The Real Players Are Coming To Town: It's Armageddon!

Press Release
Monday 8th August 2011

THE REAL PLAYERS ARE COMING TO TOWN: IT'S ARMAGEDDON!

Dust off your Xbox, clean out your Spock ears and get practicing your “Kamehameha!!” scream because Armageddon Expo 2011 is coming to town for four huge days of pulp culture mayhem in October.

The ASB Showgrounds will be overrun with gamers and fans of all ages from Friday October 28th – Monday October 31st, with a special discounted preview day on the Friday, as Auckland sees the biggest and best Armageddon ever! 

Festival director Bill Geradts says “This year’s Armageddon Expo is the biggest yet, with huge names from cult TV series and voice artists from blockbuster movies such as Transformers and Tron, it’s going to be a very exciting 4 days.” This year’s show features more entertainment, mind altering exhibits and famous people that you can poke an All Spark at, with comics, Anime, paintball, amusement rides, live wrestling, International TV and Movie celebrities and movie stars, comic and voice artists, massive interactive gaming stands, the breathtaking Burning Man and much, much more.

This year’s list of celebrity guests includes a dream team selection from some of the most iconic TV series and movies headed by Nicholas Brendon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, joined by his twin brother Kelly Donovan. Making an appearance at Armageddon Expo 2011 is feisty Alaina Huffman from SGU/Smallville, Stargate SG1’s brilliant young astrophysicist Amanda Tapping and Falling Skies star Colin Cunningham, American actor and writer with that winning smile Bruce Boxleitner also from TRON and Babylon 5, Mark Sheppard, versatile villain from Doctor Who, Supernatural and more, Mark Ryan from the Transformers films & Robin of Sherwood will be there, along with Louise Jameson from the Doctor Who (Classic Series) just to name a few.

From the heard but not necessarily seen category, internationally renowned voice artists such as Kevin Conroy from the awesomely dark Batman Animated, Justice League, JLU and Dragon Ball Z and Bleach’s Kyle Hebert will be in attendance to meet and greet at Armageddon Expo 2011. A huge draw card for Wellington Armageddon and dropping in at Auckland’s Expo is none other than the man behind the voice of Grandpa Max on Ben 10 and Preceptor in the original Transformers cartoon: Paul Eiding. Other voicing celebs include Scott McCord from Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Steve Blum from Wolverine and the X-Men, Cowboy Bebop, Transformers Prime and more.

For the more comically minded, Armageddon Expo 2011 brings you some of the big hitters from the world of graphic print like the writer of Fables, Jack of Fables and JSA, Mr. Bill Willingham. Frank Cho, artist of Mighty Avengers, Shanna the She Devil, Liberty Meadows (writer/artist). Whether it’s Manga, Anime or cartoons you’re into, you’ll find someone who knows how to draw them at Armageddon. Don’t miss the digital release of NZ biggest comics publisher Beyond reality media, with creators, artists and live in person THE WARDEN superhero himself!

On top of all those superstar TV, movie, comic and voice artist superstars, Armageddon Expo 2011 is bringing a humongous amount of bust-a-gut fun. With activities galore over the four days, you’re going to need a few days off afterwards to recover! Try this on for size: test your aim at the Paintball Gun Shooting Range, push the limits of your stomach with the Fear Factor Challenge and if you survive that, why not have a shot at the Tip Top Ice Cream eating challenge to really finish yourself off. Get Dr. Evil on it with some epic Laser Tag, and smash someone you love in the giant Pillow Fight, but probably wait a while to do these after the Fear Factor Challenge. There’s also the National Skateboarding Championships as well plentiful Anime and movie screenings.

Armageddon Expo 2011 also brings the pain with IPW Live Wrestling for all those with a penchant for a smack down, the thundering vibrations of a thousand horse’s under one bonnet in the V8 Supercar Simulator and you can even walk on water in an Aqua Bubble. You’ll be pushed to fit it all in four days.
The Armageddon Expo 2011 is a great chance to display your own creative flair in the world of all that is geek and Anime. Dress up as your favourite movie or TV character, but don’t worry about feeling awkward, you’ll be in good company! Fans can enter the crazy and colorful Cosplay Parade or unleash their inner angry beast in the crowd favorite ultimate Dragonball Z event, performing the best Kamahameha scream to win cool prizes. Think of how you feel when someone cuts you off in traffic, bottle that anger up then let it out in your car with a “Kamahameha!!” as practice. It’ll make you feel instantly better too.

Amongst all the madness is the back bone of Armageddon Expo 2011 - the vast array of exhibitors displaying their wares, everything from swords, to toys, to guns to action figurines and much more. This year will feature a massive increase in gaming distributors with some very exciting brands showing their stuff. Industry giants Play Station and Microsoft will be setting up their you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it displays as well as the release of Arkham Asylum through Fiveight Ltd. featuring the voice of Kevin Conroy as Batman, a treat not to be missed. 

Friday the 28th October is a preview day for Armageddon Expo 2011, and at $10 entry, it’s a great chance to check out the lay of the land. No guests will be at the show on Friday but they will be at the Cocktail Party, a soiree on Friday evening where you can rub shoulders with the sci-fi and fantasy elite.
Armageddon has grown from strength to strength since it’s inception in 1995, becoming the largest fantasy event in Australasia, boasting a whopping 44,000 attendees at last year’s festival. With shows in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Melbourne it’s clear to see Armageddon Expo embodies the pulp culture phenomenon.

Festival creator and director Bill Geradts has seen industry trends come and go, with being a comic writer himself and believes there is a bit of nerd in all of us. “Due to the breakthrough of mainstream movies such as Transformers, the X-Men franchise to name a couple, being a geek is more acceptable. Now they can embrace it openly, in fact it’s even cool!”.

Show information available at: www.armageddonexpo.com/

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For event information and tickets to the cocktail party contact:
Armageddon Expo event organizer, Bill Geradts; info@pulpexpo.com or (03) 376 5058.
For press enquiries, media passes, and hi res images contact:
PR Consultant, Paul Blomfield; paul@paulblomfield.com or (021) 970 871

Event Information:
The Armageddon Expo
Friday October 28th – Monday October 31st, 2011
ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland
Tickets are available at www.ticktek.co.nz or at the door.

Opening Hours:
Friday October 28th – 10am to 5pm
Saturday October 29th – 9am to 6pm
Sunday October 30th – 9am to 6pm
Monday October 31st – 10am to 5pm

Ticket Information:
SINGLE DAY ENTRY
Adult - $20.00
Student (with ID) $17.00
Child (5-12) $10.00 or FREE with a full paying adult
Family (2 adults and 3 child) $45.00

MULTIDAY PASSES
Special discounts apply for purchasing tickets to three or four days of the event.

THREE DAY PASS
Adult - $50.00
Student (with ID) $45.00
Child (5-12) $25.00

FOUR DAY PASS
Adult - $60.00
Student (with ID) $55.00
Child (5-12) $30.00

VIP Passes
There will be special Gold and Silver passes as well as limited Brunch passes to the event. We will also be issuing PARTNER passes to the Gold pass as well. Gold and silver passes will be released August 1st, with preference given to ticket holders to celebrity brunches, which will go on sale late September.

Special events of Armageddon Expo 2011 include:
• The Armageddon Burning Man!
• Masquerade ball
• Amusement rides
• Paintball
• LAN event
• Massive gaming area
• National skateboarding championship
• Trading card tournaments
• Anime and movie screenings