AVCon is an anime (Japanese animation) and video game convention, that has been held yearly in July at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. The event is run by fans to help provide the fan community and public with a weekend of activities and events focused on their interests and fostering the social aspects of the community. At present, AVCon is the only convention in Australia that focuses primarily on both anime and video gaming.

AVCon has two official mascots, Ayvee and Switch. Ayvee is a green-haired teenage woman with elf ears and feathery wings; Switch is a silver-haired teenage man with similar ears and bat wings. They represent both sides of AVCon, with Ayvee being an anime fan and Switch being an obsessive video game player. The two have been teamed up since 2005, before which Ayvee had a different sidekick, Sprite the Koala, who played no real significant role. Ayvee and Switch now don different costumes each year to reflect that year’s theme. Ayvee and Switch also star in a webcomic hosted on the AVCon website, which also tied in with that year's theme. The 2006 comic is currently behind on its update schedule, and was not completed by the time AVCon 2006 began, but instead in the months following.

History

Formerly known as "AV Connection", AVCon's humble beginnings were in the year of 2002, and has since improved year after year. The term has since been shortened to "AVCon" in 2004, being revised to stand for "Anime and Video Game Convention".

Approximately 300 people attended the 2002 event. This climbed to 700 for 2003, where it remained for 2004.

By AVCon 2005, the attendance figure reached just over 1100 unique attendees. Because of this surprising increase in attendance, the convener of AVCon, Connell Wood, was obliged to perform the "Connell Jig". The "Connell Jig" has become the trademark move of Connell Wood, much to his chagrin.

In December of 2005, AVCon was incorporated, and is now run by "Team AVCon Incorporated": a non-profit membership-based association in which the committee is ultimately responsible to the full membership. Now an award winning convention, AVCon is praised by intrastate and interstate attendees alike; and maintains strong relationships with many anime conventions nationwide. AVCon 2006 was once again in July, from the 15th-16th, with a launch party on July 14, at the Mercury Cinema at 7pm.

Since AVCon 2005, AVCon has "themed" each year. 2005 had a "generic RPG" theme, which was mostly used in the design of posters and the booklet. However, the 2006 theme of "Ninja versus Pirates" has been more completely embraced by the entire convention, with several key events using this theme (the game show, for instance). From this point forward, the yearly theme will likely be one of the key points of difference between each year's AVCon.

AVCon 2006 has now been and gone, and initial attendance estimates are around 1450 people. 2006 was the last year AVCon was held at the University of Adelaide, as the buildings used will be changing substantially before AVCon 2007. A venue for 2007 has yet to be determined.

The position of Convener has changed hands every two years, not by policy, but by chance. Neil Phillips convened AVCon in 2002 and 2003, 2004 and 2005 by Connell Wood, and 2006 by Mitchell Chapman.

Events

Premiere anime releases

Multiple anime screening rooms

Video game competitions

A Vendors hall

Company demonstrations of newly released and upcoming products

The highly acclaimed AVCon quiz night

Art, manga, and fan-fiction competitions

Cosplay competition (anime costume competition)

Outdoor events (weather permitting)

Sumo suit wrestling

External links

AVCon official website

Photos of cosplayers in 2006