Ikkicon
Encyclopedia
IKKiCON is a three-day anime convention
held annually in Austin, Texas
. The convention is held during winter, originally in February and now during New Year's Eve weekend. It is Austin's largest anime convention with an attendance of 6,002 at the most recent IKKiCON and is hosted by a 200-member volunteer staff. A variety of guests have attended IKKiCON, including brothers Greg Ayres
and Christopher Ayres
, who have attended every IKKiCON to date.
originally taking the date of Ushicon
. IKKiCON I was held at the Wyndham Garden Inn with an expected attendance of 1,200. The actual attendance was an estimated 2,500 individuals. IKKiCON I started a tradition of raising money for charity, as well. $1,900 was raised for Austin Children's Hospital through a live auction.
Due to this unexpected attendance, IKKiCON had to change venues in its second year. IKKiCON II moved to the fourth largest hotel in Austin, the Doubletree. Attendance was estimated at 3,500. This sophomore year showed growth in programming, as well. IKKiCON II, sponsored by FUNimation Entertainment
, partnered with Make-A-Wish Foundation
in order to grant a wish for an young girl through our charity live auction.
For IKKiCON III, the convention was required to move to the largest hotel in Austin, the Hilton Austin, in order to accommodate the expected attendance. Attendance was estimated at 4,000 total attendees. IKKiCON was sponsored by FUNimation and Austin Browncoats for the charity live auction which raised $4,450 for American Red Cross
.
IKKiCON IV was held at the Hilton Austin for the second year in a row. Total attendance was 4,203. $2,000 was raised for Kids Need to Read, a literacy charity co-founded by Nathan Fillion
, of Firefly
and Castle
fame. FUNimation and Austin Browncoats sponsored the event for the fourth year in a row.
IKKiCON V marked the final year the convention would be held at the Hilton Austin. IKKiCON announced during closing ceremonies, as well as via an advertorial in their program, that they would be moving to a new venue. That venue has since been announced as the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. Total attendance was 6,002. IKKiCON V supported Austin charity, Heart House Austin, an after-school program for underprivileged children. Heart House has committed to using a portion of the donation to help one of their students attend IKKiCON VI. The donation total was $3,075. The charity live auction was sponsored by FUNimation and Austin Browncoats.
IKKiCON LLC is the parent company of Austin, Texas anime festival Anime Overload and is sponsored by Austin based non-profit corporation, Austin Browncoats.
General volunteer sign-up typically starts four months before the convention.
IKKiCON IV and V introduced new programming, including a Maid Cafe and J-POP Room.
IKKiCON focuses on live music due to Austin's claim as the "Live Music Capital of the World". Musical guests have included Peelander-Z, Greg Ayres
, Eyeshine, One-Eyed Doll and The Browncoats.
while attending the convention. IKKiCON V debuted a Photo Suite in which attendees could show up in their costumes and participate in a professional photo shoot. Donations were collected for that year's supported charity, Heart House Austin. Photos were available online.
, American Red Cross
, Kids Need to Read and Heart House Austin. Austin-based non-profit, Austin Browncoats, has sponsored and helped organized IKKiCON's charity live auctions since 2009. FUNimation Entertainment
sponsors the auctions by donating the majority of the auctioned items. Most auctioned items are signed anime-related memorabilia, including DVDs, posters and apparel.
as its theme, while IKKiCON V's theme was Music
.
IKKiCON has announced that IKKiCON VI's theme will be superheroes.
Anime convention
An anime convention is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Commonly, anime conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels...
held annually in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The convention is held during winter, originally in February and now during New Year's Eve weekend. It is Austin's largest anime convention with an attendance of 6,002 at the most recent IKKiCON and is hosted by a 200-member volunteer staff. A variety of guests have attended IKKiCON, including brothers Greg Ayres
Greg Ayres
Gregory Scott Ayres is an American voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films...
and Christopher Ayres
Christopher Ayres
For the journalist, see Chris Ayres.Christopher Owen Ayres is an American voice actor ADR Director and Script Writer, who works for anime series at FUNimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, New Generation Pictures and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English...
, who have attended every IKKiCON to date.
History
IKKiCON was created in 2007 in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
originally taking the date of Ushicon
Ushicon
Ushicon is an annual anime convention that was held in Austin, Texas from 2002 to 2006 and from 2011 forward. The convention is traditionally held in late January or early February. On February 10, 2006, a notice on the Ushicon website indicated that the convention was ceasing operations due to...
. IKKiCON I was held at the Wyndham Garden Inn with an expected attendance of 1,200. The actual attendance was an estimated 2,500 individuals. IKKiCON I started a tradition of raising money for charity, as well. $1,900 was raised for Austin Children's Hospital through a live auction.
Due to this unexpected attendance, IKKiCON had to change venues in its second year. IKKiCON II moved to the fourth largest hotel in Austin, the Doubletree. Attendance was estimated at 3,500. This sophomore year showed growth in programming, as well. IKKiCON II, sponsored by FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
, partnered with Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
in order to grant a wish for an young girl through our charity live auction.
For IKKiCON III, the convention was required to move to the largest hotel in Austin, the Hilton Austin, in order to accommodate the expected attendance. Attendance was estimated at 4,000 total attendees. IKKiCON was sponsored by FUNimation and Austin Browncoats for the charity live auction which raised $4,450 for American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
.
IKKiCON IV was held at the Hilton Austin for the second year in a row. Total attendance was 4,203. $2,000 was raised for Kids Need to Read, a literacy charity co-founded by Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
, of Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
and Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
fame. FUNimation and Austin Browncoats sponsored the event for the fourth year in a row.
IKKiCON V marked the final year the convention would be held at the Hilton Austin. IKKiCON announced during closing ceremonies, as well as via an advertorial in their program, that they would be moving to a new venue. That venue has since been announced as the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. Total attendance was 6,002. IKKiCON V supported Austin charity, Heart House Austin, an after-school program for underprivileged children. Heart House has committed to using a portion of the donation to help one of their students attend IKKiCON VI. The donation total was $3,075. The charity live auction was sponsored by FUNimation and Austin Browncoats.
IKKiCON LLC is the parent company of Austin, Texas anime festival Anime Overload and is sponsored by Austin based non-profit corporation, Austin Browncoats.
Detailed Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|
Staff
IKKiCON consists of a large staff of individuals, as well as a large volunteer base. The convention has several departments, such as Exhibits, Programming, Operations and Guest Relations. Staff positions range from Art Show Manager to Webmaster. IKKiCON keeps their staff application on their website year-round. They update available positions frequently.General volunteer sign-up typically starts four months before the convention.
Programming
IKKiCON's primary focus is Japanese animation and culture. Events include guest and fan panels, workshops, late night dances, karaoke, live music concerts, an art show, a charity auction, "Anime Idol" contest, a cosplay contest, and an anime music video contest and 24-hour video gaming and video watching.IKKiCON IV and V introduced new programming, including a Maid Cafe and J-POP Room.
IKKiCON focuses on live music due to Austin's claim as the "Live Music Capital of the World". Musical guests have included Peelander-Z, Greg Ayres
Greg Ayres
Gregory Scott Ayres is an American voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films...
, Eyeshine, One-Eyed Doll and The Browncoats.
Cosplay
Many of the attendees cosplayCosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
while attending the convention. IKKiCON V debuted a Photo Suite in which attendees could show up in their costumes and participate in a professional photo shoot. Donations were collected for that year's supported charity, Heart House Austin. Photos were available online.
Charity
IKKiCON has raised thousands of dollars for charity since its inception in 2007. Benefactors include Austin Children's Hospital, Make-A-Wish FoundationMake-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
, American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, Kids Need to Read and Heart House Austin. Austin-based non-profit, Austin Browncoats, has sponsored and helped organized IKKiCON's charity live auctions since 2009. FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
sponsors the auctions by donating the majority of the auctioned items. Most auctioned items are signed anime-related memorabilia, including DVDs, posters and apparel.
Mascot
The main mascot for IKKiCON is a girl named Riot. She changes her outfit every year in accordance with the theme.Theme
IKKiCON IV embraced SteampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
as its theme, while IKKiCON V's theme was Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
IKKiCON has announced that IKKiCON VI's theme will be superheroes.