AVCon

Last updated

AVCon
AVCon2021-logo-black.png
StatusActive
Genre
FrequencyAnnual
Venue Adelaide Showground
Location(s) Adelaide, South Australia
CountryAustralia
InauguratedJuly 20, 2002;22 years ago (2002-07-20)
Next eventJuly 5, 2025;5 months' time (2025-07-05)
Attendance17,000 (2024)
Organised byTeam AVCon Incorporated
Filing statusNot-for-profit
Website www.avcon.org.au

AVCon is an Australian anime and video games festival held annually in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the largest combined anime and gaming festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

Contents

AVCon showcases anime, video gaming, tabletop gaming, Japanese culture, art and technology in one large, all-ages event. AVCon is organised by the volunteer-based not-for-profit Team AVCon Incorporated. [1]

Events and programming

The festival is divided into multiple sections focusing on individual industries or fandoms.

AVCon After Dark

AVCon After Dark is the 18+ event that is complementary to AVCon and hosts content with a mature age ratings, alcohol consumption, burlesque and other performances.

Games 4 Kids

In December 2023, Team AVCon Inc. ran its inaugural 'Games 4 Kids' charity. The charity has since become an annual effort in the South Australian anime and gaming community, using donations as well as proceeds from Team AVCon's Christmas Artist Market to purchase consoles and games for donation to the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital.

Festival history

Early years (2002–2008)

AVCon began in 2002 as a collaborative effort between volunteers from the University of South Australia's Adelaide Japanese Animation Society (AJAS) and the Adelaide University Video Gamers Association (AUVGA). Originally named AVConnection (a reference to the AV cables that connect a game console or DVD player to a TV), the event was held for its first two years at the University of Adelaide in the Union Building. The event featured anime screenings, video game free play, a vendor hall, quiz nights, and cosplay activities.

In 2004, the event officially rebranded as AVCon, continuing to grow and expand on the University of Adelaide campus.

By 2008, the event had outgrown its status as a convention and was redefined as a festival. The organizing body, Team AVCon Incorporated, was formally established as an incorporated entity and registered as a not-for-profit organization. [2]

Growth and expansion (2009–2019)

In 2009, AVCon had grown beyond its origins as a university club event and was no longer suited to be hosted at the University of Adelaide campus. To reflect its status as an established festival, Team AVCon Inc. made the decision to relocate the event to the Adelaide Convention Centre. This venue upgrade, along with the introduction of new attractions such as the Indie Game Room, the Ichigo Ke-Ki Maid Cafe, and the Adelaide qualifying leg for the Madman National Cosplay Championship, resulted in a significant increase in attendance, with numbers doubling compared to the previous year.

In 2011, AVCon hosted its first guests, including local celebrities Jade and Ryan from Cheez TV, as well as internet content creator Martin "LittleKuriboh" Billany. This marked the beginning of AVCon's ongoing efforts to attract both local and international talent as guests for future events.

In 2015, AVCon expanded its offerings by introducing esports to its lineup, featuring community matches and professional competitions in games such as Dota 2 and StarCraft II. That year also saw the debut of the AusSpeedruns speedrunning marathon, further diversifying the event's programming.

In 2016, a dedicated tabletop gaming section was added to the festival, complementing the existing video game offerings. This new addition included tabletop role-playing games, Japanese and Western trading card games, board games, and wargaming.

Over the years, AVCon secured key partnerships with major companies, including principal sponsorship from Australian internet service provider Internode (now part of TPG Telecom) and Nintendo Australia.

COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2023)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the 2020 AVCon festival was cancelled. [3] The 2021 AVCon festival was initially scheduled to be held at a reduced capacity at the Morphettville Racecourse from 9–11 July; however, it was also cancelled due to ongoing pandemic-related restrictions. [4] On 16 March 2022, Team AVCon released an official statement via social media and their website, announcing that the 2022 event would not take place due to the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 complications. [5]

Instead of the main festival, Team AVCon organized two smaller events in 2022. As part of the Adelaide Fringe, they held an Artist Market modeled after their traditional Artist Alley. In July, an AVCon After Dark event was also held, featuring DJs, local artists, and vendors.

After a three-year hiatus and with COVID-19 restrictions lifted in South Australia, AVCon 2023 was held as a large-scale event at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 21–23 July. The 2023 festival featured reduced space and a selection of virtual panels, marking the return of the event following the pandemic.

New era (2024–present)

In 2024, Team AVCon Inc. relocated the event to the Adelaide Showground, with a renewed focus on creative and community-oriented aspects. These included fun themes, commissioned artwork, mini-events, community outreach, a maid cafe, panels, art classes, arcades, and special guests. The event reached capacity on Saturday, marking the first time Team AVCon Inc. had to publicly announce that tickets for Saturday had sold out.

Additionally, 2024 saw the debut of AVCon's new After Dark format, which featured R18+ art and games, drawing workshops, alcohol service, and a burlesque show.

For the 2025 event, AVCon announced they would be running AVCon 2025 at the Adelaide Showground with expanded space utilising the Wayville and Jubilee Pavilions.

Previous festivals

DatesLocationThemeGuestsPresident
July 20–21, 2002 University of Adelaide NoneNeil Phillips
July 19–20, 2003 University of Adelaide NoneNeil Phillips
July 17–18, 2004 University of Adelaide Wacky JapanNoneConnell Wood
July 16–17, 2005 University of Adelaide RPGNoneConnell Wood
July 14–16, 2006 University of Adelaide Pirates vs NinjasNoneMitchell Chapman
July 20–22, 2007 University of Adelaide Rock ShowNoneMitchell Chapman
July 26–27, 2008 University of Adelaide Space OperaNoneMark Stoffels
July 24–26, 2009 Adelaide Convention Centre Heroes and VillainsNoneMel Dyer
July 23–25, 2010 Adelaide Convention Centre Into the WoodsNoneThomas Baker
July 22–24, 2011 Adelaide Convention Centre RetroLittle Kuriboh, Ryan Lappin, Jade Gatt Thomas Baker
July 27–29, 2012 Adelaide Convention Centre Neon Future Cassandra Lee Morris, Crispin Freeman Tom Birdseye
July 12–14, 2013 Adelaide Convention Centre School Days Jessica Nigri, Chris Cason, Spike Spencer Tom Birdseye
July 18–20, 2014 Adelaide Convention Centre Fantasy RPG Jon St. John, Cherami Leigh, Chris Avellone William Brennan
July 17–19, 2015 Adelaide Convention Centre Detective Agency Jennifer Hale, Yaya Han, Eve BeauregardWilliam Brennan
July 15–17, 2016 Adelaide Convention Centre Magica vs Mecha Caitlin Glass, Good Game cast Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell, Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen, Gus "Goose" Ronald, Nich "NichBoy" Richardson and Michael "Hingers" HingKira Austin
July 21–23, 2017 Adelaide Convention Centre Winter Festival Quinton Flynn, Jen Taylor, Chris Pope, Steve Downes Kira Austin [6]
July 20–22, 2018 Adelaide Convention Centre Evolution Spike Spencer, Neil Kaplan, Major Sam Cosplay, Beke Cosplay, Vera Chimera, KnitemayaAnthony Kearney [7]
July 5–7, 2019 Adelaide Convention Centre Join the Party Paul St. Peter, D.C. Douglas Ethan Levy [8]
July 3–5, 2020CancelledN/AN/AEmily Franzon
July 9–11, 2021 Morphettville Racecourse Ultimate FighterJoshDub, Mully, SmashingVR, Michael Cusack, Henchwench, Scrap Shop PropsEmily Franzon
No Dates, 2022No Event RunN/AN/AThao Vuong
July 21–23, 2023 Adelaide Convention Centre 21st BirthdayLisle Wilkerson, Hiroshi Nagahama, Toshio Furukawa (Virtual), Shogo Sakata (Virtual)Thao Vuong
June 28-30, 2024 Adelaide Showground (Jubilee Pavilion)Sports Festival Bryce Papenbrook, Ladybeard (as frontman of Babybeard), Dokibird (VTuber), Whereisdanielledebs Cosplay, Zaphy Cosplay, Shadinski Cosplay, Grizzly Ghoul Cosplay, Rowenberry Cosplay, Galaxy Girl PAiDAMatthew "Mowen" Owen
July 5-6, 2025 Adelaide Showground (Jubilee and Wayville Pavilions)AVCon Rangers: Action Force (based on Power Rangers/Super Sentai)TBAMatthew "Mowen" Owen

Mascots

AVCon's original mascots were Ayvee, a green-haired, anime-inspired humanoid female with angel wings, and Sprite, her koala companion. In 2004, a male counterpart to Ayvee, named Switch, was introduced. Switch is a grey-haired, anime-inspired humanoid. Following his introduction, Sprite gradually became a background character and eventually disappeared from the mascot lineup. Ayvee and Switch have appeared in art and promotional materials every year since their creation, with designs contributed by various artists. The characters of Ayvee, Switch, and Sprite were created by two of AVCon's original organizers, Connell Wood and Melissa Waterman.

In 2021, a new mascot, Juliette, was introduced to represent the AVCon 'Ichigo Ke-Ki' Maid Cafe. Juliette is a petite, pink-haired humanoid female, and over time, she was refocused as a general AVCon mascot. Juliette was created by artist Rae Harris.

For the 2024 event, a new character was brought on because of the need for four team captains for that year’s Sports Festival theme. A yellow-haired humanoid male with spiral glasses, a "nerd" aesthetic and robotic appendages. He was created by 2024 convenor Matthew "Mowen" Owen. This character was christened Wayville and his robot friend Ridley to honour the event's move to the Adelaide Showground.

In November 2024, during the theme reveal for the AVCon 2025 event, it was announced that Sprite would rejoin the mascot lineup for the upcoming event year.

Organisational structure

Team AVCon Incorporated, the parent organisation which produce AVCon, is a registered not-for-profit. [2]

The operation of Team AVCon is organized into several distinct groups: the Elect, the Committee, the Membership, Staff, and on-the-day Volunteers (referred to as "Invaders").

Membership consists of active and former members of Team AVCon, who are responsible for voting in the Elect each event year.

The Elect comprises four key positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Elect is responsible for assembling the Committee, which is made up of individuals overseeing the various departments necessary to run AVCon.

The Committee manages Staff, who are assigned to specific departments based on the event's needs. Staff are brought in as needed throughout the year to support the organization's operations.

The Elect, Committee, and Staff are responsible for overseeing AVCon's year-round activities. All members of these groups contribute on a voluntary basis and are not compensated for their time

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References

  1. ↑ "About AVCon". AVCon official website. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Team AVCon Incorporated". Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Coronavirus – what services and events are affected in SA?". NewsComAu. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "AVCon 2021 Cancellation". Facebook . 23 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "AVCon 2022 Announcement". Team AVCon Facebook. 16 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "AVCon financial Reporting 2016" (PDF). Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 10 March 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Birdseye, Tom (27 June 2018). "AVCon financial reporting 2017" (PDF). Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "AVCon Financial Reporting 2018" (PDF). Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 25 June 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
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