AmeCon
AmeCon is an anime convention based in Leicester, United Kingdom, typically of three days in length, and is one of the largest anime conventions in the United Kingdom. The convention was formed after several committee members of the Leicester Anime and Manga Club (LANMA) decided to run a small, residential event in 2004. This event, became the largest anime convention to be hosted in the British Isles at that time. Amecon usually runs in even numbered years, opposite to AyaCon's odd years, so as not to overcrowd the UK convention calendar, however the most recent AmeCon took place in August 2007.
AmeCon 2004
Total attendance: Approximately 900.
AmeCon 2004 was the first running of this event and ran on 22nd - 24th August 2004 at the University of Leicester's Oadby Halls of Residence. The voice actor Monica Rial attended as guest of honour.
AmeCon 2006
Total attendance: Approximately 1200.
AmeCon 2006 was the second event run by the AmeCon committee and this ran from 11th - 13th August 2006 at the University of Leicester's main campus.
This was originally set to run at Aston University in Birmingham, however due to large-scale refurbishment, that venue no longer suited the needs of the convention and ended up relocating.
This event had a much larger capacity than AmeCon 2004, with a total capacity of 1200 people for this event.
The guests included Greg Ayres, Chris Patton and the returning of Monica Rial, voice actors on many ADV and Funimation releases.
Events
The following events were held at AmeCon 2006:
- Parties - Including J-Pop, J-Rock, EuroBeat and 80's AMV Disco (80's western music to anime AMVs)
- Games Room - Run by DDRUK with an arcade dance simulator (DDR)
- Karaoke
- Guest Panels - Included voice actors Monica Rial and Greg Ayres
- Japanese Culture - lectures held by J-culture expert Akemi Solloway
- Industry Panels - Lead by anime-industry companies such as MVM, Beez, Manga Entertainment, and the UK arm of ADV Films
- Other Panels - Including the standards for similar conventions, such as Fan Dub/Voice Acting, Piracy, Yuri & Yaoi.
- EGL Picnic
- AMV Contest
- Mecha Bingo
- Pub Quiz
An event entitled "Create your own bootleg" was eventually canceled, most likely for legal implications.
Cosplay Events
The following cosplay events were held at AmeCon 2006:
- Cosplay Triathlon including a Cosplay Catwalk, Dedicated Cosplay Competition, and a skit/performance competition entitled Omake
- Cosplay Ball which included dance lessons
- Cosplay Café
- Cosplay Workshop - For those needing to make last minute changes or repairs to their costumes
Cosplay Triathlon
The triathlon consisted of a catwalk show, including a myriad of different costumes from Bleach to Zelda to Katamari Damacy, and a specially designated Omake to focus on performances (and draw them out of the catwalk).
The Cosplay Ball
The final event of the convention was the Cosplay Ball which was first of its kind in the UK. The event was a formal wear based on cosplay, of which guests danced to music and a live singer.
AmeCon 2007
Amecon 2007 took place on 10th-12th August 2007.
AmeCon 2008
During the closing ceremony of AmeCon 2007, AmeCon 2008 was announced, scheduled to run between 8-10 August, 2008. Registrations opened on November 18, 2007 - after just one day the convention was 50% booked, and inside three weeks all 1,300 places were snapped up - a record uptake for a UK anime convention of this size. The waiting list is currently open for anyone who wishes to attend should another drop out.
See also
- DDRUK