Events

The content of an anime convention is made of up several elements, but none as important as an event. An event is simply a place and time for something to happen. Convention events are almost always (but not exclusively) related to anime, manga and Japanese culture. They give participants the opportunity to have fun with each other as they take part in quizzes, cosplay shows, concerts, contests and so forth.

Types of events

Quality conventions with high attendance have the biggest variety and higehst number of events. Here is a quick list of some of those events that can be hosted at different conventions.

Panels

Panels are a discussion forum where a pre-determinded topic is spoken of. Usually panels are hosted by the conventions themselves and they invite guests to participate in the panel to give their expertize thus making the panel a valuable source of information for attendees. Types of panels could be a manga ka talking about how one could make a manga or guests talking about how to get to where they are, be they musicians, artists, convention makers and so on.

Panels are also a source for conventions to host fan based panels, where external groups are allowed to host their own panels on their interests. So a fan group of a specific anime, hobby, ecetera can share their interest and in that way introduce new attendees to other aspects of Japanese culture.

Workshops

A workshop is a interactive part of the convention which requires direct envolvment of the attendees to create something. Workshops could be about drawing and getting attendees to draw, teaching them skills along the way. The person hosting the workshop could show or tell people how to draw and then the attendees can practice. Some types of workshops include, cosplay, drawing, make computer animation or how to become a voice actor.

Video screenings

Almost all anime conventions hold screenings of anime. They also show real Japanese tv shows (doramas), live movies, anime-related music videos and anime itself. Video screenings often run the entire length of a convention and give an outlook on what the most popular series are.

Contests

Conventions almost always have contests where they give away prizes that they have for differnet events. If a attendee wins a quiz, contest or does something outstanding they can be rewarded with a prize. Contests are the best way to reward attendees for making the convention better by attending events. Contests can focus on cosplay, art works, anime-related music videos, video games and any other activity where competetive behaviour can be attained.

Game room

A place for consoles, video-game contests and a 24/7 open entertainment center for all attendees at conventions. A game room is a place where attendees can battle each other for fun or in contests and try out new games, consoles and also a place where lonely night hours can be spent awake in good company.

Dealer room

One of the central themes for larger conventions are the Dealer rooms. These rooms contain stores, publishing companies, distributors and other proprietors of anime, manga and Japanese merchandise that sell their wares to the attendees. They sell all kinds of items and sometimes pirated items are seen in these rooms, but are often addressed with bans and fines.

Art room

The art area of a convention in this case the art room is a place where artists can hang their art, where art contests are held and where amature artists can sell their work. Art rooms are a cornerstone of the local anime convention since local artists can rent their own chair and sell art at the convention. At art rooms drawing competitions are held.