Posted Saturday, 27 August 2011 - 4:54pm
We're very pleased to announce the total amounts donated to charity from the various convention charity events and collection. A massive thank you is due to everyone who kindly donated, resulting in a fantastic donation of £4305.68 to the British Heart Foundation and £160.00 to the Japanese Red Cross.
Full details can be found here: http://www.ayacon.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1432.0
Fellow anime and manga fans,
With less than two weeks to go before AyaCon 2011 kicks off, we've got plenty of exciting news about the con to share with you - so here's the latest Progress Report, to keep you updated about what's been going on!
There's important news in here about a lot of different things, but if you're staying in ON-SITE ACCOMMODATION, please pay special attention to that section - there's been a major change in how rooms are allocated, so if you want to stay in the same block as your friends, there are a couple of things you may need to do.
Without further ado, on to the news...
We are proud to announce this year's event will feature a live performance by Unicorn Table - an incredibly talented duo of Japanese pop music veterans who have made a real name for themselves writing and performing catchy tunes for hit series! Working both solo and as a duo, they've contributed songs and backing music for anime including Vandread, Solty Rei, Pumpkin Scissors, Cutey Honey Flash, Casshern, Jinki:Extend, School Rumble… The list just goes on!
Unicorn Table's live performance combine a fantastic set of huge hits from anime series as well as their original tracks - so make sure you come along to their concert on Friday evening! Afterwards, on Saturday afternoon, they will also be doing a Q&A panel and signing session.
Music fans will also be pleased to hear that we've got a second band performing live this year - with exciting new group Unshin bringing their UK tour to AyaCon on Saturday afternoon, celebrating the release of their fantastic debut album Waltz for Broken Dolls.
AyaCon is also delighted to welcome back Matthew Mercer, the director and one of the stars of popular web comedy series There Will be Brawl, as well as the English-language voice actor behind characters such as Star Ocean: The Last Hope's Edge Maverick and Street Fighter IV's Fei-Long. He can also be heard as the voice of Tygra in the Cartoon Network reboot of Thundercats.
This brings us to our third and fourth guest announcements - we're delighted to be able to announce Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh! Michael is not only a prolific voice actor but also founder of his own recording studio and voice director/script writer for many major series. Stephanie is best known for her voice-acting in Naruto, Bleach and Haruhi, among others, but she is also a voice director, ADR writer, and producer. The link between our three American guests is that they're all deeply involved in the creative process of adapting and releasing anime in Western markets, and they'll be sharing insights into that process during the convention (as well as having a lot of fun with all of us, of course).
Finally, we're very pleased to welcome back Akemi Solloway, a well-known face amongst anime fans. The daughter of an old samurai family, Akemi is responsible for organising the Japanese Art Festival and Bunkasai events, both of which take place in Central London. She will be bringing to AyaCon her expertise in a wide variety of Japanese culture in a series of workshops and panels covering a range of fascinating subjects.
We have tons of events planned for the weekend - more than at any previous AyaCon, in fact! There's a full schedule on the website, so you'll be able to plan what you want to do and where you need to go in advance, if you're terribly organised like that. We suggest taking a look, at least, so you can highlight the stuff you really don't want to miss!
Please note that we’ve now posted a new version on the site which is more accurate and significantly less wrong than the previously available one!
http://www.ayacon.org.uk/event
This year, we have recruited super-talented manga artist Sonia Leong to organise the Artists' Alley, and it's located in the Atrium Area of the Students Union, opening from Friday lunchtime until Sunday afternoon at 4pm. You can both find more details or ask any questions on our forum:
http://www.ayacon.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1231.0
Finally, we'd like to take the opportunity to say a huge pre-emptive "Thank You!" to all of the event organisers who are, at this very moment, beavering away to provide such a wonderful lineup for everyone attending. It wouldn't be AyaCon without you!
For those of you intending to brighten up the con with cosplay there will be lots to keep you occupied! From the ever-impressive Masquerade to a multitude of panels covering a huge range of cosplay topics all weekend, you'll never be at a loss for what to do. The regular cosplay competition is running again this year, and we'll also be hosting the 2nd UK Euro Cosplay Qualifier alongside it - so there will undoubtedly be many fabulous costumes to look forward to!
Due to its overwhelming popularity last time, the Cosplay HQ has returned - bigger and better than ever before. We'll have information on cosplay at AyaCon, a fully stocked repair area, cosplay galleries, three photography setups for you to get some awesome photos of your costumes, and more! Make sure you come and pay us a visit upstairs in the Rootes building, next door to Convention Ops.
Please remember that to take part in events such as the competitions, Sunday Night Live or the Masquerade, you need to sign up BEFORE THE CONVENTION! For all information on cosplay events running at the con and how to participate, please visit the cosplay section of the website:
http://www.ayacon.org.uk/cosplay
As usual, AyaCon is proud to offer our usual mugging-by-appointment service whereby a wide selection of dealers and fan enterprises will be delighted to assist in the conversion of potentially unwanted living expense funds into a range of Unnecessary But Somehow Desperately Compelling goods. The Dealer's Room is open from 10am till 5pm on Saturday and from 10am till 4pm on Sunday.
If you're looking to get rid of some of your old tat... er.... quality anime merchandise at the convention then you'll be pleased to know we've now posted the guidelines and entry form for the Bring and Buy:
http://www.ayacon.org.uk/dealers
Remember, filling out forms in advance will save you a LOT of time at the convention! It's only three days long - do you really want to spend that time filling out forms? No, we didn't think so...
You probably already know this stuff - but it's worth repeating just in case. Perhaps you might want to print out this bit as a handy reference guide / checklist of stuff that you'll need?
AyaCon 2011 runs from noon on Friday 19th August until midnight on Sunday 21st August. (This bit is important. If you turn up on the wrong weekend we'll try very hard not to laugh at you, but we'll probably fail.)
On Friday registration will take place in the Rootes building, which is opposite the Warwick Arts Centre (the same place as in 2005 and 2009). Registration should begin at around 10 am, all being well. Later in the day, once the big queues are finished, the registration desk will move to Convention Ops (upstairs in the same building, in a room called Panorama 1).
Please note that we are required to check ID at registration, and as much as it pains us we will be FORCED TO TURN AWAY anyone who does not have suitable proof of identity. We're not doing this to be evil - it's necessary for the event to be able to run legally! So, to avoid causing pain all round, here's the list of ID we can accept:
Please note that legally, we cannot accept ID which has expired, so be sure to CHECK THE DATES as well! Checking now will give you time to sort out any problems in good time for the event, so please, please do it! Double-checking that you've actually brought your ID before leaving is also a good plan.
(if you are booked into the on-site accommodation, PLEASE READ this as there has been a small last-minute change to the check-in process!)
If you have booked on-site accommodation, you will be able to collect the keys from 3pm on Friday (if your booking starts on another day, you will be able to collect them from 3pm on that day). If you're planning on arriving after 11pm at night, please get in touch with ourselves or Warwick reception beforehand, as the desk will close at 11pm, but arrangements can be made to ensure you get into your room safely! This year, breakfast is included with on-site accommodation - you'll be able to get that in the Rootes Restuarant from 08:30am to 10:30am. Please bring your key with you as they'll check for your name and key to make sure you're staying on-site.
PLEASE NOTE: There has been a last-minute change to the room allocation policy. Due to a change in Warwick's policies, rooms are now allocated ahead of time rather than at check-in. Therefore, if you want to stay with your friends, you'll need to tell Warwick IN ADVANCE who you want to be placed near - you won't be able to do this at check-in!
We know that most of you have probably already informed Warwick of which people you want to stay with - if you have already requested to be together with your friends, then all is well. If not, though, please make sure you do this as soon as possible!
What you need to do in this case is to email Karly Thomson (karly.thomson@warwick.ac.uk) and let her know the names you have booked under, who you would like to be placed in the same block as, and what nights you are staying. She will then do her best to sort out the allocations and fulfil as many peoples' requests as possible.
Apologies again for this late change - please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about it!
At the time of writing, there are no planned engineering works on the National Rail Website, so (touch wood) everything is fine - please check http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/visit/getting-here/ and plan your travel accordingly.
For those of you who have used the car parking in previous years, please note that the procedure has changed slightly. You can park in any of Car Parks 6, 7, 8a or 15, and the automated machine will issue you a ticket. Simply take this ticket to either the Rootes Helpdesk (until 6pm) or Rootes Reception (from 6pm until 11pm), both located where registration/check-in are, and they will give you a code you can use to leave.
As you probably know, every year AyaCon designates a convention charity and raises money from various charity events. We're a volunteer-run, not-for-profit convention - none of our organisers are paid, and nobody makes any money from running Aya - so we're always able to raise a significant amount of money for our chosen charity, thanks to the generosity of our attendees.
Those of you who have been involved in the UK anime and SF scenes may know that many events owe a huge debt of gratitude to the tireless efforts of our dear friend and colleague, Ewan Chrystal, who served as treasurer to both AyaCon and Minamicon until he sadly passed away from a heart attack two years ago. Thus, in his memory, the convention charity will once more be the British Heart Foundation.
In support of this most worthwhile cause, we would like to encourage everyone to take part in the various charity events, which include cosplay bring and buy and an auction where some very rare and unique items will be sold, with the proceeds going directly to the charity fund.
We hope that you are all prepared for the con, and have a safe and pleasant journey to the venue! If you have any questions we haven't answered here, then please drop by the Q&A section of our forums and we'll do our best to help:
We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Regards,
Ka Ho Chan ~ AyaCon Chairman
Aya Revolution Ltd. Company Registration Number: 06699113. Registered in England & Wales.
Registered Office: 81 Chatham Street, Edgeley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK3 9EG, United Kingdom.
