Ai-Kon is an annual three-day

anime convention An anime and manga convention (often called just anime convention) is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college cam ...

held on a weekend during the month of July in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. Ai-Kon was first held at the University of Manitoba in 2001 and is currently held at the RBC 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". The word ''ai'' was also chosen to play on the fact that the club had a magazine they called Anime Injection.

Programming

Ai-Kon provides a wide variety of on mandate programming put on by committee staff, members of the community, guests and industry partners. Streaming/showing rooms run 24-hours during the conventions featuring titles in both Japanese and English languages. Alongside anime, the convention also hosts many

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

and

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

related activities. Additional convention events include: *Marketplace: Dealer's Room and an Artists Alley * Cosplay events: Cosplay Contest, Cosplay Skills Faire, workshops *Gamer's Lounge: no entry tournaments, various video games stations, tabletop gaming area, charity event for Extra Life *Music: Saturday Dance, Dance Showcase *Panels and workshops: Guests, staff, cultural workshops, fan based/ members of the community, industry, game shows, fashion shows *Other attractions: Cultural room, Maid Cafe, Gundam Builders World Cup National qualifiers, Tamiya mini 4awd stock car tournament, pop-up partnered experiences, art auction

History

Ai-Kon was first held in July 2001 at the University of Manitoba in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, and was run by the University of Manitoba Anime Club (UMAnime). The founding members were the club's executive staff, Kristjanna Thorarinson, Riki Lecotey, Kwan Fu Sit, Tong Lin, Cathleen Ma, Tim Groner, Geoff Wright, and Jeff Agapito. At the time the club held one-day events but they had so many things planned that summer, the club decided on making it a two-day event but added a dance on Friday evenings, making it a 3-day convention. In 2002 the event went on hiatus for one year, due to changes within the club, and in July 2003 a second Ai-Kon was held at the university. Today, Ai-Kon is a non-profit organization that is run by a volunteer committee. It continues to be held annually in

each summer. In 2011, as a celebration of the 10 year anniversary, Ai-Kon held a one-day event in January called "The Ai-Kon Winter Festival". This one-day event is now held annually in February under the name "Winterfest".

Event history

Mascot

Aiko is a fictional cheerful, stylish, energetic anime girl with pink hair and blue eyes. Her various incarnations coordinate with the convention's yearly theme. The mascot is selected annually from an open contest. Aiko's many manifestations are used on convention promotional materials, clothing, badges, and other wearables. Doug is Aiko's fictional younger brother and likewise the Winterfest mascot. He is portrayed as younger, mischievous and playful with white hair and blue eyes.

References

Other sources

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External links

Ai-Kon Official Website
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* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110706174031/http://www.chrisd.ca/blog/26424/ai-kon-anime-convention-winnipeg-photos/ chrisd.ca 2010 Articlebr>Winnipeg Sun 2015 articleCBC article
{{Anime conventions in North America Anime conventions in Canada Culture of Winnipeg 2001 establishments in Manitoba Recurring events established in 2001