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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. (The dates are very likely changing; we’ll have an announcement as soon as contracts are signed.) 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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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!