Emerald City Comic Con postponed until summer 2020, tickets will be refunded to fans

UPDATED FRIDAY, MARCH 6:

The organizers of Emerald City Comic Con, which was scheduled to be held on March 12-15, have announced that they will reschedule the event to summer 2020 amid COVID-19 concerns in Seattle.

"We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed," said Reedpop, ECCC's organizer in a statement published on March 6.

All fans will be refunded for their ticket within the next 30 days. The exact date of the rescheduled event has not been decided.

"Reedpop remains determined and committed to running Emerald City Comic Con in 2020 and we are working closely with Visit Seattle and the Washington State Convention Center to secure alternate dates this summer. As we explore options for new dates, please know that our priority is to bring you an equally amazing event," wrote the organizers.

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While Emerald City Comic Con's organizers stated that the popular event will proceed as planned on March 12-15, many major vendors, publishers, comic artists and authors are pulling out of the event amid COVID-19 concerns in Seattle.

Among the big names to drop out of the event was Penguin Random House, who were scheduled to bring a host of sci-fi and fantasy authors to the convention, citing the health and safety of their authors and staff. DC and Dark Horse Comics also canceled their appearances at the event due to the outbreak.

"As the health and safety of our employees are always our primary concerns, DC staffers will not be attending conventions during the month of March," a DC spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

In response to the growing feedback from attendees, ReedPOP started offering ticket refunds to fans who no longer want to attend or are unable to attend.

"We know that there are a number of fans in Seattle that remain excited to safely gather and celebrate their fandom and we are dedicated to building a fun, safe con experience for them even during these difficult times," wrote the organizers. "However, knowing that no two fans are alike, we have decided to make an exception to our no refunds ticket policy for our fans who are either unable or uncomfortable attending Emerald City Comic Con in light of current events."

Governor Jay Inslee called for residents to use their discretion when attending larger event and gatherings. The 2019 installation of ECCC drew 98,000 people to downtown Seattle.

"We are not making a request formally right now for events to be canceled, but people should be prepared for that possibility and need to be thinking about it," said Inslee in a press briefing on March 3.

Despite these vendors exiting and more cases of COVID-19  likely to be confirmed in the upcoming weeks, event organizers are still moving forward as planned with an increased emphasis on sanitation.

"We are proactively monitoring the situation as [Washington] State agencies take proactive measures to ensure health and safety and prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 virus in the State," wrote ReedPOP in a public statement. "We have implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitization across the show, including adhering to the recommendations set forth in the U.S. EPA’s Emerging Pathogen Policy regarding cleaning disinfectants effective against the COVID19 virus."

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