Pensacola International Airport is going intergalactic again in honor of Pensacon 2017. City Administrator Eric Olson read a proclamation from Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward Tuesday morning making this the third year the airport has been renamed in honor of Pensacon. He says the community has gone all in with the event, which continues to grow in its fourth year. "Before you know it it's going to be whether you go north, south, east or west you're going to be running into some form or another of Pensacon."
The proclamation Olson read stated that in the past three years Pensacon has brought in over $8 million to the local economy. Pensacon Chairman and Founder Mike Ensley says this partnership with the city and the airport is unique. "This is something that's very special to Pensacola and to Pensacon. It doesn't happen anywhere else that I'm aware of at any comic convention gets their airport rebranded as Pensacola Intergalactic Airport. It gives us [a certain] flair. The celebrities tell us when they get here it feels like they are already at the convention as soon as they step off the plane. The attendees too, they find it unique. We'll see in the next few weeks social media will start to light up with people traveling through, taking pictures, posting about it. So it's great promotion for the airport, it's great promotion for Pensacola and obviously great promotion for Pensacon."
The airport will be putting up special science fiction and pop culture signs all around the facility in honor of Pensacon. But Ensley says the partnership with the airport goes beyond just decorations. "We actually have a green room set up here for celebs when they come off the plane if they have to wait for a few minutes or if they are going to their plane on the way back and they have to stop and take a break." Ensley says it also helps the visiting celebrities have a bit of privacy. "We have had issues in the past with some over zealous people trying to get autographs . Like, people buying plane tickets to get into the gates to go and get autographs last year."
Pensacon 2017 begins in one month on February 17. Between now and then Mike Ensley says there will be more guest and event announcements, and a whole lot of preparations.
