SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake Comic Con's FanXperience brought out thousands of fans Friday to get autographs and photos with their favorite celebrities. It’s just one part of the three-day convention, but it comes at a cost.
The celebrity meet and greets make up one of the more popular parts of the FanX convention. That’s because connecting fans with celebrities is one of the main goals. Salt Lake Comic Con founder Dan Farr says it’s not difficult to do.
“I have people contacting me all the time saying, 'Hey, get me into your event,'" Farr said. “And people who have been here, all want to come back.”
Often the meet and greets are free, but photos and autographs come at a cost. Most of the celebrities at this year’s FanX are charging between $15 and $135 for solo photos. It’s a shock for some fans.
“I’ve never actually looked at the cost of the tickets, because we’re not a family that can afford a lot of things,” said fan Kimbery Linnebur. “Then when I saw how much the photo-op was, I was like, oh my gosh.”
Farr said the prices are set by the celebrities and publicists, and often reflect how busy the celebrities are.
“Some celebrities are so busy that they can only allow the people that bought a photograph, bought a photo-op,” Farr said. “Others have a little more time, you can come up and shake their hand.”
The most expensive opportunities this year are for actors Jeremy Renner and Kate Beckinsale. In previous years, photos with actor Chris Evans ran closer to $200.
For some, it’s just too much, but for others, it’s worth every penny.
“I just want to live it up,” said fan Lori Alexander. “I worked extra just to try and do it, house sitting, picking up dog poop and, it’s all worth it.”
Salt Lake Comic Con FanX wraps up on Saturday. A list of celebrities appearing this year can be found online here.
