ARMAGEDDON EXPLODED INTO MELBOURNE WRAP UP.

October 13 and 14 will long be remembered as the weekend that Armageddon exploded on the Australian scene. Culture Shock Events is ever so proud to have teamed up with Armageddon NZ to bring the fans of Australia something special.

About 120 people gathered to mingle and rub shoulders with the guests in town at the Friday night cocktail party event. Signalling the start of the Armageddon Expo, this low key event was a great way for attendees and guests to rub shoulders and get to know each other before the furious pace of the next couple of days. Both the Herald Sun and Channel 31 were also in attendance to help spread the word far and wide that Armageddon had hit town.

Melbourne was a great place to begin our history in Australia. A market that has for so long been ignored by previous pop culture type events, the fans and public had so obviously been waiting for an expo like Armageddon. They turned out in force.

Over the weekend the expo was home to over 10,000 attendees and lines at the MECC booths never stopped all day. Sunday's crowd topped Saturdays for numbers and the intimate VIP dinners that closed the show were a nice way to calm down after an exhausting 2 days.

We had some problems; queue's that were reminiscent of San Diego Comicon at both the celebrity and anime signing areas, photo ops that sold out leaving some disappointed and auditoriums filled to beyond capacity. Good problems to have and be prepared for in 2008. We want to be the biggest shows in town and we constantly want to grow and add new dimensions to the show each year. With over 20 international guests including no less than 6 in the celebrity area in Melbourne it will be hard to top.

It was great to see and experience the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in the retailer’s areas, a sign that for most retailers they had a great turnover. Our retailers and sponsors helped make this year’s event spectacular. We had a sold out retailer floor with merchandise from anime to sci-fi, from comics to wrestling and everything in between. Our sponsors and retailers have already been asking about next years shows so we know that the retailing area will be just as strong next year.

The wrestling went off. Blood was spilled but the ambience created at the event was amazing. The PWA boys and girls entertained the masses and helped add to the spectacle that our wrestling superstars RVD, Sabu and Jasmin St Claire were able to step out into.

Our music guests Bobby Flynn and Monique Brumby were well received and in Sydney we plan to extend the show with a live acoustic session form our music guests. Music is a huge part of Australian popular Culture and we know that the music areas will be bigger and better at future pop culture events.

The Cosplay was a lot of fun and an area we hope to also build further on. A big thanks to the guys at Animavericks who made sure the Cosplay ran well and that it added just that extra bit of sparkle to the event. From anime characters to Wonder Woman, from a Ben 10 Alien to Freddy Krueger we had them in the crowd. Thanks also to I Dream of Jeannie.com, we were also fortunate to have the Official I dream of Jeannie look-a-like Sue-anne Webster wandering the show and granting wishes. Sue-anne will be back at our next shows I am sure.

The 2007 Melbourne Event was a huge success and one we are keen to build on. Our Armageddon Expos planned for Australia in 2008 will include shows in both Sydney and Melbourne and we are looking into the possibilities of a Brisbane event also. Guests are and have already been secured and the line-up will knock your socks off. Check out some of the memories and images of this year’s event.

An event DVD will also be released shortly.