Anime Expo Announces New Convention

Anime Expo has announced that it will be launching a new convention later this year that will operate as a much smaller "spin-off" version of the main convention for those fans who might have missed out on the main event. Anime Expo wrapped up its run earlier this Summer with the first in-person event for the convention since the start of the ongoing COVID pandemic. As one would expect for such a major return, it was stacked to the brim with a ton of fans interested in seeing what could be coming next, and a ton of new projects announced to be in the works. 

It was such a major convention, that the team at Anime Expo themselves want to continue the celebration going forward in a special new way. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (which hosts Anime Expo each year) has announced that they will be holding a much smaller "anime expo" convention that will take place November 12-13, 2022 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA. Ticket sales for this new event will be announced in the coming months as the team behind the convention hopes to celebrate more of that Anime Expo magic. 

The SPJA have teased (via press release) that "anime expo" will be focusing primarily on the exhibit hall and artist alley experience from the main convention, "Seeing our Anime Expo family once per year simply isn't enough, which is why we're incredibly excited to bring the brand-new 'anime expo' event to Ontario, California," explained Ray Chiang, CEO of SPJA. "Anime Expo 2022 was a success, and we look forward to carrying that positive momentum into this smaller-scale show that provides a unique, more intimate opportunity for fans of Japanese pop culture to come together a second time this year."

As for the main convention, Anime Expo has announced it will be returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year from July 1-4. Tickets and further details for Anime Expo 2023 will be announced later this Fall. How do you feel about this smaller Anime Expo convention? Will you be checking out the new spin-off celebration later this Fall? What were some of your favorite announcements from Anime Expo? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!