Otakon has become one of the largest and most well attended anime conventions in the country. From starting in July of 1994 with just ~350 unique attendee membership to the massive 34,892 people who attended the show this year, Otakon has grown and changed in many ways, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
As a show, that is. Where that show is held however, will be changing in just a few years. Otakon moved to the Baltimore Convention Center for the first time in 1999, and it has been the conventions home for the past 15 years. And it will continue to be the conventions home until 2017, when the show will pack up its luggage, put the wheels on the road, and make the short but emotional drive down to Washington D.C., where the show will be held at least until 2021. This announcement, revealed at the closing ceremonies of this year’s show, comes after a long history and a good relationship with the city of Baltimore, and many of the hotels and shop owners of the downtown area near and around the convention center are asking questions about what the future of their businesses will look like in a few years when Otakon moves on. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the city is a little worried – when you can plan and bet on over 30,000 people coming to your city and occupying a few square miles for upwards of a week, there’s a lot that can be done to improve your business. And many of the restaurants and hotels make a significant amount of sales during this week. One restaurant owner was quoted as saying “We’re a few blocks from both the Ravens and the Orioles stadiums, and we make more money in the four days of Otakon than we do for two combined months of football or baseball season. It’s crazy.”
The numbers don’t lie. In 2009 alone, Otakon brought $12.5 million dollars in direct spending to downtown Baltimore, and booked more than 4,500 hotel rooms. That’s a lot of people, a lot of money, and a lot of business. So the question is – what’s going to happen to Baltimore when the show leaves? That’s a hard question to answer right now, but what I think we can all say, is the city is going to do it’s best to show Otakon they still want them there, and will do what they can in the next few years to try and line up a return deal for 2022 and onward.
But what brings about this move to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center? There have been a few reasons listed publicly, but really in the end Otakon takes countless factors and details into account before making these decisions. Every convention does. They have to do what is best for their attendees, their guests, and the health and grow of the show itself. One of the biggest reasons stated for the move is that the future of the Baltimore Convention Center is unclear at this time – which could mean any number of things, but more than likely there are plans to use, or to re-purpose the building area into something else. If it’s plans for expansion, then Otakon may very well return to it’s longest hosting city post 2021, but without anything official yet – the show had to do what was best for it.
The atmosphere at Otakon has always been one of acceptance and fun. People always seemed more easy going than they have at other shows I’ve attended, things always seemed to flow better traffic-wise than in other places, and in general it feels like everyone is there to have fun and enjoy their passion for Japanese animation and popular culture with their friends. And the staff is worth nothing here as well. The staff in the five years I’ve been going have always been readily available to help and friendly, especially the upper tiers of management and logistics. It’s not easy running a convention like Otakon, but they do a great job, especially the Press Ops, with many familiar faces year after year. Unfortunately this year there were more horror stories about security and other staff of the show being rude to fans, not communicating well, and even blowing up in front of a line of attendees for a panel. It was, arguably, the worst year I’ve experienced for this, but I’m not willing to sell the show wholesale on just a few bad experiences and horror stories. While I’m sure there were people who did not handle situations well, did not interact with attendees well – there are always those kinds of people, and the system always weeds them out in favor of people who want to help make Otakon the best four days for otaku ever, but also do it with a smile and friendly hand wave.
Otakon has always been progressive and forward thinking in the way they approach content for the attendees, concerts, art exhibits, everything – it’s a great show that always seems to add in ways that don’t detract from everything that they’ve built over the years that makes the show so great to go to. And I’m hopeful that the move to Washington is good for them. It’s always a little scary when you move venues, and as Project A-Kon in Dallas this year experienced first-hand, there’s always a new learning curve when you leave somewhere that has been your home, especially for 75% of your lifetime as a show. But I’m hopeful, and excited to see where Otakon goes as they grow and look forward to bigger, better, and more fun tomorrows for us all.
Also of worthy note – Otakon is expanding itself beyond it’s summertime convention on the East Coast. Starting in 2014, Otakon is launching Otakon Vegas, a sister show approximately six months prior that will be held in American’s Playground – Las Vegas. While details for the show are just now beginning to form, it should be an exciting experiment – there are not many high scale, well known anime conventions in the area, mostly due to how problematic the city is for minors to get around in and enjoy, but I’m interested to see what Otakon does with it and how they make it accessible to people.
Otakon continues to move forward – and I think it’s a good thing for us all that they’re doing so well. It’s been fun and personal for fans watching the show grow and change as it closes out its 20th birthday, and for fans new and old it should be exciting where the next ten, fifteen, and twenty years take it.
From Otakon – signing off. See you next year, Space Cowboy!
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