Anime Expo
Status	Active
Venue	Los Angeles Convention Center
Location	Los Angeles, California
Country	United States
Years in existence	1992 to present
Organizer	Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
Attendance	Estimated 44,000+ attendees for 2007[1]
List of events	AMV contest, anime screening, art show, artists' alley, autograph sessions, battle of the bands, card gaming, charity auction, concerts, cosplay, dances, dealers hall, debates, industry only panels, karaoke, manga library, masquerades, lines, panels, video games.
Official Website

Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an anime convention that usually takes place on the July 4th weekend for 4 days each year in Southern California. The convention tries to include July 4 in its dates, except on the years when July 4 falls on a Wednesday. Anime Expo is hosted by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). SPJA has also held Anime Expo conventions in New York and Tokyo, which took place in 2002 and 2004 respectively.^[2] Image File history File links AX_logo. ... The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in Los Angeles. ... d Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the urban complex straddling the United States-Mexico border, see Bajalta California. ... Anime Expo New York (AXNY) was an anime convention held in 2002 in the Times Square district of New York City. ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ...

Many of the attendees cosplay while attending the convention, and popular events (in addition to guest and industry panels) include the Masquerade, Karaoke Contest, Anime Music Video Contest, and "AX Idol" Contest. AX is a 24-hour convention, offering late-night dances, all night video and gaming rooms, and open-mic Karaoke in the nighttime hours. AX has frequently collaborated with the anime industry, and as the convention has grown, so has the visibility of AX's industry sponsors as evidenced by their towering presence throughout the convention site. Cosplayers Cosplay ), a portmanteau of the English words costume and play, is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, Japanese live action television shows, fantasy movies, or Japanese pop music bands. ... Sponsorship Porsches during WTA championships in Madrid For other uses, see Sponsor (disambiguation). ...

Inside the Anaheim Convention Center at AX2005

In 2008 Anime Expo will be, for the first time, in the Los Angeles Convention Center, (Los Angeles, California) from July 3 to July 6. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 92 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Inside the Anaheim Convention Center at Anime Expo 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 92 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Inside the Anaheim Convention Center at Anime Expo 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in Los Angeles. ...

History

Anime Expo (AX, as it is sometimes called) began as an anime and manga convention in Northern California. Many of its original staff came from Anime Con, an anime convention held in San Jose, California in 1991, and later absorbed by the SPJA in 1992. In 1994, AX made a strategic relocation to Southern California and has resided there since. Promotional flier for AnimeCon 91. ... Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ...

Outside the convention hall at AX2004

The convention continues to thrive because of the increase of productivity and popularity in the anime industry and maintains a strong draw due to the many notable Japanese guests it has been known for. It currently holds the title of America's largest anime convention, a title which it has consistently held every year except 2003 in which its attendance was slightly edged out by its rival east coast convention Otakon.^[3] From 1,750 attendees in 1992, AX's size has increased to over 40,000 in 2006^[2], which makes AX the largest anime and manga convention in the North America and one of the largest in the world. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 363 KB)Picture taken at Anime Expo 2004 from the roof of the Anaheim Convention Center. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 363 KB)Picture taken at Anime Expo 2004 from the roof of the Anaheim Convention Center. ... Otakon is a fan convention focusing on the art of anime and manga, East Asian culture, and its fandom. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Anime Expo dates and location by year

• Anime Expo 1992 — July 3-6, Red Lion Hotel, San Jose, California.
• Anime Expo 1993 — July 2-4, Parc Oakland Hotel and Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California.
• Anime Expo 1994 — July 1-3, Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 1995 — June 30-July 2, Airport Hilton, Los Angeles, California.
• Anime Expo 1996 — June 28-30, Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 1997 — July 4-6, Airport Hilton, Los Angeles, California.
• Anime Expo 1998 — July 3-5, Hilton Hotel and Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 1999 — July 16-18, Hilton Hotel and Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 2000 — June 30-July 3, Disneyland Resort Hotel and Entertainment Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 2001 — July 5-8, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California.
• Anime Expo 2002 — July 4-7, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California.
  • Anime Expo New York — August 31-September 2, Marriott Marquis, New York City, New York.
• Anime Expo 2003 — July 3-6, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
  • Anime Expo Tokyo — January 16-18, Sunshine City Convention Center, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.
• Anime Expo 2004 — July 2-5, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 2005 — July 1-4, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 2006 — July 1-4, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.
• Anime Expo 2007 — June 29 - July 2, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California.
• Anime Expo 2008 — July 3-6, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California.

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Attendance

Anime Expo has an average annual growth of around 25%. Attendance figures (from the AX web site):^[2]

Inside the convention hall at AX2004

The convention announces preliminary attendance numbers at the closing ceremonies, usually held on the evening of the 4th day. Attendance numbers include: general attendees, press, exhibitors, industry, volunteers and staff. Exhibits-only memberships have been counted as part of final attendance numbers in 2005 and 2006. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Anime Expo management has stated that it counts attendance numbers by "unique individuals". If an attendee purchases a 4-day pass, that person is counted once, not 4 times. Although there have been discussions in the past on the use of attendee-days (sometimes used with Japanese conventions which are structured differently from US conventions), it was later decided to count individual attendees to simplify accounting. Also, because Anime Expo is a 4-day event, it makes more sense to use this attendance accounting method to produce figures that would allow a fair comparison with other conventions that might run for a different period of time.

Organizational structure

Collection of unused badges from Anime Expo 2003.

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the parent organization which produces Anime Expo, is a federal and California state registered 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation. The staff of Anime Expo is broken up by division, and each division is composed of a number of departments. The Divisions are: Operations, Audio/Visual Services, Live Programming, Exhibits, Guest Relations and Registration. There were over 500 staffers and volunteers at AX 2006. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Over the years, the organization has experimented with monetary compensation to key staff (including the Chairperson and Division Heads). In 2006, Division Heads and their assistants were compensated. The Anime Expo Chairperson position was a compensated position in 2005 and 2006. The compensation paid to these individuals do not constitute a full-time salary (ie below minimum wage calculated on an hourly basis). Instead the compensation represents a means of compensating key staffers who have nearly full-time responsibilities in managing a convention of this size and scope

The SPJA, which is the parent organization of Anime Expo has one full-time office manager. SPJA's CEO and CFO are also paid, as well as the consultants for outsourced functions such as public relations and legal representation/consultation.

Other Anime Expos

The SPJA has twice run conventions outside of California: Anime Expo New York in 2002, and Anime Expo Tokyo in 2004.

Anime Expo New York

Anime Expo New York
Status	Inactive
Venue	Marriot New York Marquis
Location	New York City
Country	United States
Years in existence	2002
Attendance	5,500

Anime Expo New York (AXNY) was held in 2002 in the Times Square district of New York City.^[4] The event was originally a joint effort with Central Park Media and its industry event, Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF). Due to differences, the event ran as separate entities within the same time frame and venues, with BAAF hosting the theatrical film screenings, and AXNY hosting the convention. The events shared some resources, with notable guests listed in the program guides of both events. Image File history File links AX_logo. ... Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott Internationals flagship brand of full service hotels and resorts. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Times Square Broadway at 42nd St. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Central Park Media is a distributor of East Asian cinema, television, and comics. ... The Big Apple Anime Fest is an anime convention which was held annually between 2001 and 2003. ...

The SPJA ran the event in order to demonstrate that they could run events outside of their home state of California. The event was a precursor to Anime Expo Tokyo which ran in Tokyo, Japan in 2004.^[5]   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ...

The SPJA has not run any events outside of California since 2004.

Anime Expo Tokyo

Anime Expo Tokyo
Status	Inactive
Venue	Sunshine City Convention Center
Location	Ikebukuro, Tokyo
Country	Japan
Years in existence	2004
Attendance	4,249

Anime Expo Tokyo (AX Tokyo) was held in 2004 at the Sunshine City Convention Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.^[5] It is important to note that this event was not technically put on by the SPJA, but rather was put on by the Japanese Association for Science Fiction with assistance from the SPJA. In hosting AX Tokyo, JASFIC intended to accomplish two objectives. First, they wanted to establish in Japan a non-corporate sponsored convention dedicated to Anime, which in contrast to its manga counterpart was a rarity in Japan. Second, they wanted to prove to the coordinators of WorldCon that Japan could serve as a suitable venue for conventions that attract foreigners. They were ultimately successful and were named as the host for WorldCon 2007. Image File history File links AX_logo. ... Sunchine City Entrance Sunshine City (サンシャインシティ) is a building complex located in East Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo. ... Ikebukuro Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro (池袋), a part of Toshima ward, is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Sunchine City Entrance Sunshine City (サンシャインシティ) is a building complex located in East Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo. ... Ikebukuro Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro (池袋), a part of Toshima ward, is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... The 65th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Nippon 2007, will be hosted in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan on 30 August - 3 September 2007, at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center and adjoining hotels. ...

Anime Expo Tokyo had a staggering list of over 40 guests such as Ken Akamatsu, MiQ, Under17, Hiroshi Aro, and many others, although a small handful had to make last minute cancellations. AX Tokyo was also the very first AX that officially hosted guests from the US Anime industry such as Fred Gallagher and Crispin Freeman.^[5] Ken Akamatsus self portrait strongly resembles Keitaro from the Love Hina series Ken Akamatsu ) is a Japanese mangaka, born in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on July 5, 1968. ... UNDER17 (アンダーセブンティーン、アンセブ) is a popular Japanese duo that has written and performed many songs that are featured in Japanese Animation and Video games. ... Hiroshi Aro is a manga artist. ... Fred Gallagher (born 1969) is an American illustrator who has become a full-time web cartoonist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Of AX Tokyo's 4249 attendees, approximately 300 of that number were estimated to have traveled from abroad. In addition to the attendance numbers were 240 members of the press, 40 of which were from overseas. An additional 430 people were composed of dealers, guests, or staff.

No official plans to host another Anime Expo outside of California are currently planned.

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Anime Expo web site
• Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
• The Anime Expo Countdown Timer.
• Anime Expo 2007 on AnimeCons.com
• CosplayMemories.com - Reports on anime conventions, including AX
• LLNN - Reports on anime conventions, including AX
• A Fan's View - Reports on anime conventions, including AX
• Anime News Network - Reports on anime related matters, including AX

Convention reports

• Anime Expo Keeps Manga in Focus, by I. Brill, Publisher's Weekly, 5 July 2006
• Anime Expo - July 1-4, 2006 - Anaheim, California, by K. Lillard, A Fan's View, 1-4 July 2006
• Anime Expo 2006, Active Anime, 4 July 2006
• Anime Expo (2006) Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary, by K. Avila, Sequential Tart, Aug. 2006
• Anime Expo 2005, by K. Avila, Sequential Tart, Aug. 2005
• Anime Expo Tokyo 2004, by K. Avila, Jade Magazine, Feb. 2004
• Anime Expo 2002, by K. Avila, Jade Magazine, Sep.-Oct. 2002