The first TwitchCon, which allowed Twitch viewers the chance to meet popular streamers, game developers, and other potential partners, drew more than 20,000 fans to San Francisco in September, 2015. In addition to offering panels with popular users and sneak peeks at upcoming games, the event featured educational seminars to help Twitch streamers improve their broadcasts.
According to the Twitch blog, TwitchCon 2016 will build on the first show’s success with “Games, panels, education, meet & greets, meetups, live shows, music, merchandise (no, really this time), and so much more!”
Twitch director of global events Amy Brady told Polygon that they are committed to making TwitchCon an annual event because the service’s community “has outgrown our booths at other conventions.” In its sophomore effort, Twitch has expanded the convention from two days to three, and moved the show from San Francisco’s Moscone Center down to the much larger San Diego Convention Center, the same venue that houses the annual Comic-Con International.
Brady said that, while it was too soon to predict the size and scope of the event, she expected a larger turnout this time around because “many of our community regretted they didn’t attend last year after hearing about the experience from those who did.” Twitch moved the event to San Diego because the city offered a venue with “large fan-driven conventions,” while remaining relatively close to the company’s San Francisco headquarters. When asked if it would be the convention’s permanent home, she said Twitch is planning the show “one year at a time.”
Tickets for TwitchCon 2016 are not on sale yet, but fans interested in checking out the show can sign up for updates on the TwitchCon website.
