User:Kopf1988/AnimeIowa

AnimeIowa is an anime convention run by the not-for-profit Mindbridge Foundation and is held annually. The convention offers anime screening, videogames, an art auction, guest panels, cosplay, and an art auction. In 2006 the convention was held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on August 4–6, but the cosplay show was held on Saturday at the nearby Paramount Theatre. In 2007, the convention will be held in Coralville, Iowa at the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center from August 10-12.

Many AnimeIowa attendees cosplay throughout or during part of the convention, and various events are specifically for cosplayers. AnimeIowa is a three-day event, operating 24 hours a day throughout its three-day weekend.

History
AnimeIowa begin in 1997 as a small convention gathering 150 attendees at the Highlander Inn in Iowa City, IA, featuring only two guests, Steve Bennett and Kuni Kimura. Events were also fairly limited, featuring an Artists' Alley, Video Games, and a Dealers' Room. Attendance doubled for its second year, which also included the addition of Robert DeJesus to the guest list. AnimeIowa has since been held yearly for 10 years, while both the attendance and guest lists have grown each year.

Attendance to AnimeIowa, along with the guest list, has grown every year that has so far been documented, and there were reportedly more cosplayers at AnimeIowa 2003 than the total number of fans who attended the first AnimeIowa. As a result, the convention has occupied several different hotels and convention centers, in an effort to continue expanding to find room for all its attendees.

Guests
Guests for AnimeIowa have ranged from voice actors to writers, and from artists to producers. Unique guests have included anime convention reporters such as Bamboo Dong and Kevin Lillard, and local Iowa author Max Allan Collins. Repeat guests included:
 * Steve Benett - 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006
 * Kuni Kimura - 1997, 1998
 * Robert DeJesus - 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
 * Lea Hernandez - 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
 * Greg Ayres - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
 * Emily DeJesus - 2005, 2006
 * Rob Mungle - 2003, 2006

One time guests were: Carrie Savage (2006), Shawn Kleckner (2006), Richard Kekahuna (2006), Kyle Herbert (2006), Felipe Smith (2005), Zarah Little (2005), Talieson Jaffe (2005), Bamboo Dong (2005), Tricia Dickson (2005), Keith Burgess (2005), Johnny Young Bosch (2005), Mike Schwark (2004), Monica Rial (2004), Dr. Susan Napier (2004), Ron Kaulfersch (2004), Kia Asamiya (2004), Jan Scott-Frazier (2003), Kevin Lillard (2003), Jay Hickman (2003), Max Allan Collins (2003), Stan Sakai (2002), Tiffany Grant (2002).

Events
AnimeIowa lasts three days, which include several events for its visitors, and admission to any event requires the conspicuous display of an AnimeIowa badge. Bamboo Dong, writer for the Anime News Network, describes how shocked he was to find more than "cows, crop circles, and farmers named Jeb" at AnimeIowa.
 * Game Room - Includes video games, such as DDR, and a few other games
 * Dealer's Room - Outside vendors sell their products, including mostly video game or anime-related goods.
 * Artist's Alley - Artists have the opportunity to sell or display their artwork
 * Guest Visitors - Famous visitors from the Anime world come for autographs and to talk with convention visitors
 * Official Dance
 * Video Rooms - Video rooms play anime throughout most of the convention, often including Anime that is hard to find in the USA
 * Music Video Contest - Visitors can show off their music video creations
 * Cosplay Contest - Visitors can compete to see who's costume is the best.
 * ConSuite - including a small selection of Japanese foods (meant for a quick snack, but not for all-day nourishment)

Organizational Structure
AnimeIowa is run by The Mindbridge Foundation, a not for profit corporation also responsible for Iowa ICON and Gamicon. The organization was a branching off of the Science Fiction League of Iowa Students, which was founded by award-winning author Joe Haldeman. AnimeIowa was first a production of the "SFLIS Wing of Anime and Manga People" (SWAMP), which later merged the convention into Mindbridge.