DEVELOP YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND CONNECTIONS

Build your community and boost your skills with workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities throughout the conference. Scroll down for details about special guests, presenters, and topics!

WHERE TO FIND US

All hotel events are one level down from the main lobby.

Our registration table and the Moore Than Welcome Station are near the "Shor" restaurant on the Lower Lobby level. You can see them from the elevators and the stairs.

Registration is open Thursday and Friday 9am-7pm.  

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Your registration badge has a copy of this schedule at a glance on it for your convenience. But key times and places are:

THURSDAY

11AM: Lower Lobby near registration

Gather to board the buses to the Comic Con Museum for lunch and programming. 

-->Driving yourself to the Museum?  See the map below for where to park and walk to the Museum entrance.

5:30PM: Hotel Terrace (outside the lower lobby doors)

Hello Everybody Happy Hour until 7:30pm

FRIDAY

9AM: Regency Ballroom

Members should report for the Business Meeting; Guests of members can meet up in the ENCINITAS room nearby if they'd like a place to gather and gab :-)

10:30AM: Regency Ballrooms

After a coffee break, we meet in the same Regency Ballroom for our first session, Comics in Academics. We move over one room for the second session, Everyone's an Expert.

1PM: We break for lunch on your own--the ballroom is open until 3pm if you'd like somewhere to hangout or meetup.  (Chapter Chair meeting is in the DEL MAR room)

5PM:Regency Ballroom and Foyer

Cocktail Reception in the Regency Ballroom foyer

6:30PM Doors open for dinner and the Awards!

SATURDAY

8:30-10AM:  Farewell Brunch out in the Terrace if the weather is nice, in the Regency Ballroom if not.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22

Registration opens in the morning–be sure to stop by the Moore Than Welcome Station to get a Goodie Bag and say hello! Programming will start midday with a Welcome Luncheon followed by Connection and Creativity Programming at the Comic Con Museum (transportation provided). We return to the hotel for a festive Hello Everybody Happy Hour with hors d'oeuvres and music.   

9am

• Registration and Moore Than Welcome Station open
• Welcome Goodie Bag

11:00am Meet in the Lower Lobby for Bus Transport to the Comic Con Museum

11:30am

• Charter Bus Transport to/from the Comic Con Museum
• Welcome Luncheon
• 3 hours of Connection and Creativity Programming at the Comic Con Museum

5:30pm

• Hello Everybody Happy Hour and Hors D'oeuvres  (cash bar)

At 11am, we'll gather to hop on charter buses for the short ride to the Comic Con Museum at San Diego's famous Balboa Park. We will be treated to a delicious buffet-style lunch and enjoy private, docent-lead tours of the Museum. 

You'll get to learn about the Museum's mission and explore their current exhibits:

• POPNOLOGY: Immerse yourself in the world of POPnology, Comic-Con Museum's latest interactive exhibit that demonstrates the connection between pop culture and real-world technology!
• BORDER BLITZ: ARTISTAS DEL COMIC DE TIJUANA: In collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego and sponsored in part by Cross Border Xpress, Comic-Con Museum announces the opening of "Border Blitz: Artistas del Cómic de Tijuana," a binational exhibition and participating World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 community initiative.
• BECOMING BETTY BOOP: Comic-Con Museum® and Fleischer Studios present Becoming Betty Boop, an exclusive exhibit showcasing the nearly 100-year history and evolution of the iconic cartoon character.
• COLLABORATION(S)! A JOURNEY WITH JOHN JENNINGS: This exhibit showcases collaborations of John Jennings, an Eisner Award–winning comic artist and author. He is the director of the Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope and co-editor of the 2016 Eisner Award–winning collection The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art.
• CARDBOARD SUPERHEROES: This exhibit features life-size and miniature cardboard creations that are the work of the Cardboard Superheroes, Connor and Bauer Lee. The Cardboard Superheroes use fan art creation as an on-ramp to STEAM learning that is led by youth, and is accessible to all.
• LOGO LEGACY EXHIBIT: Matt Bruback, an avid comic book collector, discovered the first appearances of several unique brand emblems displayed on comics from the 1940s.

Ready to unleash the MUSE in amusement? Then you'll love the "Creative Collaboration: Muse Making Workshop," hosted in the Comic Con Museum's Conrad Prebys Foundation Art Studio. This hands-on workshop will have you doodling, coloring, and chatting together all in the spirit of creative collaboration. Sure to be a lot of fun, you'll leave with some new friends and piece of artwork to keep you inspired!

ComicLab's dynamic duo Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar will record an in-person podcast in two parts, interviewing a cohort of guest creators to discuss what the second half of the 2020s has in store for cartoonists. How is the field evolving? What strategies still work and what new ideas are being pursued? Each guest will explore their career so far and share thoughts on what's ahead. As an audience member, you'll have the chance to submit questions for guests to answer live! 

You'll have a bit of time to browse the exhibits or gift shop at the Museum before we board our charter buses back to the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for our Hello Everybody Happy Hour!  Hosted from 5:30-7:30pm in a private outdoor courtyard, we will have live music, a fun photo booth, tasty hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. Relax and enjoy the time with the friends you've known for years and those you've just met!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

We kick off the morning with the members' Business Meeting followed by Professional Development sessions. If you'd like to continue conversations or meet up with some pals, you can pop into designated space available for informal Networking and Meetups. In the evening we gather for a glamorous Cocktail Reception and then enjoy a three-course dinner and celebrate nominees and award recipients at the prestigious Rueben Awards Banquet.

All events are at our hotel (see details below)

9am

• Business Meeting (for members only)
• Guests of Members Meetup (optional for spouses, family etc.)

10am  

• 3 hours of Professional Development Seminars
• Includes Coffee Break

1pm

• 2 hours of Optional Attendee-only Networking and Meetups (lunch on your own)
• Annual Regional Council Meeting and Luncheon (Chapter Chairs only)

5pm

• Red Carpet Cocktail Reception

6:30pm

• Reuben Awards Banquet Dinner
• Reuben Awards Presentation

Friday's program kicks off at 9am with our annual Business Meeting for members--come hear what the NCS is up to, introduce yourself, and share feedback! We will also have a Guest Meetup room available for nonmembers, spouses, partners, and guests who'd like a space to connect or hang out. 

It's time to get smart with our first session, "Comics in Academics: Archives, Exhibits, and Education." For more than a decade, comics have grown in popularity in academic library collections and in higher education curricula. 

Join the Co-Directors of San Diego State University's Center for Comics Studies, Dr. Elizabeth Pollard and Librarian Pamela Jackson, and award-winning, Philadelphia-based artist and educator, Jamar Nicholas, to learn more about how comics are being used in higher education and preserved in academic library collections. We'll share information about some of the larger academic comics collections in the U.S., discuss curricular programs from a number of universities, including those at SDSU and Drexel University, and share experiences teaching sequential narrative at the college level, teaching comics to non-art students, and teaching the writing of comics. We'll also include tips on preserving your own collections and talk about ways to get your work into academic libraries and into higher education classes. 

After a coffee break to perk you up, we'll move into a totally different kind of session where you'll get to share your own smarts! In "Everyone's an Expert: Member Mastermind" you'll have the chance to engage in small group conversations with your peers, sharing ideas and inspiration to help us all navigate the highs and lows of our profession. It's like a great conversation over dinner...except without the dinner. But there will be candy! Facilitated by a guide at each table, these are fun, friendly, and fruitful conversations that tap into the expertise, life experience, and creative thinking we each bring.

After the session wraps at 1pm, you are welcome to continue the conversation, doodle, play games, or hang out--we have reserved the room for informal Attendee Networking and Meetups until 3pm. Lunch is on your own (or with friends!), unless you are a Chapter Chair attending the annual Regional Council's meeting and luncheon at 1:15.

Decked out in our formal finery, we gather at 5pm to mingle and raise a glass to all our nominees and honored guests at the Red Carpet Cocktail Reception.  This year will be extra festive with a professional photobooth with great lighting and an attendant to help you capture classy and festive photos, plus an open bar thanks to our generous sponsors at Andrews McMeel.  Cheers!

At 6:30, doors to the ballroom open and we take our seats to enjoy a banquet meal together before the show begins. And then: the 78th Annual Reuben Awards program begins, celebrating special honorees, remembering those we've lost, announcing this year's winners for the Silver Reuben Divisional Awards and culminating with the announcement of the Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year! After the ceremony, everyone is welcome to continue the celebrations at the Drift bar on the main level of the hotel.  

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

We'll wrap our time together with a casual Farewell Brunch at the hotel and then you're free to explore San Diego on your own or with peers

8:30-10am

• Farewell Brunch and optional Draw and Chill

We wrap up our time together with a casual Saturday morning brunch and the option to "Draw and Chill" with provided art supplies as you linger with friends. While the conference is ending, we hope you'll make plans to enjoy all San Diego has to offer before heading home!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK HOTEL ROOMS​

We have reserved a discounted room rate for our attendees, starting at $225/night (+taxes and fees) .

Please book your rooms directly through Hyatt's booking platform to secure this rate while there are rooms available.  

Located 15 minutes from the San Diego Airport, The Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine​ features:

• free wifi
• pool and sun deck
• fitness center
• onsite restaurant and bar
• lobby cafe with Starbucks coffee and grab-n-go options
• modern, bright interior spaces
• comfortable, classy outdoor areas

Looking to room share?

While we cannot directly facilitate room shares, the NCS has created a private group forum in our member portal (GlueUp) for NCS members looking to share a room to be able to post and connect. Please email us at ncs@nationalcartoonists.com to be added to this private group forum page.

The Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine​ is a 5 min drive or 20 min stroll from the University Town Center​ plaza with restaurants and shops. You can take the trolley ​from the station there to Old Town, Little Italy, the Gaslamp district and more! Within a 20 minute drive from our hotel, you can reach everything from beaches to boutiques.

Browse the San Diego visitors site​ for ideas or start with these local favorites:

• The San Diego Zoo​ is world famous for its habitats and park-like atmosphere.
• Balboa Park​ is downtown San Diego's 1,200 acre park with trails, gardens, and 16 art, science, history, and cultural museums!
• La Jolla's beaches​ regularly win awards for their beauty, plus you can explore the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography​, enjoy a show at the  La Jolla Playhouse​, or check out the Museum of Contemporary Art​. 
• If you are a Dr. Seuss/Theodore Geisel fan, you should see the famous Geisel Library and some of his artwork on display ​through Friday Aug 23rd  at UCSD.