Last week I wrote about Aurora, Ill., a great city just west of Chicago. Many readers responded that they would like to read about more such cities. Today I present Novi, Mich., one such city about 20 minutes northwest of Detroit.

One of the fastest-growing cities in Michigan, Novi is home to the Twelve Oaks Mall, which opened in 1977. This mall made Novi a major shopping destination in the Detroit metro area. It is located at the Novi Road and I-96 Interchange, like a large portion of Novi’s business community.

Novi is also home to the Rock Financial Showplace. It is Michigan’s largest privately owned convention and conference center with 214,000 square feet of exhibition space and 25,000 square feet of pre-function event space. Over 1.5 million people attend events there every year.

One of the biggest conventions is the Motor City Comic Con, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary at their May 15-17 show. The MCCC started as a two-day comic book show. It has grown steadily, including the addition of media guests in 1993 and the move to the Rock Financial Showplace in 2006. This year, there will be about 15,000 attendees, over 100 comic guests and over 50 celebrity guests, which will make it the biggest MCCC ever.

Last year, I met and talked travel with celebrities including Billy Dee Williams, Christy Hemme, Mick Foley, Genie Francis, Micky Dolenz and Ami Dolenz. They were all happy to discuss travel, as opposed to talking about their famous roles for a change.

For Jay Brant, artist and creator for Head’s Up Studios, the MCCC was the first comic con he ever attended, and he was immediately hooked. “It was the greatest thing I had ever seen for comic and toy fans — row upon row of cartoony, comicy goodness,” exclaimed Brant. Brant is almost as excited as the throngs of fans who enjoy meeting the artists and seeing all of the works on display.

One of those fans is GT’s own JayHawk Evans, distribution route manager, who will be in attendance again this year. “Last year, I was floored by the scope of this show as compared to other cons. The variety of personalities, exhibits and events kept me busy throughout the entire time with an urge to see it all over again,” said Evans.

Heading the list of celebrity guests this year is Carrie Fisher, but Princess Leia isn’t the only big name. John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville), Julie Newmar (Catwoman) and Doug Jones (Hellboy) are making rare appearances. The star-studded lineup is packed with too may other stars to list everyone.

It is impossible to put an exact number to MCCC’s impact on the Novi economy, but last year more than 15 hotels, totaling 2,500+ rooms, were sold out for the weekend. The Doubletree (the host hotel) has already sold out. Convention coordinator Jeff Serling stated that he “gets notes of thanks from hotels and restaurants for the added business. Serling has been with MCCC for over 18 years. It’s that type of dedication which makes the MCCC one of the best cons in the country. Everything is handled very well.

I have been to hundreds of these conventions, and the MCCC is absolutely the smoothest, best-run convention I have ever attended. Like my GT colleague, I will also be at the MCCC next weekend. I will be meeting some of the celebrities and also looking for some oddball Aquaman pieces. I will also be enjoying the rest of Novi when not at the con. I might even make the quick drive to catch a Tigers game or hit the Motor City Casino.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist