COMPLEXCON ADDS VIRGIL ABLOH, SARAH ANDELMAN TO HOST COMMITTEE FOR SECOND RUN

complexcon
by Stephen Garner

complexconComplexCon, a new festival and exhibition that brings together pop culture, art, music, food, style, sports, innovation and education returns for the second annual event on November 4-5, 2017, in Long Beach, California. ComplexCon’s inaugural host committee of Pharrell Williams and Takashi Murakami return and are joined this year by Sarah Andelman, co-founder of the influential Paris concept fashion store Colette, and designer and founder of Off-White, Virgil Abloh. Additional host committee members, performance line-up, programming and activations will be announced in the coming weeks.

“It may sound idyllic, but we know through hard work and alchemy that 1+1 can equal 3,” said Marc Ecko, founder and chief creative & brand officer for Complex Networks. “The only way we were able to so successfully execute ComplexCon last year was because of collaboration, which why 2017’s theme is Collaboration. We are asking all participants, from our audience and exhibitors to the performers and host committee, to bring their diverse energy and innovations together to help us emphasize how collaboration contours our lives. This will create a deeply rich and meaningful experience that allows the entrepreneurial energy of all participants to flourish, as well as create an amazing learning environment for the next generation that will no doubt reshape our worlds.”

Added Andelman, “The spirit of Colette, the continual mix and match of modernity, creativity and originality that brings people together, aligns with ComplexCon. I’m looking forward to working with the committee on the event and, of course, attending.”

Created to bring “the Internet to real life,” ComplexCon mixes concert performances, retail pop-up shops, video production studios featuring in-depth panels and conversations, art, food, brand activations, interactive technology and much more into a one-of-a-kind experience unlike any other festival in the world. Launched in 2016 by Complex Networks and ReedPOP, the inaugural two-day event attracted over 35,000 fans, 200 exhibitors, 34 performances and 75 speakers to Long Beach, California.