Case Study • Public Relations & Partnership Management

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo + POW! Parade of Wonders

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a parade full of nerds in downtown Calgary.

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is a four-day celebration of all things pop culture and fandom. Since humble beginnings (involving ‘Chewbacca’ of all wookies) in 2006, it has grown to welcome up to 103,500 fans each April - we’ve been there since year three and as agency of record since 2013. Shareworthy works with Calgary Expo (and it’s sister shows in Edmonton and Vancouver) year-round and heavily each spring to publicize the event, attracting and coordinating an average of 500+ pieces of media coverage and collaborating with the full marketing team on an integrated communications strategy to keep fans engaged - inside and outside of the show. Our favourite project?

POW! Enter the POW! Parade of Wonders.

The POW! Parade of Wonders is a free cosplay parade for all ages that rides right through the heart of Calgary’s downtown. POW! features 5000+ cosplayers and Calgary Expo celebrity guests for a crowd of more than 20,000 spectators. The official kick off to Calgary Expo, POW! is the single largest public engagement event in the company’s portfolio across the country.

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A POWerful partnership.

The POW! Parade of Wonders is an unique collaboration between the Downtown Calgary Association and Calgary Expo, with support from the City of Calgary and Calgary Police Service - even the Mayor’s Office gets involved, of course, as the Mayor serves as Parade Marshall (in cosplay, of course). 

More than just a media event (attracting live coverage from every major news outlet), POW! takes Calgary Expo from the show floor to the city and established Calgary event and spreads fandom throughout the city; social media explodes as hotels, restaurants, and retailers get involved and we clock miles on Stephen Avenue. Calgary Expo’s media coverage peeks before noon on its second day, with more than $500k in coverage on the parade alone.


Credits: Images courtesy of Calgary Expo
Collaborators: Allison Moore

“We've been working with Alex at Shareworthy Content Lab for 10 years, and there isn't another person I would want to work with for media relations. Her dedication, ingenuity and resourcefulness are some of the primary reasons why the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo has grown by leaps and bounds, from a 30,000 person event, to over 100,000 attendees. Shareworthy has strong media relationships that help to elevate our stories through strategic media pitching. Simply put, she is the only one I trust to handle media relations.”

— Kandrix Foong, Founder & Managing Director of Fan Expo HQ West (Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo, Fan Expo Vancouver)