Geek Babble- AKON 2023

 

There’s a certain sense of excitement and anticipation when returning to a convention that one previously attended and then stopped attending for whatever reason.  Last year, it was Anime Boston, where I had returned after taking a hiatus for 5 years, 2 of which were beyond my control.  This year, it was AKON, which I last attended in 2018 before taking a hiatus, partially because the convention had moved dates to late June instead of early June for 2019, but mostly because they switched to an outdoor venue with no on-site lodging options.  Thankfully, that venue was not used for AKON’s next iteration in 2022, and I had looked forward to attending once again in 2023 due to schedule conflicts last year.

 

First of all, no, AKON has not moved back to its former venue at the Fort Worth Convention Center where it was held in 2017 and 2018, nor has it moved back to one of its former hotel venues, but at least it has been moved back to taking place in early June.  Instead, AKON has chosen to host its 2023 event at the Irving Convention Center, sandwiched in between the two cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, and one plus point is easy access to the venue from either of Dallas’ airports thanks to the DART light rail system.  Another plus point to highlight is that despite AKON’s badges being quite expensive, badges are by default mailed to attendees (though foreign, Alaskan, and Hawaiian addresses, along with PO Boxes, are not eligible for mailing).  However, this information, along with lots of other information, is unfortunately arranged in a gaudy-looking website that is more style over substance, with information often buried in odd or difficult-to-find places.  Perhaps the biggest issue is how one can not log into one’s own account directly from the website to manage badge purchase add-on options such as concert reservations and tickets for events with registration fees.

 

Thankfully, I was able to get a reservation at the hotel closest to the convention center, the Westin, and there were 3 other hotels close by, along with a large number of hotels much further away.  There were also several panel rooms at the Westin, with several other rooms dedicated to music-centric events.  I did notice occasional noise leakage into my hotel room from these events, but this was not too bothersome, unlike the steep hotel rate of $249 per night.  Also bothersome was how hotel reservation notifications were only sent out to attendees who had pre-registered at that point in time, and said notification did not provide a specific time listed as to when reservations would go live.  Music and concerts seem to be the largest draw to this current iteration of AKON, with multiple concerts throughout the weekend, one of which was included in the purchase price of the badge.  However, this concert was listed as being 5 hours long, from 7:00 PM on Saturday until midnight, so I decided against attending.

 

Now, like prior AKONs, I had arrived on Thursday in the late afternoon thinking that there would be events taking place as the schedule said, but the convention center was very much empty when I walked in around 4:30 PM, with the only people present being some security guards, registration staff, and vendors.  The Irving Convention Center itself is much smaller than the one in Fort Worth, and while it looks large and stylish on the outside, there was much less venue space inside than its exterior would suggest.  I was wondering how this venue would be able to hold all of AKON’s attendees, which numbered around 35,000 in 2018, but little did I know that AKON had shrunk significantly in the past 5 years by an estimated 30-40%, and that the hours had been cut.  Attendees could not enter into the convention center until 10:00 AM on Friday morning, and there were also bag checks being implemented, with everyone being shepherded into one of two ground-level entrances.  There were other entrances at higher levels connected by gently sloping ramps on the outside of the building, but these were kept locked from the outside throughout the weekend.  Now, these ramps give the convention center more space, but it was barely utilized during AKON due to the somewhat humid weather.  The convention center was relatively easy to navigate, though one panel room was mislabeled and there seemed to be a sense that attendees were oftentimes herded into one-directional paths and corridors.

 

At least the dealers room and artists alley were both open by 10:00 AM on Friday, though both seemed to have shrunk from the last time I had attended AKON.  The dealers room selection could be best described as “average,” though thankfully did not suffer from the same issue as 2018, when almost all vendors focused on stocking merchandise from a few specific anime series.  The artists alley itself was slightly better, with a good selection of digital and traditional works being sold and thankfully there was a free row to expand either of them should the need arise.  Like Sabotencon, there was also a row of booths in this room dedicated to autographs from guests, which seemed to be another focus of AKON.  Nothing else was promoted more prominently on the website or social media than the guests who were attending the convention, which resulted in unintended side consequences when it came to the panel schedule.  Now, first of all, I will gripe about how AKON did not release their panel schedule until a week or so before the convention, and when it got released, I could not help but notice that many of the panels were centered on things such as cosplay construction, cosplay competitions, and how to increase one’s popularity within the cosplay community.  Things such as Japanese culture and anime were also present though took a much more minor role, but one thing that irked me more is that the convention seemed to prioritize approving panels being run by guests or individuals who had a significant social media presence in the anime world at the expense of less-well-known individuals.  Thankfully, the panels that I attended were well run with content being presented by enthusiastic folks who had extensive knowledge about the topics being discussed.

 

What was less well-run, however, was the video game arcade area, where even on Friday afternoon, several of the machines were out of order, and several staff members working to get them up and running.  For the few times I walked by the arcade area during the weekend, there were always several machines which were nonfunctional out of the 20 or so machines present.  However, there was a lot more space dedicated to tabletop gaming, though the room never seemed full or overflowing the few times I walked past it.  As for photoshoots, thankfully there was a space on the website for folks to submit “meetup requests.”  However, I could not locate where these meetups were taking place, and while there were several scenic “photo booths” set up in the convention center, they were just haphazardly stuck at the end of one of the hallways.  There were few cosplays of the “big and bulky” type, and even intricately done cosplays were less common.  Now, that may have to do with the venue itself and how attendees are getting to AKON.  One thing I noticed more is attendees treating AKON as a day event, driving to the convention early in the morning, parking at a nearby parking ramp, and then leaving later in the day.  Whether this is due to the lack of hotel space versus the Fort Worth Convention Center or the increase in cost I am not sure, but it was surprising to say the least.  Also surprising but in a good way was the huge number of food choices available, including a concessions kiosk along with a café at the convention center, multiple food trucks parked out in front of the convention center, concession booths at the Westin, and a multitude of nearby restaurants.

 

But in the end, where does that leave AKON?  Well, first of all, this is not the same enormous AKON of the late 2010s.  The management changed, the location changed, the size changed, and more importantly, the feel changed.  It also seems that the anime convention scene in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has been split into not only AKON and A-Fest, but it has also been joined by Anime Frontier, which takes place at the Fort Worth Convention Center.  Judged by itself, AKON is still a good convention with plenty to offer, especially to those who are interested in attending concerts, learning about cosplay, and meeting guests.  The panels were well-run and the staff relatively organized.  It is an easy convention to approach for those who have not been to conventions before, and a great convention for those who do not wish to stay at the venue overnight.  The food is excellent.  However, it’s as if AKON is aiming to being more approachable to a new generation of congoers and also to the casual congoers, which is not a problem.  However, the biggest issue I have with this new iteration of AKON is it charges more money than before but offers less, mostly in terms of panels, photoshoots, and meetups, with a slightly smaller dealers room and artists alley.  In fact, when it comes to per-night hotel room costs, this is the second most expensive convention I have ever attended.  Is it worth going to?  For locals, absolutely.  For out-of-towners, maybe occasionally.  Will I return?  Maybe.