Comic-Con leaders check out La La Land

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The organizers of Comic-Con International, the nation’s largest celebration of comic books and pop culture, visited Los Angeles this week, as they consider a new home for the convention.

The organizers say they have outgrown the San Diego Convention Center and may leave after their contract expires in 2012.

The front-runners to host the convention are Anaheim and Los Angeles. The group could also stay in San Diego, which has offered $500,000 in hotel tax revenue to keep Comic-Con.

Earlier this week, 10 directors and staff members from Comic-Con got a tour of Los Angeles, led by Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau Chief Executive Mark Liberman and Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which developed Staples Center and the adjacent L.A. Live entertainment complex.

Liberman said the group saw the recent improvements near the convention center and seemed interested in the Nokia Theatre and the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live Stadium 14 to hold meetings and events.

‘We offered them a package that we believe is quite competitive with San Diego and Anaheim,’ Liberman said.

Comic-con spokesman David Glanzer said he is not sure when the convention’s board of directors will make a decision on the move.

There are 60 million reasons why the cities are pushing so hard to steal the convention from San Diego.

The annual convention draws about 125,000 attendees, who spend about $60 million on hotels, meals, transportation and other expenses during the gathering.

--Hugo Martin