When was Anime Expo first held?
Anime Expo was first held from the 3rd to the 6th of July 1992 at the Red Lion Hotel in San Jose, California. The convention relocated to Southern California in 1994 and every edition has taken place there since.
Questions about Anime Expo
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who organizes Anime Expo?
Anime Expo is organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, known as SPJA. SPJA is registered as a federal and California state 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Corona, California.
How many people attend Anime Expo?
Anime Expo drew 1,750 attendees at its first show in 1992 and grew to more than 107,658 attendees in 2017, making it the largest anime and manga convention in North America.
Why did Anime Expo cancel its in-person convention in 2020 and 2021?
Anime Expo cancelled its in-person 2020 convention on the 17th of April 2020 and its 2021 convention on the 3rd of March 2021, both times citing COVID-19 safety concerns. In both years SPJA replaced the live show with an online event called Anime Expo Lite.
Has Anime Expo ever been held outside California?
Anime Expo has been held outside California only twice, with Anime Expo New York in 2002 and Anime Expo Tokyo in 2004. SPJA has not produced an event outside California since 2004.
What happened to Anime Expo's leadership in 2009 and 2010?
CEO Trulee Karahashi left Anime Expo's parent organization in March 2009, and Michael Lattanzio was hired as her replacement that September. Eight members of the convention's upper management team publicly resigned in January 2010 over disagreements with Lattanzio's new direction, and Lattanzio was himself released from the CEO position in September 2010.