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Anime Expo 2018 Caps Out Attendance at 110,000; Next Year's Dates Set




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-SP-





PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:09 am Reply with quote
Way too many people, one of the reason why I don't think I'll ever attend one of these big Anime events.
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XerneasYveltal



Joined: 09 Jun 2015
Posts: 667
Location: Philippines
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:43 am Reply with quote
-SP- wrote:
Way too many people, one of the reason why I don't think I'll ever attend one of these big Anime events.


Anime-related conventions like Anime Expo are considered to be generally crowded.
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MoonPhase1



Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 492
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:05 am Reply with quote
The only time I went was in 2006 for back when it was still in Anaheim. Pretty crowded then even then but was manageable(other than not getting the tickets ahead of time and spent most of my 1st day waiting in line to buy them), but has like almost doubled in size since then of people going to it and just became too big.
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Chichiryuutei





PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:09 am Reply with quote
I've been attending the last 3 years (already purchased my tickets for AX19) and AX18 has been my best experience thus far. Entrance was far faster (nfc badges). Line info was mostly on point. World premieres had long but doable lines. Staff just needs to make sure to put sun covers for all lines, number all lines & clearly label front/back of the line.

Once you learn the ins/outs of the main rooms it's a piece of cake. You won't be able to do 100% of your schedule but 70-80% is doable. Just plan ahead & be there early (9-10am latest).
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Vanadise



Joined: 06 Apr 2015
Posts: 488
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:34 am Reply with quote
XerneasYveltal wrote:
Anime-related conventions like Anime Expo are considered to be generally crowded.

AX is a bit of an exception, really. After it, the next several largest anime conventions in North America are in the 30k range. Anime cons are small compared to other cons; New York Comic Con attracts about 200k people, and there are several other comic conventions that are in the 100k range. There are also a number of gaming conventions that attract >50k people.

Personally, even A-Kon is a bit crowded for my tastes, but I go every year anyway because I have several friends who go. My favorite con, Aselia Con, usually attracts only a few hundred people.
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Cardcaptor Takato



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 4784
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:48 am Reply with quote
It must be nice to be able to interact with so many anime fans in one place. Meanwhile it seems like I'm the only one of my friends offline that's a big anime fan.
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GNX903VSBrave



Joined: 20 Feb 2017
Posts: 26
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:31 am Reply with quote
Was my first time this year, flying all the way from Canada. I got the Premier Pass, and while it wasn't always perfect, it did help me squeeze more events into my schedule, which was it's primary purpose (along with snagging good concert and MHA movie tickets).

The overall con was pretty overwhelming for the first day or so, but by the end of Saturday, it started to feel like any other anime con I've been to over the years. The heat was pretty painful, but as long as you avoided the long security lines, it was bearable since most of the panel lineups were under the shade. My biggest issue with their event organization was that they decided not to clear two of the biggest event rooms between panels.
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capt_bunny



Joined: 31 May 2015
Posts: 364
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:59 pm Reply with quote
Vanadise wrote:
XerneasYveltal wrote:
Anime-related conventions like Anime Expo are considered to be generally crowded.

AX is a bit of an exception, really. After it, the next several largest anime conventions in North America are in the 30k range. Anime cons are small compared to other cons; New York Comic Con attracts about 200k people, and there are several other comic conventions that are in the 100k range. There are also a number of gaming conventions that attract >50k people.

Personally, even A-Kon is a bit crowded for my tastes, but I go every year anyway because I have several friends who go. My favorite con, Aselia Con, usually attracts only a few hundred people.


As someone who has gone to AX and knows people that have gone to smaller ones too.... I have to agree with you on it being an exception.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:26 am Reply with quote
Chichiryuutei wrote:
I've been attending the last 3 years (already purchased my tickets for AX19) and AX18 has been my best experience thus far. Entrance was far faster (nfc badges). Line info was mostly on point. World premieres had long but doable lines. Staff just needs to make sure to put sun covers for all lines, number all lines & clearly label front/back of the line. Once you learn the ins/outs of the main rooms it's a piece of cake. You won't be able to do 100% of your schedule but 70-80% is doable. Just plan ahead & be there early (9-10am latest).
I'll back up this up in spades. I've been going for the last 10 years and the way the badging and lines were handled this time is the best in history. Reminds how far they've come since 2 years (?) ago with the lines from hell, people waiting >4 hours in the sun and 90's heat for at-con reg only to have the line cut off! I am surprised there wasn't an all-out riot, a glowing tribute to how well-mannered the average AX attendee is. In/out was a breeze this time, bag inspections were fast and reasonable. Why they didn't go with the RFID and mailing badges years ago is beyond me. Anyway, capping the attendance was a good idea as it seemed slightly less crowded this year over last. I would hope people don't get too overwhelmed by the size, good cosplay everywhere! It's still a great experience and I wouldn't miss it.
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Stampeed Valkyrie



Joined: 10 Aug 2014
Posts: 825
Location: PA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:59 pm Reply with quote
I just got back to the east coast from my AX2018 trip..
Personally I think the con took a step back from last year.. part of it was due to more of a focus on english dub VAs.. in comparison to Japanese VAs.. I think 2017 also had a better guest list. There are people everywhere.. and like every year there are pos and negatives.

Pos.. getting the badges mailed.. we got the swag bag line done in less then 5 min. It reminded me very much of 2014 where we were able to get our badges and bags at west hall in less then 10 min..

Neg.. Bag check lines.. its no fun going between buildings of the same con and having to get the bags checked 2 or 3 times to enter other areas. Not to mention the heat made it even worse.

Neg.. the heat.. not AX fault but I have been doing this since 2012.. (for AX) and 1998 for Otakon. 111 degrees is not something to laugh at.. especially when standing in lines that are queued up hours ahead of time.

Pos and Neg. the Shuttle buses.. god bless these folks.. seriously buses for the most part ran ontime.. it always seems my route.. usually bus 2 but this year bus 3 gets the short end of the stick. The buses are a great feature.. and gets me to and from hotel and little tokyo.. Having to wait 60 min for a bus though grates on everyone.
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:14 pm Reply with quote
Stampeed Valkyrie wrote:
Neg.. Bag check lines.. its no fun going between buildings of the same con and having to get the bags checked 2 or 3 times to enter other areas. Not to mention the heat made it even worse.

Neg.. the heat.. not AX fault but I have been doing this since 2012.. (for AX) and 1998 for Otakon. 111 degrees is not something to laugh at.. especially when standing in lines that are queued up hours ahead of time.

Entering via the West Hall seemed to mitigate this. Once the temperature became apparent, the security staff there loosened their procedures and lessened the queuers' exposure to the heatwave. After I was safely within the convention centre, my strategy thereafter was to forego all but the absolutely essential events in the building itself, avoiding the Marriott and Microsoft events in their entirety.
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Stampeed Valkyrie



Joined: 10 Aug 2014
Posts: 825
Location: PA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:21 pm Reply with quote
@Zin5ki
That was the general plan.. however.. Overlord 3 premier and Japan super live meant making a go of it.
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Aresef



Joined: 22 Jun 2005
Posts: 909
Location: MD
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 11:28 am Reply with quote
That there are that many unique attendees to begin with is just... mind-blowing.
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