Are anime conventions in a struggle?

[PaladinCecil]

I've been looking at some guest lists for a few conventions that were held in recent years and noticed that they had gotten a lot smaller.

Anime Mid-Atlantic, Nekocon and Sogen Con have all had a significant drop in  convention guests and even though Anime Expo still had a huge list, there were hardly any dub VAs. I believe that the attendance hasn't been a problem, but is it becoming more common for anime conventions to have to save money? I don't mean to scare anyone. It's just something I'm curious to know.

[Alitain]

Well I only go to NDK, so honestly can't speak for other cons.  And sadly I missed the panel on struggling conventions at NDK this year...really wanted to go and forgot or I think we had left by then...whatever anyway!

It wouldn't surprise me that some conventions are cutting back on guests.  I'm sure they take a lot of money because the have to be flown in, then there's the room and any other accomodating needs they need.  The cons probably pay to feed them and all as well, plus they have to provide security, as well as other staff like assistants and all that.  Bet it adds up.  NDK staff would probably have a more accurate assessment of what goes into guests.  Oh and forgot, just the general fee of having them attend as well, can't forget that.

The thing is two, sometimes the actors are just busy.  The con may enquire to a couple dozen actors and maybe only get replies from a few, and then still some of those may end up having to drop out or would like to attend but are already busy.  So in the end the con only has a few guests.

This year we had so many because NDK wanted a big bunch for the anniversary.  Honestly I hope we have a smaller group next year because it'll make it easier to try and get autographs when you don't have five people pretty much for every autograph session.

I don't honestly think it's anything to be scared about, or even worried about much.  I think conventions will go on, and I'm sure there will always be guests attending.  May be only a couple, may be more it all depends on who the staff of the conventions try and contact and who of those they contact are available and want to attend.

[GimmeAnime]

I've been looking at some guest lists for a few conventions that were held in recent years and noticed that they had gotten a lot smaller.

Anime Mid-Atlantic, Nekocon and Sogen Con have all had a significant drop in  convention guests and even though Anime Expo still had a huge list, there were hardly any dub VAs. I believe that the attendance hasn't been a problem, but is it becoming more common for anime conventions to have to save money? I don't mean to scare anyone. It's just something I'm curious to know.

Guests are only one part of the equation of a convention. And anytime a VA is at a con, he/she is not working, which is what pays the bills. Unless they ask for a fee, which more and more VA's are doing to offset the cost of going. Since many conventions can't/won't pay fees for guests on top of the other perks, the VA lists are getting smaller.

Anime Cons are still growing from looking at all the numbers. I can't think of any convention that I've attended where the attendance stayed the same, let alone went down. But the cons themselves are changing to go with the current trends, which is why conventions about Japanese cartoons are suddenly having J-pop or psuedo-J-pop bands showing up and Asian fashion trends and basically anything that's popular on the internet. Some cons are fighting this and others are going with it. So if the fans are more interested in the Rave, then there is no reason to spend money on VA's and other guests that these fans don't care about.

[Greg Hines]

I can't speak for other cons, but I can speak for NDK. Our consistent growth rate of about 10% per year continued this year, so we're not really seeing the signs of flagging interest. And while it's true that we may not have as many guests next year as we did this year, Alitain hit it on the nose: we invited more guests than normal to help celebrate NDK 15. (Which is not to say that our guest list for next year will be any less impressive!) We're also fortunate that this success has helped us maintain a healthy bottom line so we can stick around for a long time to come.

To address GimmeAnime's points, NDK has for quite some time been a convention about Japanese culture, not just anime. It may have had its roots as an "anime con" (and we do still refer to it as that, for the sake of simplicity), but our non-profit charter is specifically dedicated to promoting Japanese culture in all its forms. So for us, having a Japanese tea ceremony followed by a J-rock panel followed by an anime panel is business as usual. Our diversity of topics comes from this dedication, not from an attempt to stay relevant.

[toadstoolssecretluvchild]

I can't speak for other cons, but I can speak for NDK. Our consistent growth rate of about 10% per year continued this year, so we're not really seeing the signs of flagging interest. And while it's true that we may not have as many guests next year as we did this year, Alitain hit it on the nose: we invited more guests than normal to help celebrate NDK 15. (Which is not to say that our guest list for next year will be any less impressive!) We're also fortunate that this success has helped us maintain a healthy bottom line so we can stick around for a long time to come.

To address GimmeAnime's points, NDK has for quite some time been a convention about Japanese culture, not just anime. It may have had its roots as an "anime con" (and we do still refer to it as that, for the sake of simplicity), but our non-profit charter is specifically dedicated to promoting Japanese culture in all its forms. So for us, having a Japanese tea ceremony followed by a J-rock panel followed by an anime panel is business as usual. Our diversity of topics comes from this dedication, not from an attempt to stay relevant.

I wish there were a LIKE button for this

[Sarge]

I would also add that in many cases it is an 'apples to oranges' comparison.  'Anime' conventions come in two major brands that can oft be indistinguishable from each other: those run as a business, and those run as a non-profit convention.  We are of the latter.  In fact, because we are a Not For Profit organization, we are forbidden from running it as a full-fledged business.  We have our charter, by-laws, Board, etc. but we do it for the attendees.  Quite a few conventions exist to make money, and some succeed, while many others fail.  So in terms of trending, the cyclical appearance and disappearance of many for-profit cons is almost business as usual, while the not-for-profit cons (sometimes) struggle onwards.

[LouEthelip]

There was one other con I've been to more than once. It was called AniZona in Phoenix AZ. It is now done with and this is my perspective to why it is no more while Nan Desu Kan continues to go strong.

AniZona's biggest failing was having the convention over the Easter Weekend every year which was difficult for people like me of the Catholic faith. I didn't enjoy having to choose between my faith and my love of anime especially on Sunday.

Also I didn't find AniZona particularly well put together. This is why the staff at NDK should get all the praise it gets. At NDK things run smoothly. If there is a hiccup in the system i've never noticed it while with AniZona there always seemed to be glitches.

Now I'm sure part of the struggle for anime conventions is economical. Lets face the facts. Right now the economy is in rough shape and many people just don't have the dollars to spend for something like this no matter how much they want to go. After all I typically drop anywhere from $500-$1000 every year at NDK including the hotel. That kind of extra funds is getting harder and harder to come by.

Well those are my thoughts.