More than 90,500 Fans Attended, about 12% more than 2014
The just-concluded 24th Annual Anime Expo, presented by The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, played host to more than 90,500 fans of Japanese animation and pop culture, July 2-5, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Sneaking up in attendance right behind Comic-Con, this year’s show marked the biggest presentation in its history, taking every inch of the Los Angeles Convention Center for the first time.
This year’s unique attendance to Anime Expo was counted at more than 90,500, an increase of 10,500 attendees from last year, marking a 12% growth more than 2014.
Overall turnstile attendance exceeded 260,700, marking an increase from last year of 40,700, representing 18% growth more than 2014.
AX 2015 presented more than 300 exhibitors for attendees, including such entertainment industry companies as HULU, Warner Bros. Japan, Crunchyroll, Sony Music, Sanrio, Aniplex, Sentai Filmworks, FUNimation, Daisuki and others.
Exhibiting video game companies included Capcom, SEGA, Namco Bandai, NIS America, Aksys Games, Atlus USA, Voltage, Koei Tecmo and Com2uS.
The show also hosted more than 60 entertainment industry guests, including producers, directors, animators and other content creators of feature films, television and videogames, as well as performing music groups, singers and bands, including special guest appearances by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS and Japan’s # 1 pop music singing sensation Momoiro Clover Z.
Marc Perez, Chief Executive Officer of SPJA, said, “Anime Expo 2015 has been our most successful event yet, and we want to thank everyone who attended. We wish to also thank all of our 1,600 volunteers for their hard work and amazing dedication to the promotion of Japanese culture. From registration improvements to entertainment programming, we produced the best AX yet. And we invite all of our fans to return next year for AX 2016 - our biggest celebration ever, which will mark our 25th event.”ABOUT ANIME EXPO:
Founded in 1991 at University of California Berkeley by a group of anime aficionados, Anime Expo is an annual celebration dedicated to bringing together members of the entertainment industry and fans of Japanese pop culture. The event is currently the largest anime and manga convention in the Americas. Next year’s event will be held July 1-4, 2016 (the show’s 25th year) at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), based in Santa Ana, California, is the parent organization which funds and manages Anime Expo.
Popular Anime Expo events include: The Masquerade, Anime Music Video Contest, Concerts, and the Fashion Show. Anime Expo also offers late-night programming such as dance, video screenings, tabletop and electronic gaming, and open-mic karaoke. Many of the attendees cosplay while attending the convention. Cosplay lovers also participate in the dozens of AX events designed for fans of different anime, manga, gaming, and other media genres.
Renowned for its ability to bring famous guests to America for panels and concerts, Anime Expo has also been the site of many U.S. debuts of TV shows, movies, videogames, and bands. For more information, please see: anime-expo.org/.
ABOUT SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTIONAL OF JAPANESE ANIMATION:
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a organization that works to promote Japanese Culture and the arts that are related to Japanese Animation. The SPJA has various ongoing projects that work to achieve this goal. These events are fueled by the dedication and support of a small workforce and over 1,500 impassioned volunteers.
The SPJA owns properties such as: Anime Conji - San Diego's premier Japanese culture event, Anime Expo - the largest anime convention in North America, and Project Anime a business-to-business event dedicated to connecting - conventions, distribution companies, vendors, and each other for the purpose of “adding fuel to the fandom.”
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation is a 501(c)(6) registered non-profit mutual benefit trade organization. For more info, please visit: spja.org/about-us/.
