Armageddon Expo
Armageddon Expo is a New Zealand owned and operated pop culture convention that holds multiple events around New Zealand in cities including Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga and Christchurch. The event, run by Beyond Reality Media Premier Event Management, has been running continuously since 1995. It has evolved from its roots of comics and trading cards to showcase computer and video gaming, animation, film and television, cosplay, comics, live wrestling, and retailers selling pop-culture merchandise.
The convention hosts celebrity guests from the worlds of movies, TV shows, animation, cosplay, YouTube, comics and gaming. Event attendees can meet guests, purchase autographs and photo opportunities as well as watch panels featuring the guests. Armageddon Expo is one of the largest public conventions held in New Zealand.
History
Armageddon began in Auckland, New Zealand on the weekend of 2 December 1995, at the Avondale Raceway. In 1997, the expo added a Wellington event, followed in 1999 by an event in Melbourne. Over the next 17 years, Armageddon held events in Australia sporadically. In 2007, the first Christchurch Armageddon event was held; Armageddon has also hosted events in other cities in New Zealand including Hamilton, Manukau, and Dunedin.In Australia, two events were held in Adelaide and Sydney in 2011. Starting in 2007, annual events were held in Melbourne until 2014 when Beyond Reality Media handed management of its Australian Armageddon Expo to First Contact Conventions, after which the event was renamed to The Australian Movie & Comic Expo.
After four annual events at Claudelands Arena starting in 2012, Armageddon's Hamilton event was discontinued in 2015 due to high costs in the Waikato region. A single event was held in March 2016 at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, but did not continue at the venue.
In 2019, in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings, Armageddon changed its policy on weaponry and military attire, banning all realistic depictions. The new policy received some public criticism, however it was generally well-accepted.
Armageddon was expected to celebrate its 25th birthday in 2020, but event plans had to be altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.
Armageddon Expo purchased the Auckland-based horror amusement attraction Spookers in 2020.
Highlights
Current show events include:- Celebrity Guest Panels, autograph and photo sessions.
- The Cosplay Contest.
- Exclusive Screenings
- Trivia Contests
- Cosplay Parade
- E-Sports
- Gaming and Card Tournaments
Venues and guest appearances
1995–1999
| Dates | Location | Comic Guests | TV/Movie Guests | Animation Guests | Cosplay Guests | Other Guests |
| December 2–3, 1995 | Avondale Raceway, Auckland | |||||
| August 25, 1996 | Freemans Bay Community Centre, Auckland | |||||
| March 9, 1997 | Freemans Bay Community Centre, Auckland | |||||
| August 17, 1997 | Freemans Bay Community Centre, Auckland | |||||
| 24 August 1997 | Victoria University, Wellington | |||||
| 21–22 March 1998 | Alexander Raceway, Auckland | Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, Devin Grayson | ||||
| 28-29 March 1998 | Wellington Raceway, Wellington | Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, Devin Grayson | ||||
| 3–4 October 1998 | Aotea Centre, Auckland | Joe Kelly, Steven Seagle, Chris Bachalo | ||||
| 29–30 May 1999 | Aotea Centre, Auckland | Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison | Claudia Christian, Chase Masterson | |||
| 5–6 June 1999 | Melbourne Expo Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison | Claudia Christian, Chase Masterson |
2000–2009
Spinoff ventures
New Zealand Comic Con
From 2015 to 2017, Armageddon also operated the New Zealand Comic Con in Wellington. Events included:- A 3-day Scavenger Hunt
- Pub Crawls
- Quiz nights
- Art exhibitions
- A house of horrors
- Cosplay photoshoots
- Opening and closing parties.