I feel we don't have enough cons around Uk and obviously Japan and the USA has much much more to offer. London tends to be expensive then there are a few dotted around. I know Chibicon is new but this is in Derby
I know a group in Manchester is thinking about a con but would a con in Manchester be good? I've been thining about it for 3 (days straight now and how much I'd really love to do it...but lack of experience does come in my way. I do have a ticket to Chibicon however I'm on my own so far and is a 50/50 I'd go but I know I should go to see what its like.
Do you think we need more cons? any other input?

NO we certainly do not need any more cons.

This is a list of every convention I know of in the UK and Ireland, and aside from those, there are other sci-fi cons which can overlap, as well as various small local events dotted about (such as anime club mini-cons). As you can see there are already *a lot* of conventions all over the country.

Many of these events only have say 300 attendees. The problem seems that everyone wants a convention on their doorstep. However, when there are that many events around, getting the attendees can be difficult, particularly for small, first-time cons. Small, new cons rarely get more than half of their capacity. Also they’re competing with bigger and more established conventions (Ame, Minami & Aya)

A piece of advice for your friends in Manchester, in addition to what I have already said, (from someone who has been through it before), organising a con is HARD. That is all.

Regarding what you say about other countries, remember how much larger the US is, and that Japan is a completely different situation since anime is mainstream there. These countries are simply not comparable to the UK. If you look at the rest of Europe, certainly countries such as France (where anime is a bit more established) have larger events, but not necessarily *more* of them. Much like how we have events centred on London, several of theirs are located around Paris. The number and location of cons isn’t the point, it’s their quality and therefore how many people will want to attend them.

I agree, sort of. But I also agree with Angelphie.

Somewhere in the UK, I think there's almost 1 each month. In Japan, they have huge ones, some in Tokyo once a week (or so I've been told), but anime or even cosplay isn't as well known in the UK as some of the other countries for there to be anymore.

That said, I DO think however there should be at least 1 more in Scotland, even if it only takes 300. Since Scotland technically IS a different country, It would be nicer if there was 1 more in either Aberdeen or Edinburgh, although I doubt this will happen seeing as the convention calendar is fully booked and cons want to work with each other on times, not compete for attendees.

Depending on where you live, it might seem like there is not a lot of cons, but there is.

No more cons pls ;_;

I think the big summer con (Ame/Aya) does well for being in the middle of the country and not too expensive to get to (if booking trains in advance).

The deciding factor for ppl attending a con usually boils down to 'will my friends also be going'.
People can't afford to go to more than one or two conventions a year, plus an Expo or two.

If more con's are needed, its realy down south, i meen yeah theres london ones, but unless you live there you dont hear about the smaller meet up's, its like, they all seem to be in like leicestershire and up that way, were as devon and oxfordshire and so on seem to get totaly left out, or they just have realy small con's that no one knows about T_T

*rocks back and forth in his rocking chair*

Back in my day we had to hike 100 miles to the nearest Animu convention and it only ever happened once an equinox when the planets where in alignment.

Them's were the good ole' days.

---

(Apologies for spelling, my parents lappy is rather rubbish)

Seriously though the UK is doing pretty well for events these days.

The US holds one convention per state on average, that's why there is so many of them.

In the UK we used to have one, then it was two, then Expo came long and it became 5/6 now with all these other small, fan-run conventions popping up it's getting to the point where anymore may just start working AGAINST the UK community and forcing people into too small niches.

Personally I think the Minami, Aya/Ame, Expo May, Midlands 1, Expo October, Midlands 2, Auchinawa, The one in Ireland whose name I forget, is PLENTY.

Those are events staggered evenly throughout the UK, no matter where you are you can make at least two-three of those in a year.

Running a convention is hard work and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It takes more than just enthusiasm and a few days of thinking about.

You'll need at least a whole year or research, planning, organisation and preparation before you can deliver a convention that people would be happy to attend and speak well of in the future.

I don't want to put people off the idea of running their own con, it's an incredible thing to do and would look awesome on a C.V. However I wouldn't recommend rushing into it just yet' attend as many cons as you can, speak to the organisers, get tips, research into it.

~M

I pretty much agree with everything Angelphie said. Everytime I see that list it scares me I used to think we didn't have many but now I'm costantly needing to plan costumes for my next convention after the last one just finished D:

I’d also like to add that the *location* of cons is fairly irrelevant. And that tends to be the prime reason people want yet another con - to have one in a new location, convenient for them.

Although there may be areas of the UK that are neglected (and being biased towards it myself, I’ll agree that Scotland isn’t in a great position with only the one con here!) the fact is that enough people are prepared to travel to cons, so it doesn’t matter. Yes, it’s nice to save some money and not have to go far, or even be able to stay at home for a con, but in general, travelling isn’t a big deal.

Before the days of Auchinawa, everyone in Scotland had to head down to England to get to any convention at all. We still do - there are loads of Scots who were at AmeCon, and yet those who live much closer might whinge that Leicester’s too far for them. While I was at Minami last year, someone told me that they didn’t want to go to Auchinawa because it was “too far”. Well, I got from Glasgow to Southampton, it’s nothing challenging…Yes, I have to plan finances a bit more carefully to factor in travel costs, allow time to get there, but that’s all.

And how would a see all my friends at the same con if they all refused to attend anything but the events close to them? Travel is a part of going to conventions. It’s not the convention’s location, it’s going to an event that I know will be good, and that lots of others will also wish to attend.

(on this note, an explanation for the number of London area events is that it’s very easy to travel to London from all over the UK)

yeah I totally agree I think we do have enough cons and such and i'm one of the lucky ones who is living just 10 minutes from where Minamicon is held maybe thats why I'm not complaining? but anyhow this how I see it. I think the schedules work out well for instance:

Feb - Minami
May - Expo
August - Aya/Ame
October - Expo

So it gives me all enough time to save money to buy pressies for xmas and sort my finances out ^^ and costume make inbetween cons/expos (and do uni work). plus even if they are abit terrible you get Recon coming about towns and usually anime meets/societies often in bigger towns and cities.

Also on the forums I see there are alot of cosplay meets/picnics and cafes happen every so often.

but if there was to be a new con then I think Wales deserves one, actually is there a con in Wales o.O? buh I'm mummblings.

As much as I hate travelling to events (namely becasue I have a heart condition) I would say there is enough anime events in the UK. I do attend other sci-fi events as well and its a struggle to decide which to do.

Having been a co-organiser of a 2500 capacity event and a guest liasion for 20 years I can definatley state that running conventions is very hard work. You have to be dedicated. And be prepared to cope even when things go completely pear shaped. The end result can be awesome but also tiring.

A year ago,I used to groan and think 'I'll have to travel from Shetland, the most northerly place in the UK near the arctic, to London, just for a few day expo.

I have no Problem from traveling from Glasgow next year to Licester for Ame. I actually enjoy taveling, even if it's just sitting on a train or bus for hours on end.

People complain about cons being 30 miles away? Pfft. Flying from Shetland to Glasgow (only 300 miles) is the same price as flying from Glasgow to Newyork.

Think of it as someone from Glasgow attending Sakuracon in New york every year. trufax. (the prices are why I'm moving next year)

Ooof! That's a killer!

Move and get thyself a good fuel-economic car ASAP sir/madam!

~M

Eep, I thought I had it pretty bad! I had no idea flights from Shetland were so expensive O_o

What makes it the most stupid is....Shetland is the biggest oil producer in Europe, but we can't process it.So we have to sell it and buy it back again.

I can't wait to move

Haha. At least it's pretty, though!

Pretty much agree with what everyone else has said here. The UK con scene is much better off than it used to be! There are more than enough cons now if you make the effort (and believe me it's nearly always worth it! O_~)

New cons are a good thing, and I encourage it to a point. But what we dont want is a load of random little cons all over the place which will spread the anime community around. I like the fact that at every con I go to I always see lots of faces I recognise! ^^

why is everyone getting the idea I'm gonna do this hahahha I wish but through everyone's response in fact all of you so far have agreed we have enough and I do understand the different size of American in compasrison with the UK and Japan ... its just Japan they're crazy anyhu
I'm not talking about the small scale types and believe me I've helped in large events and boy I mean the stress that happens and that's jus a day event!
The only reason I'd suggest more is that I got the idea not many people would want to travel to Ireland say because I don't know, it seems out of the way (though I do entirely understand Scotland and Ireland need more cons....does Wales have any??) but do people from say down south, travel all the way to Scotland and Ireland.
what I also bear in mind these days is the credit crunch, airplanes are expensive and on the rise and petrol is now a major issue and I'm wondering if anyone in the future could afford getting to these places they thought it was so easy to get just by saving the money they could?

course if I ever made a con and like I said I've been thinking on this, I wouldn't be daft I know the effort, area is crucial (I notice universities tend to be good...or those hotels) and what I'd take into mind is sponsors, my mum knows the managers of the local sushi bar ;P (he owns more than one bar before anyone states anything lol)
and of course a first time con wouldn't be so big but enough to see is it worth carrying it on and plus experience of the whole thing would be tremendous