Convention Fans:
Anime Expo - The Largest Anime/Manga Convention in the United States

There's no doubt that Anime Expo is one of the most talked about anime conventions in the United States. In fact, it's the nation’s largest anime/manga convention (over 40,000 attendees). It even uses the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live for many of the main events. This year, Anime Expo is taking place July 1 - 4, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in Los Angeles, California.

Because it's so large, Anime Expo commands a pretty impressive guest list from year to year. The Guests of Honor for Anime Expo 2010 include: Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe (director), Sophia (J-Rock band), and Yuu Asakawa (voice actress). You can expect more guest announcements, including industry guests, as the convention draws closer.

Some of the events for Anime Expo include: an anime music video (amv) contest, AX Idol (a singing competition), a Battle of the Bands, a charity auction, concerts, a masquerade, an AniMaid Café, anime trivia, a dance, console gaming, karaoke, The Anime Expo Model Contest (model building), an Otaku Parliamentary Debate, a scavenger hunt, table-top gaming, an art show, panels, Q&As, and more.

Pre-registration is already available for Anime Expo 2010. A four-day pass is currently $65.00. That price will rise on May 1st, 2010 to $75.00. A two-day pass is $50.00, and a one-day pass is $35.00. For children, a four-day pass is $30.00. Children under five-years-old are free. Additionally, if you buy one child ticket, you get one child ticket FREE (there is a maximum of two free child tickets per family).

Anime Expo's website has a lot of great information. In fact, they have an entire section of their website dedicated to helpful guides on everything from parking, dining, disabled services, weapons, transportation, main events, autographs, and more. Having this information available before the con is extremely useful for attendees, especially if they have never been before. More conventions should make a similar effort.

The convention has negotiated hotel discounts for attendees. Discounted rooms are available at the The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites for $145 - $159 a night, depending upon occupancy. The cut off to receive this discount is June 10, 2010 at 3:00pm PDT (6:00pm EDT). Please note that the "discounted" valet parking rate is $24 a day.