Help ICE Keep Going Another Year

For over 11 years now I have been running successful comic art events for fans that are purely about comics and their creators.

ICE is a family friendly welcoming event that celebrates comics art in all of it's forms and bring joys to thousands of fans every year.

We have managed to survive some very tough times but due to rising running costs this year's expo may have to be our last convention in Birmingham.

The financial burden of ICE is on my shoulders alone and I have spent thousands of pounds of my own money, even after we lost our arts funding, keeping the event alive so that fans and the curious a like can meet world famous comic creators up close and personal, with no fees or hidden extra charges like the big media shows have. 



The event is completely non profit and I am assisted by a team of dedicated volunteers who give their time for the benefit of all who attend the event to ensure it is run professionally and to the highest standards throughout.

My team and I have been dedicated to keeping ICE all about comics and to keep those barriers down between guests and attendees so that you can all enjoy this unique immersive experience that is like no other comic convention....full of exclusive panels, workshops, and other live art events.

You can find out more about the work I do to promote the comics medium in general on my website here: www.smallzone.co.uk 



However every year it get's harder and harder as the big media shows attract the big crowds and the real comic conventions are dying off, but we have kept flying in creators and editors to make sure our events are the best value they can possibly be.



This funding we are raising is to make sure we keep the show alive for 2019 and to ensure we keep that high quality experience for everyone coming to the event. It will be spent on flights and hotels for our overseas guests and also go toward the venue hire for the event, which continues to increase in price each year, while we keep our ticket and table prices the same for you.

No other UK event is this dedicated to bringing editors over from the big publishers through our Comics Uncovered Conference on the Sunday after the expo, so that artists in the UK can have a chance to find work.



If ICE has to close it's doors next year due to lack of funding this will be a huge loss to the artists and writers who have benefited from the event, finding work with publishers like DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics over the years.

Not to mention to the fans who have enjoyed meeting big name comic creators here like Dan Slott, Marguerite Bennett, John Tyler Christopher and Charlie Adlard, not to mention legends like Steve Rude, Joe Rubinstein, Dave Gibbons and Bob Layton, who have all made the trip to join us in Birmingham over the years.



For me personally your support will have a huge benefit to my health and the stress and anxiety caused by the prospect of having to close the event next year has given me extremely high blood pressure and I am told by my doctor, that the strain on my heart, due to my pre diabetic condition is very dangerous.

This is not a sob story and I'm not after sympathy, but these are the facts as they stand and I appreciate that some of you may like to know why this appeal is so important to me personally.

ICE is quite simply my life. I live and breath it, and to have to stop doing it due to lack of funding would be devastating for me.



So I hope that you can help me out...even the smallest donation will help, and if you prefer you can just go and book a ticket for this year's event, or better still... a VIP pass and join us for the Saturday night party in Birmingham to rub shoulders with our star guests.

The choice is yours, and I will be extremely grateful for any help you can offer no matter how small.

Thank you for reading, and hopefully see you in a few weeks at this year's ICE on 15th September at the BCEC in Birmingham.