Otakon Vegas (/ˈoʊtəkɒn/ OH-tə-kon) was a three-day anime convention held during January at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The convention was organized by Otakorp, the group behind Otakon.[3][4]
| Otakon Vegas | |
|---|---|
 Official Otakon Vegas Logo. | |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | Anime, East Asian popular culture[1] |
| Venue | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino |
| Location(s) | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2014 |
| Attendance | 2,243[2] |
| Organized by | Otakorp, Inc.[3] |
| Filing status | 501(c)(3) |
| Website | Otakon Vegas |
Programming edit
The convention typically offered an artist alley, concerts, dealer's room, masquerade, and panels.[5][6] One of the new programming experiments at Otakon Vegas demonstrated Sumo wrestling.[5][7]
History edit
Otakorp announced in early 2013 a new convention would be held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they hope to create a smaller convention and test new ideas.[4][8] Otakon has had issues where new test content has been too successful such as the 2012 Maid Cafe.[9] Representatives from Las Vegas first approached Otakorp about moving Otakon from Baltimore to Las Vegas.[9] Expansion to Vegas was also chosen due to Otakon reaching capacity in Baltimore, along with Vegas being accessible with affordable transportation and several hotel/food options.[9][10] January dates were chosen for the reason attendees should be less busy.[9] Concerns were raised about the location due to the existence of two conventions in the Las Vegas area.[11]
The convention's first year in 2014 featured more than 70 hours of programming.[5] JAM Project appeared at 2015's opening ceremony while on the ANISONG World Tour Lantis Festival in Las Vegas.[12] Otakon Vegas went on hiatus after 2018's event.[13]
Event history edit
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 3–5, 2014 | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada | 2,006 (unique)[14] | Masahiro Ando, Zach Bolton, Richard Epcar, Kelly Gneiting, Riichiro Inagaki, Kaoru Kurosaki, Jamie Marchi, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Sayaka Sasaki, Frederik L. Schodt, Ian Sinclair, Ellyn Stern, and Byambajav Ulambayar.[15] |
| January 16–18, 2015[14][16] | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada | 2,100 (est)[17] | Steve Blum, Toshio Furukawa, JAM Project, Shino Kakinuma, Wendee Lee, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Lisa Ortiz, and Sushio.[17] |
| January 15–17, 2016 | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada | 2,243[2] | Sandy Fox, Todd Haberkorn, Lex Lang, Erica Mendez, Vic Mignogna, and Jason Charles Miller.[2] |
| January 13–15, 2017 | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada | Colleen Clinkenbeard, Yasuhiro Imagawa, Hiroshi Kitadani, Lauren Landa, Erica Mendez, Byambajav Ulambayar, and Ryuichi Yamamoto.[18] | |
| January 19-21, 2018 | Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada | SungWon Cho, Erica Lindbeck, Keith Silverstein, and Kiyotaka Waki.[19] |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Labrador, Jorge (2013-02-25). "Otakon to bring anime fans to Vegas in 2014". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ a b c "Otakon Vegas 2016 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ a b "Otakorp, Inc. Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ a b "Otakon Spin-Off Convention in Vegas Planned for January". Anime News Network. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ a b c Bamboo Dong; Christopher Macdonald (2014-01-06). "Otakon Vegas 2014". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
- ^ Glenn, Ashley (February 1, 2017). "Otakon Vegas 2017 Starts Off a New Year for Anime Fans". Las Vegas Informer. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (2013-08-12). "Otakon 2013 Closing Ceremonies". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ "Baltimore's Otakon to host Otakon Vegas in January 2014". The Asahi Shimbun. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ a b c d "ANNCast Bro-takon". Anime News Network. 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
- ^ Noorinejad, Florence (2013-02-21). "Otakon goes Vegas, adding festival outside Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ "AnimeCons TV: February 2013 Feedback". AnimeCons TV. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
- ^ Dong, Bamboo (2015-01-21). "Otakon Vegas 2015". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
- ^ "Otakon Vegas 2018 is a wrap!". Otakon Vegas 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
- ^ a b "Otakon Vegas 2015 Slated for January 16-18 (updated)". Anime News Network. 2014-01-05. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
- ^ "Otakon Vegas 2014 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ Labrador, Jorge (2014-01-07). "2014 Otakon photos: 'It's about bringing East and West together' at Planet Hollywood anime event". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
- ^ a b "Otakon Vegas 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ "Otakon Vegas 2017 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ "Otakon Vegas 2018 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.