witness and understand the creative process that these famous artists go through to create a piece of art.
ONLINE ART AUCTION: The Post-Event Art Auction will feature exclusive and limited edition items created by featured artists and designers at the Convention itself. All proceeds will go to a charity of PI Event’s choice – yet to be confirmed.
[Online Art Auction items @ STCC 2008 / MORE]
Playworks PLAY Babes Competition: In conjunction with Official Gaming Magazine, Playworks, this event highlight will feature attractive gaming girls from all across Singapore. Battling it out with their wits, their looks (in a special fashion show with costumes sponsored by Official Sponsor, Cospa) and their gaming skills, one winner will be chosen and crowned the Ultimate PLAY Babe 2009. Pre-event and postevent coverage of this competition will be featured in Playworks magazine, as well as on the Playworks website.
Singapore Polytechnic Toy Design Competition 2009: Organized by Singapore Polytechnic and supported by MOE, this competition is open to secondary school students, who will design and customise toys. Jointly sponsored by Autodesk, LEGO®, HP and Play Imaginative, the showcasing of winning and short-listed entries, as well as the awards ceremony, will take place at the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009.
Star Wars Appearances: Organised and performed by officially authorised Star Wars fan club, the 501 st Legion, the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 will play host to a horde of stormtroopers and Darth Vader himself!
Stunt Shows and Costume Appearances: The Convention will feature Stunt Shows, whereby costumed fans from Official Partner, Movie Mania, will perform action sequences inspired by popular movies and pop-culture favourites. This highlight will bring well-known pop-culture characters to life at the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009.
TO-FU OYAKO MyStamp Design Competition: Organized by SingPost, this competition invites Singaporeans to design a postage stamp featuring TO-FU OYAKO, the popular character by Japanese designers DEVILROBOTS. The best design incorporating TO-FU OYAKO will be produced by Singpost as a special edition MyStamp and presented to the winners of the competition at the event.
Artist Invasion! @ The Butter Factory: Held at The Butter Factory, Official Club Partner of the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009, the club will play host to the exclusive after-parties, featuring meet-and-greet & live mural drawing sessions with artists of the Convention. On Saturday, 15 August 2009, you can sit back and wind down with famous artists from all over the world, meet them in person and see them in action as they create collaborative artworks for the public. Those who attend the Convention itself will receive a special discount (or free entry) upon showing proof of their attendance of STGCC 2009.
[Artist Invasion for STCC 2008 / below slideshow via PI's flickr]
Moving the Convention to August this year (from June in 2008) will allow exhibitors to showcase their latest products, after their official launch in the United States. For this same reason, more foreign companies will be able to participate as well, keeping in line with the goal to provide more international content. “In our second year, we aim to bring even more of the latest products and exclusive content from the various industries from all over the world, to Singapore and South-east Asia,” said Denise Tan, Director of PI Events. “It is this international flavour of the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention that will make the event a major vehicle for setting the tone and shaping trends in pop-culture in this part of the world for years to come.”
While influencing pop-culture trends among fans and consumers in Singapore and South-east Asia, the Convention also aims to stimulate and encourage growth in creatively-aligned businesses throughout the region. “In line with our vision to aid in the development of creative industries, the Convention provides an avenue to promote the convergence of multi-platform businesses within the various creative industries,” said Denise Tan. “Apart from bringing in content for a consumer show, the Convention is also about creating more business opportunities, especially for Singaporean and Southeast Asian companies.”
“We congratulate PI Events for staging the second edition of the Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention, following the event’s success last year. The event creates an excellent platform for industry leaders in these fields to converge and share ideas, network and explore business collaborations, adding dynamism to Singapore and the region’s arts, design and digital media mindshare in this growing market segment,” said Ms Melissa Ow, Assistant Chief Executive, Business Travel and MICE Group, Singapore Tourism Board.
“Animax, the premier anime and youth entertainment brand is proud to be part of STGCC for the second year running. With the natural brand fit and synergy, Animax and STGCC continue to grow together on the wave of influence that anime has on popular youth culture including toys, games, fashion, music, design, and entertainment. Returning as the Official Regional Broadcast Partner, we look forward to sharing the fun, passion and excitement at STGCC with our audiences in Singapore and across Asia,” said Mr. Gregory Ho, Vice President and General Manager, Animax Asia.
“Following the success of the first ever Singapore Toy & Comic Convention in 2008, Hasbro Singapore is proud to be a part of this amazing event once again. Hasbro constantly strives to reinvent, reignite and reimagine, and being a part of this global popculture experience helps us connect with like-minded and passionate individuals from the region,” said Ms Joy Koh, Marketing Manager, Hasbro Singapore.
“As a leader in the creative industry, LEGO Singapore is pleased to participate in the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention for a second consecutive year. STGCC is a great platform for LEGO Singapore to stimulate one’s imagination, the emergence of ideas and creative expression and also to have close contact with our fans and consumers,” said Ms Tan Lee Hoon, Managing Director, LEGO Singapore.
[MORE Cosplay Special Guests at the STGCC Press Con / April 23rd 2009]
CLICK to find out who are the Key Partners for STGCC, as well as the inclusion of fellow toy-blogging comrades; SpankyStokes, Vinyl Abuse, Vinyl Pulse and Plastic and Plush - as Media Partners. Bring The Hype, Folks! :)
[All above event info available via www.singaporetgcc.com]
