SaikouCon 2015 Opens Applications for Volunteer Staff and Press and Sign Up for Cosplay Contest Preliminaries
SaikouCon 2015 Opens Applications for Volunteer Staff and Press and Sign Up for Cosplay Contest Preliminaries
2015 is going to be the biggest year SaikouCon has seen yet!
5/5/15 Bethlehem, PA – SaikouCon, which means "best convention”, is the Lehigh Valley's first and only large scale, annual anime convention. Boasting a dedicated staff of longtime Japanese anime and manga fans, SaikouCon is excited to be the only annual convention dedicated exclusively to anime, manga, and Japanese culture and pop culture in this area of Northeast Pennsylvania. The convention grew out of the now defunct, but soon to be relaunched, webzine Anime Ate My Brain Magazine; the sibling webzine to Tastes Like Rock! Music Magazine. Both journalistic endeavors fall under the newly renamed Nerdy Rock 'n Roller Publishing, which will be growing in diversity in 2015.
The convention promises to remain very hands on and attendee friendly every year, while also maintaining a safe atmosphere for attendees to enjoy the convention to their carefree fullest. As always, Cosplay =/= Consent is a very important issue to the staff of SaikouCon, and the same rules and regulations that made SaikouCon 2013 and 2014 a safe haven for cosplayers will be enforced just as strictly at SaikouCon 2015. SaikouCon 2015 will feature many diverse and entertaining panels, workshops, activities, events, screenings, gaming tournaments, and much more!
SaikouCon has opened applications for Volunteer Staffers for 2015's show, most of the selected applicants will be utilized as gophers, hospitality (showing attendees where various things are taking place if they are having trouble with the maps provided by the convention), and panel room attendants; checking badges and making sure panels start and end on time. For all the information and to apply as volunteer staff visit http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html.
The convention has also open up press applications to media outlets that would like to review the convention and/or interview the Guests of Honor, Featured Guests, Musical Guests, and Special Guest of SaikouCon 2015. More information and press rules and guidelines, and the application form may be found at http://www.saikoucon.com/press.html.
Perhaps the most changed for 2015 is SaikouCon's Cosplay Contest. The contest's preliminary sign up is now open, the convention has added categories to what was available in 2014 and has changed up a few of the existing categories. Categories to compete in this year are Best Anime Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Comic Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Crossplay, Best Video Game Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Original Character, and Best Group Cosplay. Five finalists will be chosen from the preliminary sign ups to represent each category before 2015's Guest Judges for each category. From these finalists SaikouCon's Guest Judges, including 2015 Guest of Honor RuffleButt Cosplay (Jessie Pridemore), will chose the best in each category and from amongst those winners the judges will pick the Best in Show cosplay. Finalists will be notified no later than August 14, 2015, the preliminary sign up period ends July 17, 2015 at 6 PM ET. No changing of category will be allowed, please do not enter until you are sure of your cosplay and the category you wish to compete in. Decisions on finalists that will appear at SaikouCon 2015 on the Finals Stage will be final. Finalists will only be allowed to compete at the Finals if they have registered for an attendance badge for SaikouCon 2015, to allow non-badge holding contestants to compete would be unfair to those contestants that support SaikouCon as paying attendees. For all the information on cosplaying at SaikouCon and competing in the Cosplay Contest and to fill out the Preliminary Sign Up form please visit http://www.saikoucon.com/convention-info.html and http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html respectively.
Don't forget that SaikouCon is still looking for a DJ to spin at their first DJ Dance Party. SaikouCon decided earlier in the year to throw an all ages Dance Party on SaikouCon Friday at 11 PM so everyone under 21 would have something late night to party at while Featured Guests Cosplay Burlesque present their 21+ show in the main concert ballroom of the Best Western Lehigh Hotel & Conference Center. Visit http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html to review the application and details of spinning at SaikouCon 2015! The DJ Application closes on May 8, 2015 at 6 PM ET. The following week the chosen DJ will be announced!
SaikouCon 2015's list of Guests to date is as follows:
Guests of Honor:
RuffleButt Cosplay (Jessie Pridemore)
Leah Clark, Voice Actress
Danielle McRae, Voice Actress
Tia Ballard, Voice Actress
Featured Guests:
The Gamer's Edge Comics & Gaming
Sci-Fi Photo Guys
Cosplayer Hazel Dayze
Cosplay Burlesque
Musical Guests:
The Adarna
Mike P
Adam WarRock
Take Away The Ugly
Special Guest:
Koralene Cosplay
For more information on all of SaikouCon's Guests, visit www.saikoucon.com/guests-of-honor.html.
To Pre-Register as a guest of SaikouCon 2015 visit www.saikoucon.com/guest-registration.html and make sure to note the new designations for Teen and Adult badges to attend the convention, the new designations do away with the need for parental consent forms for SaikouCon guests age 13-17, attendees 12 and under still need to be accompanied by a chaperone age 18 or older at all times, while family friendly, SaikouCon is largely PG-13 so tweens and little ones need accompaniment. To book a room for SaikouCon Weekend 2015, call the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel Conference Center, SaikouCon's new home located at 300 Gateway Drive, Bethlehem PA 18017, at 1-888-222-8512 or 1-610-866-5800 and request a room in the SaikouCon block of rooms for the discounted rate! The Best Western is offering SaikouCon attendees a block of 50 rooms available until July 25, 2015 or until the block is booked solid. There will be limited overflow rooms available for booking after the Best Western block is filled at the Hampton Inn right next door to the Best Western. Amenities from both hotels are open to attendees that book sleeping rooms at either hotel including the Best Western's outdoor pool and the Hampton Inn's indoor pool as well as gym facilities at both hotels. The Best Western is offering a rate of $109 per night to SaikouCon attendees and the Hampton Inn, if an overflow room block is opened for SaikouCon attendees there, would be offering a rate of $120 per night; once again only if the Best Western is filled to capacity early enough in the year to warrant opening a room block in the Hampton Inn on behalf of SaikouCon.
The convention will always feature some of the best live entertainment themed to Japanese culture and pop culture, as well as the best in J-Rock, J-Pop, and nerd/geek culture musical acts from all over the US and beyond.
All of this plus top creators, writers, artists, distributors, industry insiders, English dub and original Japanese voice talent, some of the best cosplay talent, shows, masquerades; and so much more!
To get the latest up-to-the-minute updates follow SaikouCon on http://www.saikoucon.com, http://facebook.com/SaikouCon, http://twitter.com/SaikouCon, http://saikoucon.tumblr.com, and SaikouCon's listing on animecons.com: http://animecons.com/events/info.shtml/5461/SaikouCon_2015
2015 is going to be the biggest year SaikouCon has seen yet!
5/5/15 Bethlehem, PA – SaikouCon, which means "best convention”, is the Lehigh Valley's first and only large scale, annual anime convention. Boasting a dedicated staff of longtime Japanese anime and manga fans, SaikouCon is excited to be the only annual convention dedicated exclusively to anime, manga, and Japanese culture and pop culture in this area of Northeast Pennsylvania. The convention grew out of the now defunct, but soon to be relaunched, webzine Anime Ate My Brain Magazine; the sibling webzine to Tastes Like Rock! Music Magazine. Both journalistic endeavors fall under the newly renamed Nerdy Rock 'n Roller Publishing, which will be growing in diversity in 2015.
The convention promises to remain very hands on and attendee friendly every year, while also maintaining a safe atmosphere for attendees to enjoy the convention to their carefree fullest. As always, Cosplay =/= Consent is a very important issue to the staff of SaikouCon, and the same rules and regulations that made SaikouCon 2013 and 2014 a safe haven for cosplayers will be enforced just as strictly at SaikouCon 2015. SaikouCon 2015 will feature many diverse and entertaining panels, workshops, activities, events, screenings, gaming tournaments, and much more!
SaikouCon has opened applications for Volunteer Staffers for 2015's show, most of the selected applicants will be utilized as gophers, hospitality (showing attendees where various things are taking place if they are having trouble with the maps provided by the convention), and panel room attendants; checking badges and making sure panels start and end on time. For all the information and to apply as volunteer staff visit http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html.
The convention has also open up press applications to media outlets that would like to review the convention and/or interview the Guests of Honor, Featured Guests, Musical Guests, and Special Guest of SaikouCon 2015. More information and press rules and guidelines, and the application form may be found at http://www.saikoucon.com/press.html.
Perhaps the most changed for 2015 is SaikouCon's Cosplay Contest. The contest's preliminary sign up is now open, the convention has added categories to what was available in 2014 and has changed up a few of the existing categories. Categories to compete in this year are Best Anime Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Comic Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Crossplay, Best Video Game Cosplay (female and male sub-categories), Best Original Character, and Best Group Cosplay. Five finalists will be chosen from the preliminary sign ups to represent each category before 2015's Guest Judges for each category. From these finalists SaikouCon's Guest Judges, including 2015 Guest of Honor RuffleButt Cosplay (Jessie Pridemore), will chose the best in each category and from amongst those winners the judges will pick the Best in Show cosplay. Finalists will be notified no later than August 14, 2015, the preliminary sign up period ends July 17, 2015 at 6 PM ET. No changing of category will be allowed, please do not enter until you are sure of your cosplay and the category you wish to compete in. Decisions on finalists that will appear at SaikouCon 2015 on the Finals Stage will be final. Finalists will only be allowed to compete at the Finals if they have registered for an attendance badge for SaikouCon 2015, to allow non-badge holding contestants to compete would be unfair to those contestants that support SaikouCon as paying attendees. For all the information on cosplaying at SaikouCon and competing in the Cosplay Contest and to fill out the Preliminary Sign Up form please visit http://www.saikoucon.com/convention-info.html and http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html respectively.
Don't forget that SaikouCon is still looking for a DJ to spin at their first DJ Dance Party. SaikouCon decided earlier in the year to throw an all ages Dance Party on SaikouCon Friday at 11 PM so everyone under 21 would have something late night to party at while Featured Guests Cosplay Burlesque present their 21+ show in the main concert ballroom of the Best Western Lehigh Hotel & Conference Center. Visit http://www.saikoucon.com/events.html to review the application and details of spinning at SaikouCon 2015! The DJ Application closes on May 8, 2015 at 6 PM ET. The following week the chosen DJ will be announced!
SaikouCon 2015's list of Guests to date is as follows:
Guests of Honor:
RuffleButt Cosplay (Jessie Pridemore)
Leah Clark, Voice Actress
Danielle McRae, Voice Actress
Tia Ballard, Voice Actress
Featured Guests:
The Gamer's Edge Comics & Gaming
Sci-Fi Photo Guys
Cosplayer Hazel Dayze
Cosplay Burlesque
Musical Guests:
The Adarna
Mike P
Adam WarRock
Take Away The Ugly
Special Guest:
Koralene Cosplay
For more information on all of SaikouCon's Guests, visit www.saikoucon.com/guests-of-honor.html.
To Pre-Register as a guest of SaikouCon 2015 visit www.saikoucon.com/guest-registration.html and make sure to note the new designations for Teen and Adult badges to attend the convention, the new designations do away with the need for parental consent forms for SaikouCon guests age 13-17, attendees 12 and under still need to be accompanied by a chaperone age 18 or older at all times, while family friendly, SaikouCon is largely PG-13 so tweens and little ones need accompaniment. To book a room for SaikouCon Weekend 2015, call the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel Conference Center, SaikouCon's new home located at 300 Gateway Drive, Bethlehem PA 18017, at 1-888-222-8512 or 1-610-866-5800 and request a room in the SaikouCon block of rooms for the discounted rate! The Best Western is offering SaikouCon attendees a block of 50 rooms available until July 25, 2015 or until the block is booked solid. There will be limited overflow rooms available for booking after the Best Western block is filled at the Hampton Inn right next door to the Best Western. Amenities from both hotels are open to attendees that book sleeping rooms at either hotel including the Best Western's outdoor pool and the Hampton Inn's indoor pool as well as gym facilities at both hotels. The Best Western is offering a rate of $109 per night to SaikouCon attendees and the Hampton Inn, if an overflow room block is opened for SaikouCon attendees there, would be offering a rate of $120 per night; once again only if the Best Western is filled to capacity early enough in the year to warrant opening a room block in the Hampton Inn on behalf of SaikouCon.
The convention will always feature some of the best live entertainment themed to Japanese culture and pop culture, as well as the best in J-Rock, J-Pop, and nerd/geek culture musical acts from all over the US and beyond.
All of this plus top creators, writers, artists, distributors, industry insiders, English dub and original Japanese voice talent, some of the best cosplay talent, shows, masquerades; and so much more!
To get the latest up-to-the-minute updates follow SaikouCon on http://www.saikoucon.com, http://facebook.com/SaikouCon, http://twitter.com/SaikouCon, http://saikoucon.tumblr.com, and SaikouCon's listing on animecons.com: http://animecons.com/events/info.shtml/5461/SaikouCon_2015
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