Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo Explained

Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo
Status:Active
Genre:Comic, pop culture
Venue:Prairieland Park
Location:Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Country:Canada
First:2013
Organizer:Prairieland Park

Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo (SEE, formerly the Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo) is an annual fan convention held at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, typically in mid-September.

History

The event was founded by Mike Fisher and Chris Bernhard of Saskatoon, who sought to provide a local alternative to out-of-province events in locations such as Alberta.[1] The inaugural edition was held in 2013 as the Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo; major guests included William B. Davis, Grey DeLisle, and Kevin Conroy, as well as comic book writers Ian Boothby, Pia Guerra and Marcus To among others.[2]

To expand the event, the convention partnered with the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in 2014, and was renamed the Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo (SCEE). Notable guests that year included actor Robert Englund, Phil LaMarr, and Brandon Routh.[3] [4] William Shatner appeared at the 2015 edition; attendance had grown to around 15,000.[5] [6] Carrie Fisher attended in 2016.[7]

Fan Expo—which had also begun to run their own event at Regina's Evraz Place in 2014—acquired the organizers of Calgary Expo in late-2017. As a result, the partnership was disbanded, and the convention reverted to the Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo title in 2018.[8] Doug Jones, Ron Perlman, Gates McFadden, Jim Cummings, John Ratzenberger, Julian Glover, Jewel Staite, Pat Mastroianni, and Stacie Mistysyn were featured as guests.[9] Billy Dee Williams was scheduled to attend, but cancelled due to conflicts with film work; this cancellation resulted in speculation[10] — later confirmed — that Williams would reprise the role of Lando Calrissian in the upcoming .[11] [12] [13]

In October 2018, Fan Expo announced that its Regina event would be discontinued, citing the size of the market as a factor in the decision. Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo subsequently announced that it would hold an inaugural Regina edition in May 2019 as a de facto successor, at Evraz Place's International Trade Centre.[14] Adrian Paul was announced as one of its first guests.[15]

On January 27, 2019, it was announced that the Saskatoon event had been sold to Prairieland Park, would be renamed the Saskatoon Entertainment Expo in 2021, and move to April.[16]

Both the 2020 and 2021 conventions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How two men saved Saskatchewan’s geek conventions. Melnychuk. Mark. Regina Leader-Post. 2019-05-02. en. 2019-05-02.
  2. Web site: A Comic Con In Saskatchewan. Bleeding Cool. 2019-04-19.
  3. Web site: Saskatoon Comic & Entertainment Expo 2014 Review. Smith. Ryan. 2014-09-26. Ominocity. en-US. 2019-04-19.
  4. Web site: Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo opens this weekend. September 19, 2014. CBC News. April 18, 2019.
  5. Web site: Cosplayers were out in full force at the Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo. Saskatoon StarPhoenix. 2015-09-21. en. 2019-04-19.
  6. Web site: Star Trek star William Shatner coming to Fan Expo Regina. Regina Leader-Post. 2017-02-28. en. 2019-04-19.
  7. Web site: Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo lands Star Wars' Carrie Fisher. April 9, 2016. CBC News. April 21, 2019.
  8. News: Calgary, Edmonton Expos less accessible after policy change, say fans with mobility concerns. CBC News. 2018-05-03. en-US.
  9. Web site: Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo takes over Prairieland Park. 650 CKOM. Rawlco Communications. en. 2019-04-20.
  10. Web site: Billy Dee Williams Convention Appearance Cancellation Offers More 'Star Wars: Episode IX' Clues. July 2, 2018. ComicBook.com. en. 2019-04-20.
  11. Web site: ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Rounds Out Cast, Which Will Include Carrie Fisher In Unreleased Footage. Hipes. Patrick. 2018-07-27. Deadline. en. 2019-04-20.
  12. Web site: 'Star Wars': Billy Dee Williams Reprising Role as Lando Calrissian. The Hollywood Reporter. en. 2019-04-20.
  13. Web site: Star Wars: Episode IX sees Billy Dee Williams return as Lando Calrissian. Patches. Matt. 2018-07-09. Polygon. 2019-04-20.
  14. Web site: Regina Fan Expo won't go ahead in 2019, organizers say. October 25, 2018. CBC News. April 19, 2019.
  15. Web site: Highlander actor Adrian Paul coming to Sask Expo Regina. Regina Leader-Post. 2019-02-21. en. 2019-04-20.
  16. Web site: Prairieland purchases the Saskatoon portion of the Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo. 2020-01-27. Prairieland Park. en-CA. 2020-01-27.
  17. Web site: 2021-07-25 . Sask. Entertainment Expo slated to return in spring 2022 . 2024-05-06 . CTV News Saskatoon . en.