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We would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported and attended our first online event. It has been a very long year, but we’re here to stay! Right now, we have not made any decisions about Ohayocon 22, but we can tell you that the dates are January 14-16, 2022! If we can have large gatherings by those dates, then Ohayocon 22 will be in the usual place, the Hyatt Regency Columbus. (But officially, we cannot recommend making a reservation yet.)

If you need to contact us, please feel welcome to do so via our contact form. See you later!

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Join the server!

Join our server on Discord

Haven’t met us yet? We’re on the Official Ohayocon Discord Server. See you soon!

J-pop/K-pop Dance Competition entries open

Are you the best J-pop or K-pop dance crew? Prove it! Send us a 2-4 minute video of yourself, your duo, or your whole crew breaking it down for us and you could win! Entry requirements and rules are available on the Signature Events page. Best of luck!

Cosplay Expo performance, craftsmanship and judge applications available through Dec. 31

No Ohayocon would be complete without the Cosplay Expo and for 2021 we are going virtual! All the information you need to know, and various registration forms, are available on the Cosplay Expo page. Good luck!

Don’t forget to cancel your hotel reservation

We just want to remind you that your hotel reservation will not be transferred or forwarded to another year, so if you have a reservation, please don’t forget to cancel it! Your hotel reservation is solely between you and the hotel; we are not involved in that agreement, so we cannot cancel or forward your reservation for you or otherwise be liable for it.

Dealers now on waitlist

The deadline for the Dealers Room app was Oct. 30. You can still join the waitlist.

Panel application deadline passed

The Ohayocon 21 panel application is closed; if you applied by the deadline, you should receive a response from us by Nov. 14. If you have questions, please contact us.

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Are you ready to share your passion? We’re accepting panel submissions from now through Oct. 31, 2020! Here’s a message from our paneling director:

Hey there everyone! Your friendly neighborhood Paneling Director, Sarge, here! I’m happy to announce that Paneling Applications for E-Hayocon ’21 are now open!! Come on and fill out the application to try and get onto our online panels this year.

There’s a few changes to the rules, so please read over them entirely to make sure that you have what you need to present with us this year. And as always, if you need any help crafting or honing ideas, feel free to drop a line to panels@ohayocon.org or tag @panels on the Ohayocon Public Discord Server.

We look forward to some amazing content and amazing people this year!

The application deadline is Oct. 31, 2020, with no exceptions. Applicants can expect a response by Nov. 14. Good luck!

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Ohayocon mascot Lindsay Howard stands in a bustling virtual marketplace complete with fish vendor, aristocratic crocodile, dark elf, and foxgirl.
“My anime convention was suspended in person and reincarnated in a virtual world?!”

Yep, Ohayocon 21 is going digital! Thanks to the pandemic, we are not hosting our in-person event. But there are still fun things to do! We’re hosting gaming tournaments, special guests, chatrooms, and a virtual Artist Alley and Dealers Room this January. Access is completely free via the Ohayocon Public Discord Server!

We know it is not the same—and we’re not trying to pass it off as a real, live convention. But we do have some tricks up our sleeve. We’ll run gaming tournaments on a similar schedule to last year, starting later this calendar year. We’re also in talks with some of our special guests to do talks or chats, and that’s something you’ll only be able to enjoy during the convention weekend. Additionally, we know this year has been very tough on artists and dealers who depend on conventions as a platform for sales, so we’re going to have a special online area just for them. So come relive old (better?) times with us and drop in for a chat!

With that said, we need to tell you that we’ve moved the dates one weekend later, to January 22-24, 2021. Don’t forget to update your calendars! As always, if you need to talk, please contact us and we’ll be in touch. See you soon!

P.S. We know this news is disappointing—it’s sad for us, too—but we hope you’ll support us through this like you always do. Our leadership team has been debating this for months, and we’ve come to the conclusion that this is the best choice for our attendees, staff, special guests and exhibitors. With a diverse group of planners and attendees, many of whom are at high risk or immunocompromised, we strongly believe this is the best choice given the global pandemic. Thank you all for your support—we’re looking forward to seeing you again!

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Artists, now is your opportunity to apply for the Ohayocon 21 Artist Alley! The application will be available until the deadline, Aug. 15, 2020. There are no exceptions to the deadline!

…and that’s all for now. We know you’re all dying for information about pre-registration; unfortunately we are still unable to open it. We are continuing to watch the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and will release information about pre-registration as soon as we are able. We thank you for your patience during this unusual time.

See you soon!

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Hiya! Just wanted to send out a quick update. We do have the dates for 2021! They are Jan. 14-17, 2021, at the usual place. There isn’t much we can say right now, but we are watching the COVID-19 news this year. As of today, we plan to hold Ohayocon 21 as scheduled. We’ll have an official marketing release about it, including the unveiling of the theme, soon. Until then, see you!

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We’re excited to show off all these guests for Ohayocon 20! Click on any of them to learn more about them.

Voice Actors

Industry Speakers

Nabeshin, Industry Speaker, Legend, Director
Toshifuma YOSHIDA, Industry Speaker
Studio Capsule Industry Speaker, Art, Comics, Conventions
Amanda Winn Lee, Industry Speaker, Mom, Voice Actor, Scribe
Katsura Sunshine Cultural Guest Rakugo Storyteller
Shin Kurokawa Industry Producer, Director, Musician
Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons Artist
Rosearik Rikki Simons Voice Actor, Writer, and Artist
Red Gallagher Author, Artist Megatokyo
 

 

Musical Guests

Kevin Woo Musical Guest Singer, Actor, TV Host, Influencer
Diana Garnet Musical Guest J-pop Star
Caleb Hyles Musician

Fan Guests

Oriana Peron Fan Guest Drag Queen
Flork of Cows Fan Guest Webcomics
Momo Kurumi Cosplay Cosplayer, Seamstress, Artist
Sewn Together Reflections Fan Guests Cosplayers, Writers
H D C Fabrication Fan Guest Cosplay
Dennis Daniel Fan Guest Podcast and Panels

 

Lady Dragon Creations Fan Guest Cosplay, Style
Akakioga Cosplay, Fan Guest, Cosplay, Advocacy
Mogchelle Fan Guest Cosplay

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Hi there! It’s Oct. 1, only about three months until Ohayocon 20, and we want to let you know what’s happening. Here’s some news:

Registration

Panels

Cosplay

Gaming

  • Want to take on Ohio’s best PC gamers? Tournament signups are available now! We’re offering: League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics (one of the first Teamfight Tactics tournaments in the history of anime conventions), Overwatch, and CS:GO! The registration deadline is Oct. 31, 2019, so sign up today! (We’re still working on our console tournament offerings.)
  • DMs, submit your Game Event Application and join the fun!
  • We’ve updated the Indie Gaming Showcase page so you can see all the exciting new (and returning!) independently designed games we’re featuring this Ohayocon.

Special Guests

  • We have already announced some special guests for the Fan Guests, Voice Actors, and Industry Speakers categories. These are not all of them, of course, so be sure you’re subscribed to our Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as our email update list (sign up below or to the left, depending on where you’re reading this).

Volunteering

  • Our new staff application is still available, as is the Kohai Program application, if you want to join us. The new staff application is due Oct. 15, 2019 for priority consideration; there is no deadline for the Kohai Program application.
  • On that note, we want to announce a new, shorter staff service-hour quota option: for only 15 hours of scheduled work (compared to the standard 25), you will receive every benefit offered to staff except for lodging. If you’re in the Columbus area, or already have a room with your friends, this is a great way to help and still have plenty of time to enjoy your favorite Ohayocon activities! Let’s work together.

And that’s it! We invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on all things Ohayocon. We also have an email update list: sign up below or to the left (depending on where you’re reading this). As always, you can browse our Frequently Asked Questions page and access our contact form from there. See you soon!

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Weekend Badges for Ohayocon 20 are just $45 now, but you have to pre-register by Sept. 19! After that, the price jumps to $50. This is the best deal we offer for a weekend full of entertaining contests, games, panels, anime screenings, and so much more. Visit our registration page and get your badge, and we’ll see you in January!

(Psst! Don’t forget, if you want to volunteer or join staff, we’re still accepting applications!)

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Finally, the wait is over! The Ohayocon 20 Artist Alley application is available. All the information you need is available on the Artist Alley page. Not sure if Ohayocon Artist Alley is right for you? If you make your own products with your own IP, then you are likely eligible to apply for space in our annual nerdy art fair. These spaces cost less than Dealers Room spaces, and retail is prohibited so you won’t have to compete with commercial dealers right next to you. (The full rules are written in the application, accessible via the Artist Alley page.)

The deadline is Aug. 31, 2019 with no exceptions, so go apply!