Anime Expo

Events and programming

Anime Expo features many events and activities during the convention for attendees to take part in such as guest panels, table top gaming, competitions, an arcade, and concerts.

Top attractions include events such as the Masquerade cosplay contest, the Anime Music Video (AMV) competition, Battle of the Bands, and SPJA’s Charity Auction. In addition, Anime Expo hosts a multitude of industry Guests of Honor (GoH), including notable music artists who often hold large concerts at AX. Anime Expo also has a large variety of focus panels, workshops, and events, some of which are fan or industry sponsored. Finally, there are also a number of film and video rooms presenting anime screenings that run all day and night.

Much like other conventions, Anime Expo also features a large scale exhibit hall where attendees can purchase a variety of products from a wide range of exhibitors. This exhibit hall also features an artist alley where attendees can purchase fan-created art work, as well as other varieties of crafts such as wigs, pins, and cosplay material.

History

Anime Expo 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, Anime Expo made a strategic relocation to Southern California and has resided there since.

The convention continues to thrive due to the growing popularity of anime and Japanese popular culture and maintains a strong draw due to the many notable Japanese guests it has been known for. It currently holds the title of North 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 east coast convention Otakon. From 1,750 attendees in 1992, Anime Expo's size has increased to over 90,500 in 2015, which makes Anime Expo the largest anime and manga convention in North America.

As of March 2009, Chief Executive Officer Trulee Karahashi, who had been a part of Anime Expo and the SPJA in various capacities for 11 years, left the organization.

In September 2009, former Universal Studios executive Michael Lattanzio was hired as the SPJA's new CEO.

In January 2010, eight members of Anime Expo's upper management team (ConCom) publicly resigned over irreconcilable disagreements over the direction of the organization set forth by the SPJA's new CEO. One significant point of contention was the new CEO's decision to refocus and restructure the SPJA's marketing efforts starting with the dismissal of a PR and marketing contractor that the organization had a close working relationship with since 2004. Additionally, two other personnel had already left for other reasons, leaving only the vice chair and two others as returning members of the previous year's team.

As of September 2010, Michael Lattanzio was released from his CEO position. Then SPJA Chairman of the Board Marc Perez, became acting-CEO; In August 2011 he stepped down from the Board of Directors to take over as a full-time CEO (as required by the SPJA bylaws).

In early 2012, Anime News Network reported that Anime Expo suffered a $1.2 million loss in 2010. The 2011 convention saw a $100,000 profit and reduced the outstanding debt to $700,000. The article also stated that one of the creditors, IDG World Expo, will be taking over several aspects of the organization, with guest selection and programming to remain under SPJA control. Additionally, Takayuki Karahashi has been elected to Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The convention will continue to be located at the Los Angeles Convention Center through 2019. In April 2016, Marc Perez left the company, with Ray Chiang becoming acting CEO of SPJA.

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 (AXNY) was held in 2002 in the Times Square district of New York City, New York. 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 Anime Expo New York hosting the convention. The events shared some resources, with notable guests listed in the program guides of both events. The SPJA ran the event in order to demonstrate that it could run events outside of its home state of California. The event was a precursor to Anime Expo Tokyo which ran in Tokyo, Japan in 2004. The SPJA has not run any events outside of California since 2004.

Convention locations

Anime Expo Tokyo

Anime Expo Tokyo (AX Tokyo) was held in 2004 at the Sunshine City Convention Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan. It was not technically organized directly by the SPJA, but rather was organized by the Japanese Association for Science Fiction International Communication (www.jasfic.or.jp)(JASFIC) with assistance from the SPJA. JASFIC had two goals for Anime Expo Tokyo. The first goal was to establish in Japan a non-corporate sponsored convention dedicated to anime. The second goal was to demonstrate to the organizers of the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) that Japan could serve as a suitable venue for conventions that attract foreigners. Although Anime Expo Tokyo did not go on to a second year, JASFIC was ultimately successful in attracting the 65th World Science Fiction Convention to Japan in 2007.

Anime Expo Tokyo had a staggering list of over 40 guests such as manga artist Ken Akamatsu, MiQ, Under17, Hiroshi Aro, and many others, although a small handful had to make last minute cancellations. Anime Expo Tokyo was also the very first Anime Expo that officially hosted guests from the U.S. anime industry such as webcomic artist Fred Gallagher and voice actor Crispin Freeman.

Of Anime Expo Tokyo's 4,249 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 plans to host another official Anime Expo outside of California have been announced.

Convention locations

Anime Conji

In 2010, Anime Conji began as an annual anime convention in San Diego. In 2013, it began to be run by SPJA. Anime Conji 2016 was cancelled due to event quality concerns.

Organizational structure

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 operation of Anime Expo is divided into two groups: Entertainment & Operations.

Entertainment has the following divisions: AV Tech, Entertainment Hall, Guest Relations, Interactive Events and Programming. Operations has the following divisions: Exhibit Hall & Registration and Facilities. As of 2013, the SPJA employed 11 employees and over 1,000 volunteers for Anime Expo.

Anime Expo's parent company, the SPJA, has a number of additional paid positions whose roles are to conduct the organization's year-round operations. Such positions also include the: Administration Director, Chief Executive Officer, Finance Manager, HR Director, Marketing Director, and Technology Director. The SPJA also hires consultants for outsourced functions such as: Marketing consultation, Governance & Strategic training, Legal representation, Exhibit sales, and as needed program assistance.