March 27, 2007

Ai-Kon weekend passes on sale April 5

Manitoba's largest anime event returns to the Winnipeg Convention Centre this summer

Winnipeg, MB - March 23, 2007 - Weekend passes for Ai-Kon, Manitoba's largest Japanese animation event go on sale April 5 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

Ai-Kon weekend passes are $29 plus agency fees until April 30, $34 plus agency fees until June 30, and $39 plus agency fees after July 1 and available through TicketMaster. Individual day passes are available only on their respective days. Children under 8 are free and must be accompanied by a paying adult. Full details are available at the Ai-Kon web-site, http://www.ai-kon.org.

Activities planned for this year's convention, scheduled for July 27, 28 and 29 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, include 24-hour anime showings, industry guests, panels, video games, contests, fan art, a vendor's room, and cosplay.

In 2006 approximately 1,100 people attended Ai-Kon, and organizers anticipate attendance numbers of 1,200 to 1,500 for this year's convention. Ai-Kon was moved to a larger facility in 2005 increase the comfort and enjoyment of those attending.

ABOUT AI-KON: Ai-Kon is Manitoba's largest anime convention. An all-ages event, the goal of Ai-Kon is the promotion of Japanese/Asian animation and culture to the public. Started by the University of Manitoba Japanese Animation Club (UMAnime) in 2001, Ai-Kon took a reorganizational hiatus in 2002, returning in 2003. Ai-Kon has since become an autonomous event, run by an independent volunteer board.
"Ai" means "love" in Japanese, hence Ai-Kon's slogan "For the Love of Anime".