| No Brand Con | |
|---|---|
No Brand Con logo. |
|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | Plaza Hotel and Suites |
| Location | Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
| Country | United States |
| First held | 2002 |
| Organizer | No Brand Con, Inc. (Formerly the Anime Appreciation Society of UW–Eau Claire) |
| Attendance | 1,271 in 2011 |
| Official website | http://www.nobrandcon.com |
No Brand Con is an annual three day anime convention held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the United States. It was the first Anime convention in the state of Wisconsin, and is currently its longest running. No Brand Con was originally organized by the Anime Appreciation Society of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, but is now managed by an independent nonprofit corporation (with the AAS staying on as an official sponsor).
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Inspired by their past experiences working at conventions, members of the anime club Otaku Anonymous Kevin Tambornino, Terence Clark, Trae Dorn, and Topher Marohl decided to create their own convention. Some of the members, who were also University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire students, formed the official university organization called The Anime Appreciation Society (or AAS).[1] Through AAS, members were able to meet new people who shared similar interests, recruit new membership at university functions, and utilize university facilities for the nascent convention.
The name for the convention was derived from the closing credits theme of the 1991 anime OVA of Here is Greenwood entitled "No Brand Heroes" which was sung by Chika Sakamoto. The convention mascots primarily composed today of Duct Tape Boy, The Gardening Ninja, Green Boy, and Future Girl refer to themselves as The No Brand Heroes with their headquarters being called The Amazing Justice Center.
The first No Brand Con was held for two days in April, 2002 at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire's Davies Center, with an attendance of 115. The following year, the convention was expanded to a three-day event. Due to its continual growth, the convention was moved off campus into a convention center and hotel venue.
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 5-6, 2002 | UW-Eau Claire Davies Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
115 | Tiffany Grant and Steve Kurth.[2] |
| April 4-6, 2003 | UW-Eau Claire Davies Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
250 | Tiffany Grant, Brazil Joe Grisaffi, Steve Kurth, and Doug Smith.[3] |
| March 12-14, 2004 | UW-Eau Claire Davies Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
300 | Rob Giffen, Brazil Joe Grisaffi, and Monica Rial.[4] |
| April 15-17, 2005 | Plaza Hotel and Suites Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
400 | Greg Ayres, Mike McFarland, Chris Patton, and Monica Rial.[5] |
| April 21-23, 2006 | Ramada Inn Convention Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
605 | Tiffany Grant, Matt Greenfield, Brazil Joe Grisaffi, and Kyle Hebert.[6] |
| April 20-22, 2007 | Ramada Inn Convention Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
905 | Lisa Furukawa, Tiffany Grant, Brazil Joe Grisaffi, Kyle Hebert, and Spike Spencer.[7] |
| April 18-20, 2008 | Ramada Inn Convention Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
1,075 | Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, R. K. Milholland, The Slants, and Sonny Strait.[8] |
| April 24-26, 2009 | Ramada Inn Convention Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
1,249 | Robert Axelrod, Tiffany Grant, Jason Griffith, Kevin Tambornino, and Michael Terracciano[9] |
| April 30-May 2, 2010 | Ramada Inn Convention Center Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
1,192 | Chris Cason, Todd Haberkorn, Wendy Powell, and Michael Terracciano |
| April 15-17, 2011 | Plaza Hotel and Suites Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
1,271 | Jay Bauman, Brent Black ("brentalfloss"), Colleen Clinkenbeard, Monica Rial, Chris Seward, Mike Stoklasa, and Matthew Taranto |
| May 4-6, 2012 | Plaza Hotel and Suites Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
Kyle Hebert, DJ Jinrei |
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