AX 2002 Contest...

[Vlad G Pohnert]

AX is too commercial for my liking. Please Otakon, don't be like them!

There is nothing commercial about AX. It is still a fan run convention operated entirely by unpaid volunteers. The only difference between AX and Otakon is that AX has more industry connections, especially abroad. No other convention comes even remotely close to having the kind of presence from the Japanese side of the industry than AX. Hence, yeah they suck up to the corporates a lot. They wouldn't get the guests and industry presence that they currently enjoy if they didn't. The downside is that a few of the gray-area activities have to be shoved into a corner (note that I didn't say "eliminated"), but that in my opinion is a very small price to pay.

Would you rather AX not have any industry presence at all? Would you like them to tell the corporations to just piss off and have Anime Expos without Guests of Honor or studio panelists, and simply run a bunch of fan-panels and show fansubs in the video rooms all day? Come to think of it, that just about describes a few of the smaller cons out there...

It really shows that you've never been to Otakon before Troy. There is quite a big difference between the two con and con staff. I think you should actually go to Otakon before you start comparing the cons in that mamor. I for one have gone to both and AX is a lot more industry driven on both the surface and underneath. I also have a few inside contacts in the industry and although AX is still run by volunteers, there is a lot of manipulation of the industry that goes on that very few really know about. Now, there are a lot of benefits that this brings to AX so it's not ment as a huge negative.. Otakon on the other hand is still a total fan based convention, just with huge numbers. There isn't a huge industry presentce there in terms of behind the scences, but all the major companies are still there and so are many Japanese guests. So far Otakon has been able to get away with everything most fan cons have. Hec, Otakon even has it own video arts track where they show music videos, overflow from the contest and fan parodies.

I would say that there IS a big difference between the two cons and you can actually tell by whole feel of the convention!

Vlad

[The Wired Knight]

I haven't been to Otakon or many other anime conventions for that matter but I too agree that AX is a very industry driven convention. Granted the staff is volunteers but sometimes I think they care a little too much about the industry to the point that they are overestimating how the industry will react to certain events. In Troy's defense though, from what I've understood of other cons, the industry panels and presence is greater at AX than it is at other conventions despite them being at both. However this is costly to the way the con runs somewhat as with this greater presence comes a higher amount of fear on the part of the staff.