????如果你急不可耐地要欣賞比爾博?巴金斯的歷險旅程，不想等到圣誕假期，玩具公司樂高（LEGO）可以讓你先睹為快，一瞥即將推出的搭賣玩具。在根據J.R.R.托爾金的同名小說《霍比特人》（The Hobbit）改編的電影上映之前，多家公司就試圖利用中土世界（Middle Earth）來大賺一筆，樂高只是其中之一。上個月，這家公司宣布了今年晚些時候即將上市的幾款新產品。問題是，玩具公司通常很少在7月份發布重磅產品。

????改變從何而來？答案是圣迭戈的國際動漫大會（San Diego Comic-Con International）。這項覆蓋科幻和奇幻方方面面的年度盛事創始于1970年，近年已經吸引了大量電影、電視和游戲粉絲。導演們在這里試映即將上映的電影和電視劇，粉絲們則只想先睹為快。現在，這類年會也已經成為公司發布新產品的重要場所。

????今年樂高專門給粉絲們上演保留節目，而不像以往那樣把全部新產品的發布都留給行業展會，比如2月份在紐約舉辦的美國國際玩具展（American International Toy Fair）。“這一重大轉變的發生就源自于粉絲的新聞傳播能力，”科技和游戲資訊公司TechSavvy Global的首席分析師斯科特?斯坦伯格說。“他們在博客上討論，在社交媒體發帖，談笑間就傳播了新聞。他們的聲音史無前例的強大，所以很多公司意識到在封閉的活動中發布新品已經毫無意義。”

????這樣一來，同人大會和行業展會之間的界限開始變得模糊。從前只在特邀記者參加的官方發布會上宣布的消息，現在也直接傳達給鐵桿粉絲，這樣的方式更加有利可圖。《行業展會完全傻瓜指南》（The Complete Idiot's Guide to Trade Shows）一書的作者琳達?馬斯格羅夫直言，這就是為了直達目標受眾。“對那些吸引粉絲群的產品來說，這樣做很有道理，”她說。“在行業展會上，總是只有你自己和競爭對手面面相覷；只有在核心粉絲群聚集的大會上，你才能出點風頭。”

????因此，很多公司開始重新評估同人大會的影響，這包括全美各地的動漫大會以及視頻游戲大會。本周雷神大會的參與者已經從1996年的1,100人上漲到今天的將近1萬人，其中大多數是鐵桿游戲迷。其他人此時會去歐洲一周游，他們卻常常自己駕車，到德州的達拉斯參加為期三天的盛會，除了游戲還是游戲，再有就是熱烈的游戲討論。

????他們對視頻游戲公司來說就是夢寐以求的癡迷受眾。貝塞斯達軟件公司（Bethesda Softworks）制作了熱銷游戲《天際》（Skyrim），公司公關及營銷副總裁皮特?海恩斯指出：“粉絲們在雷神大會這類展會上有機會接觸到我們即將推出的新游戲。”

????除了能夠吸引眼球之外，同人大會還有其它好處。簡單的說，這不是行業展會。去年的電子娛樂展（Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3）吸引了4.7萬人，要想脫穎而出何其困難。斯坦伯格說：“像美國無線通信展（CTIA Wireless Show）、電子娛樂展和消費電子展（Consumer Electronics Show, CES）這樣的行業展會上，人們只有不擇手段地去吸引關注。”

????不過，現在某些同人大會已經在規模上超過很多行業展會了，至少在出席人數上如此。圣迭戈的動漫大會起初并不起眼，但逐年穩步增長，觀展人數已經達到近13萬人，現在是北美排名第二的行業活動。而消費電子展在今年1月剛剛創下15.3萬人的觀展紀錄。

????當然，它也帶來了風險，包括排隊的長龍、人滿為患的會議室，特別是向熱心粉絲解釋新產品的時間變短了。有的公司開始四處出擊了。來自數碼市場調研公司M2 Research的比利?皮金指出：“任天堂（Nintendo）除了出席圣迭戈的動漫大會，還要去紐約參加小型展會，這是他們的營銷活動的組成部分。”“每年在（雷神大會），我們都會召開簡短的技術會議，然后是瘋狂而有趣的粉絲贈品派送，”顯卡廠商英偉達（Nvidia）的發言人布萊恩?德爾?里佐說。“7月份我們在波特蘭參加了PDXLAN游戲大會，8月底我們還會去西雅圖參加PAX游戲展（Penny Arcade Expo）。”

????For those who can't wait until the holidays to experience the adventures of Bilbo Baggins on the big screen, LEGO has offered a peek at its upcoming tie-ins. The toy maker is just one of several companies looking to cash in on Middle Earth ahead of the release of the upcoming film based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Last month the company announced several new products that will be available later this year. Thing is, July is usually a dead zone for toy companies making big product announcements.

????What changed? The power of San Diego Comic-Con International. While the annual event for all things sci-fi and fantasy has been taking place since 1970, in recent years it has attracted movie, TV and video game fans who come looking for the latest dish on what they'll be watching and playing in the months to come. It is where directors preview upcoming movies and TV shows. Now, conventions like it have become crucial for companies launching new products as well.

????Instead of unveiling all its products at industry only events, such as New York's American International Toy Fair in February, LEGO opted this year to save something for the faithful. "Why you're seeing this paradigm shift is really because of the fans ability to spread news," says Scott Steinberg, principal analyst for TechSavvy Global. "They talk in blogs, post on social media and generally spread the news. That voice is more powerful than ever, so for many companies there is no reason to announce it at a closed event anymore."

????As a result fan conventions are now blurring the line with industry trade shows. News that was released in an official press conference with vetted reporters is instead provided -- more profitably -- directly to diehard fans. It's a matter of going to where the target audience is says Linda Musgrove, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Trade Shows. "With those products that appeal to the fan base it makes sense," she says. "At industry shows you get caught up with competitors where at a convention with a core fan-base you can stand out a little more."

????As a result many companies are re-evaluating at the convention circuit, whether the various Comic-Cons that are held throughout the United States or events such as this week's QuakeCon video game convention, which has grown in size from around 1,100 attendees in 1996 to nearly 10,000 today. Most are hardcore gamers. Instead of traveling to Europe for a week's vacation, these fans often drive Dallas, Texas to take part in three days of intense gaming and discussion of gaming.

????For video game companies this is practically a captive audience. "Shows like QuakeCon offer fans an opportunity to get their hands on the new games we have coming out," says Pete Hines, vice president of PR and Marketing at Bethesda Softworks, maker of the hit game Skyrim.

????While companies go to the shows to generate buzz, conventions have additional advantages. Namely, these aren't trade shows. With nearly 47,000 attendees at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show, it can be difficult for companies to break out. "At traditional trade shows such as the CTIA Wireless Show, E3 and the Consumer Electronics Show many companies are jockeying for attention," says Steinberg.

????Still, some of the conventions are now bigger than many trade shows -- at least in number of attendees. San Diego's Comic-Con started small, but has steadily grown over the years reaching almost 130,000 attendees. With those numbers it actually only is closing in on the Consumer Electronics Show -- the largest trade event in North America -- which attracted a record 153,000 in January.

????That poses a risk, including long lines, crowded conference rooms and a less time to talk to excited fans about new products. Some companies have begun going to both. "Nintendo has been going to the Comic Cons in San Diego as well as the smaller one in New York regularly and this is part of their marketing," says Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research. "Every year at [QuakeCon], we host a short technology session followed by a crazy and fun fan giveaway," said Bryan Del Rizzo, Nvidia spokesperson. "In July, we did PDX LAN up in Portland, and at the end of August we will be heading up to Seattle to do Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)."