Vee and Sanrio should get a by eye over this.

While I had  fun at  Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival, there is a dark cloud as I read the Facebook  accounts.

“Hello! Due to operational reasons, Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival will make its last stop in Glendale, AZ. We apologize to all of our friends across North America and take every comment seriously. Please direct further inquiries to Info@vee.com. Thank you.”

I guess “operational  reasons”  mean they were losing money and decide to cut their losses. It sad that more fans in North America will not  see this wonderful event.  I also feel  Vee  and Sanrio going to get a Black eye how poorly  they are handling the cancelation.

In look back at  other  stops for the Hello Kitty’s Supercute  Friendship  Festival,  I see a pattern that  led to the shows  demise; the shows were  played  in arenas. It must be very expensive to rent   a coliseum or arena when Hello Kitty  doesn’t have the draw  like Ringling Brothers Circus, Disney on Ice and  Monster Truck Jam.   They would  have to sell out to keep the show in the black.

Even when Portland Oregon was announced as one of the stops , I had reservation in the back of my mind the tour would be successful. Portland and Seattle would make or break the Festival.  In Portland the show was struggling in Portland, as evidenced  by  the show  tick were being sold at a discount.

What Sanrio should  had scaled down the show. For example Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival space could have easily  fit part the exhibit hall  of  the nearby Oregon Convention center and possibly at a cheaper rate. They  could have scaled the show for  smaller areas were the fan base  is not as large. Or a similar interactive event like Hello Kitty Labs or Black Wonder event.

Next what fans can do. i.e. panels and  fan conventions