Nan Desu Kan | Colorado's Premier Anime Convention

Atrium and standard rooms sold out, outer balcony still available

Submitted by Jinnie on January 26, 2012 at 1:01 PM

And we have a new record! You can still book the rest of the hotel for the nights of the con, but inner atrium rooms and standard rooms are gone. Outer balcony rooms are still available.

Because the convention is so far away, cancellations are still possible. If so, PassKey will open options back up. Check back with it every now and then. (We will, too.) We'll also post information about our official overflow hotels soon.

We're hearing feedback from a lot of you on our technical difficulties today, and we're really sorry. This is the first year we've announced a time in advance (by request) and we'll definitely look into ways of improving the process for next year. As of now, atrium is sold out but the rest of the hotel is still available for the dates of the con.

As an apology, we will be entering every non-atrium room into a drawing. The winning room will be free for the nights of the con. We'll have more details closer to the convention.

It's time to book your room!

Submitted by Jinnie on January 26, 2012 at 12:08 PM

Here's the link to reserve a room at our home hotel, the Marriott DTC, for NDK's Sweet 16: Sept. 14-16, 2012.

Do not call the Marriott to reserve a hotel room. If you do, your room reservation may not be guaranteed. Room reservations are handled through a third-party booking service (PassKey), so you should only use the link provided above for reserving your room.

We highly recommend you reserve a room as soon as possible. It's free of charge to do so, and you can cancel it at anytime if need be. You will need to enter credit card info to secure the reservation, but your card won't be charged. (You'll be asked to show that card at the hotel to verify your reservation.)

Have questions about booking and need a fast answer? Try the Hotel FAQ first.

Good luck!

Stay tuned! Hotel link imminent

Submitted by Jinnie on January 23, 2012 at 1:08 PM

As requested last year, here's your advance notice/warning: we will release the link to book hotel rooms at the Marriott DTC this Thursday, Jan. 26, at 12pm sharp (MT).

The link will be posted here on our front page and under Location, on the forums, our Facebook Page and Twitter channel.

Last year, Atrium rooms sold out in 36 minutes and the entire hotel was booked in a matter of weeks, months before con. Be ready!

And if this is still a little early for you, there will still be options later on in the year. After the Marriott sells out, we'll release info for our official overflow hotels.

NDK NYE 2011 Pretty-Big Update

Submitted by Jinnie on December 29, 2011 at 5:54 PM

It's finally time for our third annual NDK NYE! Joining us at our Costume Ball to welcome the Year of the Dragon? Here's what you need to know.

New Location

NDK NYE has moved across town to the Renaissance Denver Hotel. We won't be sharing the new hotel with anyone!

Parking is free, even for overnight. A coat check and prop check will also be available.

How to Get In

On-site admission and pre-registration will both open at 6:00 p.m. in the main lobby. On-site registration is just $20, cash or credit cards accepted. If you pre-registered, please have your ID ready in order to pick up your wristband. NDK NYE is one of the few, if not only, late-night New Year's events in the Denver Metro area to welcome all ages.

Registration will close at 10:00 p.m. sharp, so don't be too late! You'll still be able to pick up your wristband if you pre-registered, but you won't be able to purchase wristbands after that time.

Dance Lessons

We'll be providing complimentary dance lessons from 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the ballroom. You don't need a wristband to attend the dance lessons. Nor will the dress code be enforced during this time.

Food and Drinks

The Renaissance will be recreating the special Asian menu originally provided by the Marriott for sale inside the ballroom. No single item will be over $6. Additionally, the new hotel has 3 restaurants and room service from 6 a.m. to midnight. (there's also an early morning McDonald's, Del Taco and Sonic 5-10 minutes away).

Please note that all food/soda sales in the ballroom are cash only. We recommend bringing cash with you to the hotel, but there's also an ATM upstairs in the lobby if you need it. The hotel will have alcoholic drinks for purchase upstairs as well, and plenty of cool-down seating for waiting parents. They will be checking IDs prior to purchase.

Charity Games

We're proud to be working with voice actress Stephanie Sheh's We Heart Japan aid group this year. We'll be donating all charity proceeds to their charity of choice, JCIE and their Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund. JCIE/USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating in the United States.

Try your luck at kingyo-sukui (fake goldfish scooping) or wanage (ring toss). Write your own omikuji (fortunes) with an NDK twist: tie it to the Tree of Luck. Each attempt will be $1 (or three tries at each game/three fortunes for $5). The charity booth opens at 6:00 p.m.

Charity Casino

Try your hand at poker, blackjack or roulette! The Casino is open 7-11 p.m. Not sure how to play? We'll teach you, beginning at 6 p.m. The casino is free to play, though (generous) donations for JCIE are happily accepted. We'll also accept online credit card donations for them.

Skilled? Double your chips for a free raffle ticket (1 raffle ticket per every 500 points) and win fabulous prizes, including a free weekend pass to NDK 2012. Winners will be announced after the balloon drop (approx. 12:15 a.m.).

Photo Booth

CG Photography will be on hand for exclusive, professional photos to commemorate the occasion, beginning at 7 p.m. Digital photos are only $10! Please visit the forums for more information.

Costume Contest

Entering the Ball Royalty contest? All entrants must personally visit Katie at the contest booth between 7:30-8:30 p.m. Entrants must also be in the ballroom at 10:30 p.m. when the winners are announced. We'll select an Emperor and Empress, Prince and Princess and a Royal Court (a group of 2-6). Want to learn what you could win?

Dress Code

Once again, we'd like to remind you about the dress code requirements for this event. This is a semi-formal event and we'll be strictly enforcing the dress code. If your clothes or costume don't adhere to the dress code requirements, you'll be turned away at the door and refunded your ticket price. If you're not sure whether what you're wearing meets the dress code requirements, you may want to read through this thread to see answers to questions others may have. (We won't be able to answer any further questions, however. Sorry.)

Weather and Driving

The weather forecast looks great! Aside from possible winds, it should be a nice, mild weekend. See you at the Ball!

Dance, Casino and more! NDK NYE pre-reg deadline: 12/20

Submitted by Jinnie on December 18, 2011 at 11:22 PM

Save $5 and pre-register for NDK NYE! Pre-registration ends at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Want to wait until after Christmas to register? It'll be $20 at the door, cash and credit cards accepted.

In addition to the new hotel (we won't be sharing this new hotel with any other large event), free parking, new charity fortunes and the popular (fake) goldfish scooping charity games, we'll be debuting something new: the charity casino. Try your luck with poker, blackjack or roulette! It's free to play, but donations are gladly accepted.

By the way, we're working with former guests Stephanie Sheh and Steve Yun for this year's NYE charity beneficiary. In association with their aid group, We Heart Japan, we'll be donating all charity proceeds to their organization of choice, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and their Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund. JCIE/USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating in the United States.

Don't miss the NYE hotel deadline!

Submitted by Jinnie on November 29, 2011 at 12:01 AM

This Wednesday, Nov. 30, is the last day to book your room for NDK NYE! Our new location, the Renaissance Denver Hotel is offering a special starting rate of just $79 for up to four people.

To make reservations for NDK NYE, please call 1-800-468-3571 and say you are with "NDK NYE" or "Nan Desu Kan" to get the room rate. If you don't say that, you won't get our rate!

Do not call the hotel's local number. If you do, your room reservation is not guaranteed.

This year, NDK NYE will be moving across town to the Renaissance Denver Hotel. The 3.5-star hotel features free wireless Internet, free parking, three restaurants, 24-hour room service, an extensive plug-in panel for game consoles, laptops, etc. inside each room, as well as a free shuttle for DIA and nearby shopping areas (Quebec Square and Northfield Stapleton).

NDK NYE will not be sharing the new hotel with any other event.

Have dress code questions?
We know there are a lot of questions about dress code and we're here to help. We've updated our dress code rules to be clearer and more specific. Feel free to post any on the forums.

Thanks for celebrating our anniversary with us!

Submitted by Jinnie on September 19, 2011 at 12:21 AM

Another year has come and gone. This was a special convention for us, and we'd like to thank everyone for joining in on our anniversary celebration!

This was also our first year under the new attendance cap. We're pleased to say the con still had healthy growth and did not reach it. NDK 15 was our biggest year ever! We're also excited to announce that, combined with last April's Rave2Save, our charity efforts (the auction, poker tournament and game arcade machines) have raised about $27,000 for the Japanese Red Cross.

We'd like to thank the special guests that joined us, our staff, the hotel staff, volunteers, panelists, cosplayers, AMV editors and, most importantly, you. Yes, you! Thanks for coming, and for supporting us the past 15 years.

By the way, next year's con—our Sweet 16—will be held Sept. 14-16, 2012. We'll post hotel info when it becomes available, which will probably be early next year. Do not call the Marriott for more info, booking is handled by a third-party agent and the hotel will not have any additional information.

Now that NDK 15 is over, we can turn our attention fully to NDK NYE. Pre-register now for only $15! ($20 at the door.) Join us and celebrate the Year of the Dragon at our new location, the Denver Renaissance Hotel. (We won't be sharing the hotel with any other group or event.)

To reserve your room for NDK NYE at the Renaissance, call 1-800-468-3571 and say you are with "NDK NYE" or "Nan Desu Kan". If you don't say that, you won't get our room rate, which is $79 a night for up to four people. You must reserve your room by Nov. 31, 2011 to get that price.

See you at the Renaissance!

Pre-registration for NDK 2012 now open

Submitted by Greg Hines on September 11, 2011 at 4:18 AM

NDK 15 isn't over yet, but we've already opened pre-registration for next year's convention. From now until the end of next Sunday, pre-registration for NDK 2012 is available for the early-bird rate of just $25. After that, the price jumps to $40 so get your badge early and save big!

Crazy-Big Update, 2011 Edition

Submitted by Greg Hines on August 29, 2011 at 3:32 AM

Welcome to the third-annual Crazy-Big Update. Here we've collected the most important information that everyone needs to know about attending Nan Desu Kan 2011.

NDK 15

This year marks the 15th Nan Desu Kan and we've gone all-out. From inviting more guests than ever before to expanding our video game room to putting on special new events to our extraordinary badge art, this NDK will be our biggest and best convention yet.

Guests

This year we welcome two Japanese guests, 11 domestic voice actors, a fantastic new band, and the Robotech guys. It's our largest slate of guests yet, and we're excited to have more guest panels than ever.

Japanese: Ryusei Nakao and Yutaka Yamamoto
Domestic: Chris Cason, Clarine Harp, Jamie Marchi, Leah Clark, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Michael Sinterniklaas, Patrick Seitz, Stephanie Sheh, Todd Haberkorn, Tony Oliver, and Vic Mignogna
Musical: Lemon Drop Kick
Industry: Kevin McKeever, Steve Yun, and Tommy Yune

Hours of Operation

We're once again offering early pre-registration pickup from 7:00-10:00 PM on Thursday and at 11:00 AM on Friday. On-site registration opens at 1:00 PM on Friday. Check our our registration FAQ for more information.

Several of our other departments run on their own schedules, independent of the overall convention schedule. They are:

Department	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Registration	1:00 PM – 8:00 PM	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Dealers Room	2:30 PM – 7:00 PM	9:30 AM – 6:00 PM	10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Artists Alley *	2:00 PM – Midnight	8:00 AM – Midnight	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Art Show	3:00 PM – 9:00 PM	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Model Show		10:00 AM – 7:00 PM	10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
DDR Room	2:00 PM – Midnight	9:00 AM – Midnight	9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

* Artists Alley hours are approximate; artists choose their own schedules.

Schedules

Have a look at our completed Events Schedule [PDF], which lists virtually everything there is to do at NDK. Pair it up with our Program Guide [PDF], where you can find descriptions of all those activities (and then some), and you'll have a huge head start on figuring out how to spend your NDK weekend.

We've got three video rooms at NDK, two of which run nearly anime non-stop during the convention. Our third room—Asian Cinema—runs live-action TV shows and movies from Asia all weekend. To see what's playing throughout the weekend, have a look at the Video Schedule [PDF]. For a description of each title we're showing, grab the Video Synopses [PDF].

And we'll have paper copies of all of these available at the convention, of course.

Room Changes

The Video Game Room is now located in the private dining room, near the tower elevators, and it's now open 24 hours a day. We've also added more consoles to accommodate this massive new space, including a full-time Rock Band station.

The Art Show has moved to the Conifer Ballroom in the hallway behind the hotel registration desk and the Live Gaming room has moved to Humboldt Peak on the mezzanine.

Most autograph sessions are still held on the second floor on the atrium side of the hotel, but Vic Mignogna's autograph sessions will be held on the fifth floor of the atrium side of the hotel.

Parking and Transportation

Parking at the Marriott will cost $5 per day per car this year. They'll be collecting the first day's fee upfront, so have your money ready when you get to the hotel.

The lot across the street from the Marriott will once again be available for NDK attendees at the rate of $10 per day per car. We're still waiting on word for the weekend rate with overnight parking, but the daily rate should give you an idea of what it'll cost.

Even with the additional lot, however, you may still have trouble finding a parking space at or near the Marriott. We've compiled a list of suggestions for ways to avoid potential parking headaches as well as the public transportation options available in the area.

Additional Hotels

The Marriott has been completely booked for several months now, but if you still need a hotel room for NDK weekend, there are other hotels in the area that still have rooms available. We've also worked out special discounts for NDK attendees at several of these hotels, so there are plenty of affordable options to choose from.

Badges Required

Because of our limited space and expanding attendance, we've had to cap our attendance at 7,500 people per day. This also means we no longer have the room to allow anyone but NDK attendees or hotel guests to roam the convention floor.

As a result, all attendees will be required to wear their badges at all times and badges must be clearly visible. Our security staff will be stopping anyone they see without a badge. They'll ask to see a badge or hotel room key card. If none is presented, they'll be escorted to the registration desk or off hotel property. The hotel's security officers will help enforce this restriction.

Children under six are not required to wear badges, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with a badge at all times. Chaperones of underage attendees must also have badges if they wish to accompany their wards into panels and other events. If chaperones opt to not purchase a badge, they must be able to present hotel room keys from official NDK hotels—the Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Regency, and Motel 6—but they'll only be permitted in the hallways, The Lift, and Starbucks as guests of the Marriott. (Updated August 30. Please disregard the erroneous earlier text.)

There are no other exceptions to this rule, even for cosplayers with elaborate costumes.

Credit Cards

NDK is now taking credit cards on-site for the first time! We'll accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards at the registration desk, the merchandise desk, and at the charity auction.

Charity

Our charity this year is the Japanese Red Cross Society, which is still hard at work helping the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier this year.

As mentioned above, we're taking credit cards during our charity auction this year, so you can still win that one thing you really want even if you don't have enough cash on you.

We raised $13,440 for the Japanese Red Cross earlier this year at our Rave2Save event, and we're hoping to beat that amount and NDK. Help us set a new record by making a donation or buying one of our many awesome charity auction items.

Charity Poker Tournament

Our wildly successful charity poker tournament returns on Friday night. Seating is limited to 48 players total and it's first-come, first-served, so be sure to sign up early. Sign-ups open at 6:00 PM in Humboldt Peak. The event itself begins at 10:00 PM on Friday in the same room.

This Texas Hold'em tournament is free to play, though we'll be accepting donations at the door. All proceeds go to this year's charity, the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Dealers Room Changes

Because we'll have more pre-registered attendees than attendees who register at the door, we're nixing the early access for pre-registered attendees. To help speed things along, however, we're going to have two lines: one for those with large cosplay props, and one for those without. This way the line won't be held up by attendees needing to stop by the prop check table.

Balcony Decorating Contest

We're continuing the balcony decorating contest we started last year for attendees with rooms that have balconies overlooking the atrium. We're offering great prizes like a free hotel room, free passes to NDK 2012, and free passes to NDK New Year's Eve 2011 for the winners. If you've got an atrium balcony room reserved, be sure to check it out! (Staff members with atrium rooms are also welcome to participate.) Planning to participate? View the rules and print the signup sheet, which you'll turn in at the press desk.

Artists Alley Contest

We're also continuing from last year the contest for artists with tables in Artists Alley. After the convention is over, you'll be allowed to vote on which Artists Alley table from each category (Crafts, Art, and Mixed) you thought were the best. The tables with the most votes will be guaranteed a place in Artists Alley next year. Voting will take place on the forum and go until November 6.

Custom NDK Menu

Once again, the hotel will be offering a custom menu at The Lift, featuring both Asian-style dishes and anime-inspired alcoholic beverages.

Press Information

Pre-registration for press outlets is now closed. Press outlets can still register on-site at our press check-in table, located between registration and the stairs to the mezzanine. All members of the press will need to check in at the press desk upon arrival. For more information, view the press policy.

New Year's Eve 2011

The NDK New Year's Eve Costume Ball returns this year, but the venue has changed. We'll be holding the ball at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, a 3.5-star hotel located just off I-70 between downtown Denver and DIA. The Renaissance has three restaurants, 24-hour room service, and posh sleeping rooms. Room rates are even lower than last year and parking will be free for all.

And most importantly, we have the whole hotel. We won't be sharing the hotel with any other group that night, so we can once again offer the kind of safe, fun atmosphere we're known for.

Right now, though, we're all focused on NDK so expect more news about NDK NYE shortly after the con. We'll post the hotel reservation link as soon as we can. Pre-registration for NDK NYE will open on the Sunday of the convention.

Join Us Online

If you just can't wait for NDK—and who could blame you?—join your fellow NDK attendees and NDK staff on our forum, come chat with us on our official IRC channel, follow us on Twitter, join our Facebook page, and tag your content with NDK15.

Attachments:

NDK 2011 Events Schedule

NDK 2011 Program Guide

NDK 2011 Video Schedule

NDK 2011 Video Synopses

Announcing our Japanese Guests

Submitted by Jinnie on August 26, 2011 at 10:30 AM

We're very honored to welcome the following guests from Japan:

Ryusei Nakao, voice actor, actor, singer
Known for: Dragon Ball Z as Frieza and Cooler, Bleach as Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Saint Seiya as Southern Cross Christ, Icelus, One Piece as Dr. Indigo.
Yutaka Yamamoto, director, producer, animator. Owner, Ordet Animation Studio
Known for: Lucky Star, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens and Fractale, as well as live action film Watashi no Yasashikunai Sempai (My Unkind Upperclassman).

We've officially announced all of our guests for NDK 2011! Check out the full list.

Looking for NDK on the social web? You can find us at our Facebook Page and Event
(we do not have a Facebook Group!), as well as our Twitter channel, @nandesukan. These are our only links; if another site is claiming to be official or a representative of NDK, it's not true.