| Ai-Kon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | Winnipeg Convention Centre |
| Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Country | Canada |
| First held | 2001 |
| Attendance | 2,575 in 2011 |
| Official website | http://www.ai-kon.org |
Ai-Kon is an annual three day anime convention held on a weekend during the months of July in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. Ai-Kon was first held at the University of Manitoba in 2001 and is currently held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. The convention's name is a blend of the words ai (Japanese for love) and convention and is derived from its slogan "For the love of anime".
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Like most anime conventions, Ai-Kon provides a wide variety of programming including cosplay events, guest and fan panels and workshops, video game tournaments, vendors, artist alley and auction, anime screenings and dances.
Ai-Kon was first held in July 2001 at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba,[1] and was run by the University of Manitoba Anime Club (UMAnime). In 2002 the event went on hiatus for one year, and in July 2003 a second Ai-Kon was held at the university.[2] Since 2004 the convention has been organized by an independent volunteer committee and has been held annually in Winnipeg each summer.[3] In 2011, as a celebratiion of the 10 year anniversary, Ai-Kon held a one day event in January called "The Ai-Kon Winter Festival".
| Dates | Location | Attendance | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 20–22, 2001 | University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba |
500[1] | Richard Kekuhuna (DVD Producer for Bandai entertainment) |
| July 25–27, 2003 | University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba |
700[2] | |
| July 30 – August 1, 2004 | Sheraton Hotel Winnipeg, Manitoba |
1,000[4] | |
| August 12–14, 2005 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba [5] |
960 | |
| July 21–July 23, 2006 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
1,100 [6] | |
| July 27–29, 2007 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
1,551 | Greg Ayres and Vic Mignogna[3] |
| July 25–27, 2008 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
1,825 | Chris Ayres, Greg Ayres, and Johnny Yong Bosch.[7] |
| July 24–26, 2009 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
2,180 | Caitlin Glass, Tiffany Grant, and Jan Scott-Frazier.[8] |
| July 16–18, 2010 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
2,365 | Greg Ayres, Monica Rial, Kirby Morrow, Christopher Ayres[9] |
| January 15, 2011 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba [9] |
623 | |
| July 15–17, 2011 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
2,575 | Greg Ayres, Eric Vale, Christopher Sabat, Johnny Yong Bosch[10] |
| July 20–22, 2012 | Winnipeg Convention Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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