Project A-Kon is the longest running convention in the US that celebrates our shared enjoyment of anime, manga, and popular culture. With a 25 year history, tons of venues, fans, and experiences, A-Kon has been going for a long time and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Starting at just 380 attendees in 1990, A-Kon has grown to over 20,000 attendees. They’ve had several venues, a massive selection of special guests and industry attendees, and so much more.
But, with all that in mind, how was A-Kon this year? How was the show in comparison to previous years, and where are they going? I’d like to start by saying that there were two panels at A-Kon this year, hosted by the same member of the anime industry that I will leave un-named for the moment. They discussed the topics of the future of the anime industry in America, and anime conventions futures as well. I didn’t attend these panels because I think anything short of “things are good, they’re going to keep going strong” is either a lie or misinformed. Streaming has taken anime forward a great deal, the level of engagement with the community is growing daily, and the quality of the products being produced right now are more impressive than they have ever been before. Conventions are seeing continuous growth as well, and with the success of major events like SDCC, Otakon, Anime Expo, and A-Kon, conventions aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They keep seeking bigger venues, more guests, all to keep up with the demand of the fans to attend and participate in these great experiences.
A-Kon’s biggest failure this year, in my opinion, was the lack of fanfare for their 25th anniversary. One of the highlight panels of the weekend, for me, was a review of A-Kon over 25 years by many old fans who have been involved with the con in a variety of ways, which was canceled for what could be any of a dozen reasons. Even with that in mind, there was very little focus or emphasis on this milestone. A-Kon is the oldest convention of its kind in the US, dedicated specifically towards anime and manga fandoms, and I was very excited to see what they were going to do with the show this year. Panels are great, guests were awesome, and the costumes, dealers, and artists were great just like they are every year. But it just didn’t feel like a 25th anniversary to me. And that felt like a bit of a letdown.
But that was the only major disappointment for me. There a host of several minor things that happen with every convention, and the Hilton Anatole Hotel isn’t a perfect venue, just like I don’t really think there really exists a ‘perfect venue’. There’s always things some places do better than others, and places where they fall short, either by the way it’s design or the location it is. The Hilton Anatole excels at a great many things, but food availability isn’t one. Aside from hotel food, the only other option is a small Denny’s that is constantly overrun, or the food trucks that A-Kon organizes to bring in each day and night, making food options scare sometimes, especially on a budget. There many conflicting stories about when and where the food trucks would be available, and next year I feel like A-Kon will be a bit more clear about the food truck situation.
Last year, there were several problems involving a ‘chokepoint’ hallway that led to the dealer’s room, artist alley, -AND- registration that was disastrous at many points during the convention. The staff learned from last year, and moved registration to it’s own, very large ballroom which prevented any sort of traffic problems moving around the show. It was a great step forward, leaving the large hallway that led to artist alley and the dealer’s room to be a clean, easily navigable track with very good traffic flow back and forth between these rooms and the rest of the convention.
Parking was a problem last year as well, and that felt like it was very much improved this year. I heard a lot less complaining about the parking around the hotel, and many of the surrounding hotels were kind enough to post very large, very clear signs telling people that A-Kon attendees would be towed if they parked there.
The Anatole also has a lot of beautiful architecture and artwork, which makes it excellent for taking cosplay photos and doing group meetups and photo shoots, which there were many of this year (I’m not sure, but it looks like it might have been more than last year, or at the very least more made it onto the schedule). It’s great if you’re just generally into art or history as well (there’s a piece of the actual Berlin Wall in there as well!)
The hotel and convention staff were superb this year, as they are every year from my experiences. I got to talk to several staff heads and program mangers at various points in the show, and they were all very open and happy to talk about the show and their jobs running things. I didn’t hear any instances of an attendee being needlessly yelled at or mistreated by staff or Kon Patrol, and there were only a few instances where staff were having to shout to get people’s attention or get them to direct lines or traffic flow a particular way. Lines were well managed and in general, the chaos was very organized.
So, really the only true letdown was that there wasn’t more fanfare about reaching 25 years. Beyond that, everything was professional, organized, safe, and fun for all the attendees. A-Kon continues to be an excellent show to attend every year, and it’s got a broad selection of panels and engagement for attendees to participate in that’s a bit unique compared to some of the other large shows in the US, and I feel like there’s a lot of appeal to that.
Certainly plan to go back next year, and I hope that if you’re in the Texas area or in a state nearby, you seriously consider going as well. It’s a fun time, and an excellent convention if you haven’t ever been to an anime convention before, or if you’ve only been to one or two of the smaller ones. But remember – book your hotels sooner rather than later, and make sure you’re prepared for 3 awesome days of anime, manga, and pop culture!
So long A-Kon, and thanks for the memories.
