Point taken....

However, the specific studio in question still might come as a bit of a surprise......even given my history at AoD......as nothing from my past posts at AoD would have ever indicated that I had any sort of "connection" whatsoever with this particular studio.

A.J.

I do try.



AX is quite interesting.......and this year's move to downtown LA should prove to be even moreso.

During each of my past 2 visits to AX, I ended up having to ship at least 1 large box home via FedEx ground.....as there are often many good deals to be had in the dealer's room.

Other relatively large cons that I've enjoyed attending are:

Sakura-con in Seattle, WA
Otakon in Baltimore, MD
Anime Boston in.....well.....MA
NY Anime Fair in......well.....

I was somewhat annoyed that I had to miss Sakuracon this year.....as it's been my favorite con over the last couple of years.....but this year, it was too close to Anime Boston.

On a similar note, I was even more pissed that I had to cancel my plans to return to Anime Central this year.......as I had really wanted to attend it given that Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats)was a guest.

Oh well......hopefully, Sonoda will be invited back and/or to another con.

As an attendee......the only con last year that I was really disappointed in.....was A-Kon.

I mean.....something has gotta be wrong when a series of panels/workshops on NewTek's Lightwave 3D software turns out to be the most interesting programming for me at an anime con.

As a result.....I ended up 'working' during much of that con.......which for me turned out to be a blessing in disguise as that was much more interesting.......not to mention the fact that I would have been rather bored otherwise.

Add in the fact that Dallas, TX is a great place to get a really good steak dinner.....and all things considered, it turned out to be a worthwhile trip after all.

One other major side benefit from going to all of these various cons.....is that it's a great excuse to see portions of this country that you might not have otherwise visited.

A.J.

WOW, this dude gets around! You go to so many cons, how do you pay for all of that traveling. And not just the traveling the buying, and hotels, etc., etc. I mean 1 or 2 would kill me in the money department. Oh, and where does all that time come from?

I'd really like a friend to come with me to AWA, but I don't know anyone. Plus I dont now how much i'd enjoy going to one. I mean im not big on collectables and stuff. If its not an anime dvd or game i prolly wont buy it. Maybe a shirt or sumthin. What all do they sell at cons?

it's totally understandable wanting a friend to go with you to AWA, or any con for that matter. i would love for you to attend and have afantastic time, but that's also my selfish enthusiasm for the event speaking. you should go to AWA, or any con, when you're ready, though sometimes to be ready you just gotta jump into the deep end of the pool and swim

the dealers room has tons and tons and tons of swag. from tshirts to dvds, games, cds, figures, japanese clothes, sword and weapon replicas, studio rep booths (adv, funi, bandai, etc), posters, books (manga, art books), and prolly tons more i am forgetting. outside the dealers room there are 24 hour anime showing rooms, a game room, interviews with studio reps and special guests, forums on cosplay, the cosplay contest and show, anime music video contest and showing room,,, the list goes on

Heh.....some people who know me would consider that to be a major understatement.

Trips to attend anime cons have only made up a fraction of my yearly travel over the last few years.

During 2007 alone, I flew over 75,000 miles within the US48 on Delta Air Lines.....just as I previously did in 2006 and also 2005......in total, a bit more than 250,000 miles since I attended my first anime con in August '04.......which ironically enough I didn't even fly to.....as I took Amtrak's Acela service to/from Baltimore instead.




Before I start to answer this question, I think I should note that I turned 35 earlier this year....as that alone probably goes a long way to explaining a few things......

Still, attending anime cons doesn't have to be truly expensive....but I guess this is all 'relative' depending on an individual's age and/or situation.

For example, my average cost for airfare and hotel for a 3 night con 'away from home' has been only $600-750.....and sometimes, less.......and that is with no roommates (something that can reduce the cost of the hotel portion).

Given what some people spend on anime and/or other leisure activities during a year....that's not too much in the grand scheme of things.

Of course.....with airfares on the rise due to high cost of oil....that's probably gonna go up......but there are still ways to 'reduce costs' on a per trip basis.

In some cases.....if I can't secure a 'cheap' airfare.....I'll redeem "miles" for an award ticket instead.

The same can be done for the hotel portion of the trip.....as I occasionally redeem 'points' that I earn through a hotel's frequent stay program for free nights.

These 'miles' and 'points' can be earned by flying and/or staying in hotels (how I primarily earn them) or charging purchases to a credit card that offers them as a reward.

Using AX last year as an example.......both my hotel (5 nights at the Westin Long Beach) and air (domestic first class) were paid for using points and miles respectively......so, my only real (out of pocket) expense for that trip were meals, what I spent at the con itself and 2 nights at the Planet Hollywood in Vegas as I took advantage of a free stopover on my airline award ticket to 'relax in Vegas' before heading back to NYC.

Another good idea that someone I know uses to cover the costs associated with traveling.....is to setup a 'travel fund' account and make regular deposits to it (say, a fixed percentage of each paycheck)....sorta like the old Christmas Club accounts of yore.......and then 'dip' into that to cover the cost of a trip.

Of course the largest limiting factor for most people is 'available time'.....and this also doesn't have to be a major stumbling block.....unless someone is forced to work weekends as most cons are Fri-Sun.

FWIW, as a freelance consultant......I get the advantage of largely being able to set my own schedule.


On a similar note, I guess I should mention that more than a few people have suggested that I seriously consider running a panel at anime cons specifically dealing with 'traveling the con circuit'.



Anything and everything....

Manga, DVDs, CDs, import games, statues, trading figures, logo apparel, bags, costumes, swords, air guns, etc........the dealer's room of an anime con is like a huge flea market for mostly anime-themed merchandise.

I should note that the dealers' room at a con like NY Comic Con has a much different mix of merchandise........including sci-fi and comic-based toys (eg. Star Wars, Marvel, etc.) and of course....tons of comic books.

A.J.

Sweet. Naka-Kon was my first con too. It's a great anime con and its growth over the last few years has been incredible. I've been to all but the first. It sounds like you have a pretty good friend to drag you to these things. I didn't know any other anime people at the time so my version involved self-dragging.

just got back from a-kon 19. This year the events section seemed sorta dead. Only bandai had a panal. The other panels were really nothing that interested me. Seriously a How to speak to women panel??? and 18+ age at that >_>;;; Though Nabeshin was freaking awesome as hell. Got his autograph and a picture of me and him together. He even attended the hentai fest (even though i didnt) but thats still pretty damn cool. And apparently he had a blast there too.

I'm on staff at Animazement in Durham (next year to be in Raleigh), North Carolina. We finished up our eleventh year last week and have to say it was a great one. Hopefully, now that we are moving to a bigger location with more sales room and more attendees, we might be able to get the Dark Lord to come down and unload some of that great Right Stuf merchandise and titles.

hm... i haven't heard much about this one. does it have a website? what have been your fav events?

Web site for it is right here: Animazement.

-rh