• by Larissa Faw , July 13, 2015

For the past five years, multimedia company The Nerd Machine has produced NerdHQ, a four-day "nerdy" retreat that serves as Comic-Con's “shadow gathering.” Each year NerdHQ has grown both in scale and partnerships. Marketing communications agency 48 Communications signed on for its fifth consecutive year as the event's main partner, overseeing all production details and logistics, as well as developing creative content for the newly-launched NerdHQ app. The app contained a new “Fastpass” system which enabled users to reserve personal time slots to demo Star Wars: Battlefront and Project Morpheus Virtual Reality without waiting on long lines. 

This year, ad agency Petrol Advertising joined the initiative as its promotions and management agency. The Nerd Machine co-founders, actor Zachary Levi and David Coleman brought on Burbank-based Petrol largely due to its expertise and relationships in the gaming industry. Founded in 2003, the agency was built on the primary focus of partnering with the gaming industry to bring franchises to life.  Petrol has secured brand partnerships such as AMD, the headline sponsor for NerdHQ and helped to launch the interactive Star Wars Battlefront PC Experience. Petrol also worked with 48 Communications on the overall creative experience for NerdHQ.  

Meanwhile, global media partner IGN helped to expand the event beyond San Diego by live streaming all of the "Conversations for a Cause" panels on IGN.com, the IGN YouTube channel, The NerdMachine.com and the NerdHQ App. IGN also managed the stage events, parties, and event maps.  

For the last two years, NerdHQ took place at Petco Park, which is just outside the main convention center hosting Comic-Con, and attracted over 50,000 attendees. This year, however, the event moved across the street to The New Children’s Museum, which provided a 35,000 square foot, three-floor space. Admission to NerdHQ was free and 'Conversations for A Cause' celebrity panels were $22 a session, with proceeds going to Operation Smile, which provides free surgery for children with cleft lips and palates in developing nations.