What is there to do?

    A good convention has things going on all (or almost all) the time. Some of these things include: Art show, where talented artists exhibit & sell works of art, sketches, sculpture, etc.. Dealers Room selling all manner of relevant merchandise. Video Rooms) - to see your favorite shows & movies or rarer, weird things you may never have heard of before. Guest Appearances and autograph stinginess (note: not all guests sign autographs - it will be noted in our advertising if a guest does not - also some guests charge a small fee [many going to their favorite charities] for their photos or their signatures. Some guests even have nothing to do with Anime but want to come and are fun to have around.) Room Parties hosted by clubs, other conventions, etc. Hospitality or KonSuite, where you can sit down, have a complementary soda or some food and socialize with your fellow fans or guests. Parties! Where you can dance and have a good time. Discussion panels on many different subjects of science fiction, fantasy, writing, costuming, art, etc. Workshops where you can learn about writing, art, costuming, etc. Gaming Rooms) where you can play various role-play, card, video or computer games. CosPlay/Costume Contests where you can show off your talent with a needle and thread, perform a skit, and maybe win a trophy! Games like scavenger hunts, Anime Match Game, Japanimayhem, game shows or other fun activities. Contests and other Fun Things to do.

Why so much to do?

    A-Kon® is a multimedia convention that tries to cover many avenues of Anime, J-pop Culture, Pop Culture, Martial Arts, Fan Activities, Actors, Writers, Musicians, Bon Vionts. Not all things appeal to all people nor all guests. For example, we have a lot of people who enjoy playing games who come to A-Kon® and spend the entire time inside the Gaming Rooms. Other attendees and guests never even know where these rooms are. So we try to have a variety of programming at all times so you can choose the events you want to see. Some events repeat during the convention, others are held only 1 time. We strongly recommend you keep checking the programming schedule to decide what you want to do and what days you want to attend. Most people tend to attend on Saturday with Sunday a close second, but we do have events that only occur on Friday, so keep an eye on these! Due to our variety of programming, we strongly suggest you plan to come all three days of A-Kon and stay at the hotel to make it more convenient for you.

Are the advertised guests guaranteed to be there and will they be there all days of the convention?

    Confirmed, advertised guests will generally be at the convention barring any unforeseen circumstances. Please bear in mind the guests are people too subject to illness, personal or family emergencies, or unexpected job offers (especially for actors and actresses), so they do occasionally have to cancel. A-Kon® always announces this as soon as we know it by posting it here on the web site, on our flyers and advertising, and to our E-mail update list. Guests listed as "Tentative" are in the process of finalizing arrangements with us to appear. Often they have given a verbal confirmation but have not yet returned their signed appearance agreement. Again, the status of these guests will be updated on this site, on our flyers and advertising, and to our E-mail update list as soon as we know for sure.

    Because A-Kon® is a 3-day convention and because we strive to bring you the best variety of guests while staying in our budget, we may occasionally have a guest that does not appear all three days of the convention. This will be stated on our flyers and advertising, on this site, and announced to our E-mail update list. Many guests (especially actors) charge appearance fees. Some charge for the weekend, others charge per day. We always work with our guests to get them here as long as possible, but our budget it limited. If you would like us to have a specific guest (especially one that charges a large fee), please consider helping us sponsor or find a sponsor for that guest.   

When will such-and-such be? What are the details of so-and-so?

    Programming is a complicated process. It takes many months to assemble, and involves managing time, numerous people, and finite space and equipment. As such, it usually does not come together until just a few months before the convention and may change up to the day of the convention. However, the programming schedule will be posted (within feasible limits) on this site (subject to change) as it becomes available. Please continue monitoring this site, or join our E-mail update list for notifications of updates to this site as well as special announcements.

Tags: events, guests, programming