ACen and General Convention FAQ

Anime Central is an event held in the state of Illinois dedicated to the appreciation, recognition, and enjoyment of Japanese animation and culture. It is an event which is attended by many and is an opportunity to meet and talk to people with similar interests.

Anime Central 2012 will be April 27th-29th, 2012. While there are slight variances in time, typically the convention will officially start on Friday around 10 am and end Sunday around 4pm. However, some things start earlier – such as Registration, Tabletop Gaming, and a few other departments which traditionally open on Thursday night.

The convention is sponsored by a not-for-profit, 501©3 organization named MAPS (Midwest Animation Promotion Society). The convention is staffed by volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to putting on a fun and exciting convention event.

*ACen -Short for Anime Central, much like AX is short for Anime Expo, AWA is short for Anime Weekend Atlanta, etc.

*Got Soap – A parody on the “Got Milk?” commercials, Got Soap is Anime Central’s way of giving a subtle message to its attendees – for the sake of others around you, please bathe, shower, and use soap during your stay.

*Pocky – A Japanese snack, basically a short, narrow wheat cracker dipped in chocolate or other material. Due to a certain Masquerade skit in Anime Central 2001, the “Pocky” chant during Masquerade has been popularized at Anime Central, although these days it’s losing its touch.

*Dance – Also popularized as a chant during Masquerade, due to a skit involving a character from the Playstation game Bust a Groove. Even more out of touch than “Pocky” – but experienced a brief resurgence when the Anime Central 2004 Convention Chair danced (badly) on stage. Dance and music have become points of pride for the show, with our very popular Soap Bubble (Saturday night dance) and the Underground Groove (Friday night dance)

Anime Central has seen an increasing number of attendees every year. In 2011 we had 23,353 attendees.

All sorts of things! We have panels on favorite series, guest signings, a dealer’s room with anime/manga and Japanese culture merchandise, video rooms, special events such as the Masquerade, and more! And that’s not counting all the opportunities you get to hang out with people who like anime/manga too.

Anime Central started in 1998, but the planning for it began much earlier in 1996 at a local anime club. Ever since then, we’ve been going strong, and our exponential growth has put us among the top conventions in the United States.

We joke that the show is 24×2.5 From opening ceremonies to closing ceremonies, we never shut down completely—we have events that run all night, and typically, there’s a lot going on with our attendees, so you could consider us a 24-hour convention.

Anime Central is primarily concentrated in the Hyatt O’Hare and the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. In recent years we have expanded to holding some panel programming in the Hilton, Doubletree, and Embassy Suites. The program guide will have all the specifics of when and where to go for each event – but a map is available for download here: ACen Convention Map 2011

The hotel information page has information on the Hyatt and the about us page has the methods of getting to the convention center and hotel area.

Currently, there is no limit to the amount of attendees that can attend Anime Central. Some events, such as the Masquerade, will have limited attendance due to fire code rules and space. For the event itself however, we have no membership cap. Please remember that because of the volume of individuals at the convention site, you should be mindful of congregating in one place where you can block the hallways and common areas that people need to get through.

A convention is an event, usually based around a theme, practice, or commonly appreciated medium. There are many different kinds of conventions, and Anime Central is the kind that is recreational in nature and based around a “theme” of anime/manga and general Japanese pop culture.

You can expect pretty much anything, but aside from that, some specific things to expect are dependant on what kind of convention you attend. At ACen, you can expect to find cosplayers who dress up as their favorite Anime or Japanese culture characters, live events, concerts, dances, competitions, gaming, and individuals of all ages who appreciate different parts of the anime, manga, and Asian culture genres. We also hope you’ll find a fun and sociable atmosphere, and memories to cherish.

There is a short guide for first time con-goers available: You do not have access to view this node

Gofers are a nickname for volunteers, who are not full staffers, but who offer their services at the convention to do grunt work such as doing food runs, making copies, assisting in setup, and other such tasks. The name “gofer” is a pun that comes from their function as “runners” for various needs – i.e. “go for some paper” or “go for this food” or “go for more program books.” Gofers are commonly some of the backbone behind some of the larger tasks of the convention.

Certainly! The midwest area has many conventions, including Anime Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Ohayocon in Columbus, Sugoicon in Cincinnati, and many more. There are many more opportunities to attend anime conventions and we’ll certainly be at as many of them as we can, so drop by and say hi to us if you see us!

Cosplay is short for “costume play,” where individuals create or have made costumes of their favorite anime characters and wear them to the convention. Cosplayers are creative and are proud of their work, and it’s common to see many of them walking the halls during an anime convention.

The Masquerade is one of the biggest events of the convention and it is an opportunity for cosplayers to show off their costumes, present skits, and if so desired, compete for prizes.

There are a variety of factors, including availability, timing, popularity, and reputation. Usually, we’re open to suggestions unless we’ve said something about a specific guest, so head on over to the Guest Suggestions part of the Forums to let your voice be known!

The short answer is that it varies from guest to guest. Certain guests are harder or even impossible to secure than others. Some may be much easier. A lot of it is dependant on factors which may or may not be in our control. All we can do is ask that you make your suggestions and be patient – and we might score that favorite guest for you.

This is usually printed in the program book you will get when you arrive at the convention. Typically, however, past autograph policies have limited individuals to one item or autograph per attendee per guest, and have used incentive such as panel attendance for autographs.

We have a full history of ACen’s years past available – including that year’s guests – available here

We have a stipulation in our contract with the convention center that says that outside food cannot be sold by any of our contracted vendors at Anime Central. However, the Convention Center’s concession stand will be selling Pocky.

Liability is the main issue – we do not want to be at fault if an accident happens with a weapon that is considered illegal to possess at the convention (such as a “sharpened steel” sword or other weapon). We are also concerned about Illinois/Chicago/City of Rosemont law and wish to comply fully with their regulations.

We have surveys that will be given out at con and online that you may fill out your thoughts on. Immediate concerns can also be conveyed to the Customer Service locations. Pre-convention complaints can be submitted to acenfeedback@acen.org.

The easiest way to get a response is to contact the hotel front desk. They will coordinate with our own convention IRT (Incident Response Team) staff to resolve the behavior or problem. Remember, NEVER take matters into your own hands beyond asking politely for the behavior or horseplay to stop. Your convention packet will also have contact information for reporting emergencies or disruptive behavior.

We have sold convention t-shirts, but have also had other items such as pencil boards, baseball hats, cups, and even “clean kits” which included a bar of molded soap on a rope and a washcloth. We’re always open to new ideas, so please post your thoughts in the Merchandising section of the Forums!

The short answer – “when it’s done.” The programming schedule is fluid depending on many factors, including but not limited to guest lineup, panel demand, new events, and time constraints. We want to put up the most accurate grid of events that we can, and not confuse our attendees with changing information. This is why we wait until the programming grid is final before we post it online. You can of course find the programming grid in the program book of your convention packet.

Anime Central’s Customer Service department exists to ensure that all schedule changes and items are communicated to attendees who ask. Find the stations at the convention and ask away! You can also check posted signage at the convention for scheduling changes. We will also strive to have a recap on the website for all of the events and panels for each year.

We’ve had panels such as “Japanese Guests ask you about America,” where the Japanese guests will ask about our culture. We’ve also had interesting events such as the Iron Chef Anime Music Video Challenge, a martial arts demonstration, a Japanese tea ceremony, The Game Show, Press Your Luck, Anime Hell, and more. Ask your fellow attendees who have been at ACen before and they’ll be more than happy to tell you what’s gone on in the past.

You should contact the Panel Programming Department Head at panelprogramming@acen.org. Be sure to include as much information as possible about your intended panel so that we can make a decision about fitting it in.

If we do not allow our vendors to sell food at the convention due to our contract, then attendees are even more accountable. You cannot sell food at the convention. You may, however, bring your own food for yourself or your friends/roommates to consume.

Room parties can be held so long as individuals running them are responsible and considerate of other individuals in the hotel. If alcoholic beverages are served, the room party planners are responsible for checking ID’s and ensuring no minors are involved in the party. Excessively unruly or other parties in violation of these and other rules shall be shut down by hotel staff and convention security.

You can find most of them in your program book in your convention packet. Some you’ll see before the convention, in documents like this one!

You can email staffing@acen.org to get information from the Chief of Staff about being on staff for Anime Central. Alternatively, volunteers (“gofers”) can use volunteers@acen.org to get gofering information.

No, staff does not get paid. We are a volunteer organization. All proceeds from Anime Central go straight into funding the next year’s convention.

You can expect a lot of work, time, and energy spent. You can also expect, depending on what department you’re in, to miss some or most of the convention. You can expect to be told to follow the orders of your assigned department and be respectful and courteous to our attendees. But most of all, you can expect to meet a great bunch of people that want to put on a neat event for others.

We usually hold monthly staff meetings, and your assigned department may also hold their own meetings from time to time. While there is no concrete time commitment pre-con, being at the convention will take up most of your time, and we require at least 24 hours of work from each staff member over the course of the convention weekend.

Skills needed range from a variety of things, from media production, publicity skills, customer service, technical knowledge, crowd control, and project planning. If you have a skill, more than likely we can place you in a department that can utilize and nurture that skill to the fullest.

Any other comments/concerns or questions can be directed to acenfeedback@acen.org – or visit our forums for extensive information on the convention and everything involved with it.