BREAKING: Dragon Con Media Director On Decision To Cancel 2020 Convention

Caption

Participants dressed up as stormtrooper characters from the Star Wars movies make their way down Peachtree Street during the sixth annual Dragon Con parade Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007. / AP

Dragon Con's media director, Dan Carroll, spoke first to GPB News regarding the decision to cancel this year's Dragon Con convention, a massive event that was expected to bring nearly 100,000 people to the downtown Atlanta area this September.

It marks the first time in the event's 34-year history Dragon Con has been canceled. The decision to call off the event comes as the state of Georgia continues to see an alarming rise in coronavirus cases. 

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our attendees, and we couldn't provide the kind of safety our fans deserve," Carroll said.

The convention plans to host a "virtual event" in lieu of the actual convention.

"It's going to have some new content created just for 2020, but it's also going to have some of the best-of content we've had in the past, as well as our DCTV presentations," he said. "It'll be all online, all virtual."

Carroll said much of the staff is disappointed.

"We've worked very closely with our hotel partners, health officials, and the government before we made our decision," he said. "Everyone wanted to do what was best for the attendees."

Carroll said that 2020 memberships will be honored for 2021. Those who purchased a membership can also request a refund before Aug. 1. 

He said he isn't aware what the full scope of the economic loss the city will suffer due to the cancellation, but he said the convention had been in communication with the city about the impact.

"We know the economic impact, but I don't know if any hard details are available," he said. "We worked with the city itself to make the right decision."