Why is Pensacon a big deal?

Try to find a top grossing movie or hit TV show that isn’t rooted in sci-fi, fantasy, comics or nerd love. Walking Dead anyone? Big Bang Theory much? Iron Man, Man of Steel, Hunger Games.

If you know what it means when I say, “The night is dark and full of terrors,” you’re part of the nerd revolution.

The 2014 event pumped $1,408,108 into the local economy during tourism’s slow season and packed 11,000 people into the Bay Center over three days.

“As soon as we announced it, it exploded and a lot of that was through social media,” Ensley says. “It was the number one way the people learned about our convention.”

Ticket sales and hotel reservations are open for the 2015 event and one big name draw already announced will be Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols.

The only thing limiting how big Pensacon can grow? The absence of a convention center.