ROI Tracking
Cartoon Networking
By Vincent Alonzo
July 14, 2010
The NOKIA Theatre and the Los Angeles Convention Center were overrun with super heroes—and the professionals who create them when over 50,000 attendees converged on Los Angeles recently for the Anime Expo (AX).
“What makes this event unique is that it isn’t limited to industry-only professionals,” said Mark Liberman, president and CEO of LA INC., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The public was also invited, which generated additional revenue in extended stays, especially at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It was an opportunity for LA to showcase its many restaurants, attractions, unique neighborhoods and cultural venues as one of the nation’s most desirable tourist destinations.”
This is the third time in the event’s 19-year history that it has chosen Los Angeles as its host city. This year’s Anime Expo—organized by the Society of Promotion for Japanese Animation and touted as AX 2010—and generated a $24 million economic impact on the City with a total of 7,200 hotel room bookings.
Some 50,000 attendees, a mix of industry professionals and enthusiastic fans, were housed at hotels throughout Downtown Los Angeles, including JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE, Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, Hilton Checkers Los Angeles, Kawada Hotel, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Hotel Figueroa, Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles Marriott Downtown, Wilshire Grand Los Angeles, Millennium Biltmore, and Omni Los Angeles Hotel.
AX 2010 served to foster trade, commerce and the interests of the general public and animation industry. Under the direction of Michael Lattanzio, CEO of the non-profit Society of Promotion for Japanese Animation, the expo has significantly grown this year, both in terms of attendance and company participation. The convention has brought together devoted fans, business professionals, enterprising students, and trendsetters who convene to discuss ongoing trends and speculate on the impact Japanese animation will have on the U.S. and international markets at large. AX 2010 showcased new developments with product branding playing an instrumental role on the convention floor.
“Anime is grounded in a sense of flair, showmanship, romance and adventure wrapped in a blanket of creativity. So is our expo and so is Los Angeles,” Lattanzio said. “It’s the perfect pairing. We’re excited about our commitment to the city."
The four-day gathering is the nation’s largest anime and manga convention and organizers have announced their intention to hold the convention in Los Angeles through 2013. Collectively, this event is expected to generate more than $100 million citywide in the next three years.
“Los Angeles is the perfect host city for this event thanks to our many local companies specializing in cutting-edge technology, our irrefutable standing as the epicenter of the entertainment industry, and Downtown LA’s immaculately planned infrastructure,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “In addition to hotel rooms in every price range, we have a state of the art venue to support a convention of this magnitude. We are thrilled that the Anime Expo has already pledged to return for the next three years. It is a true testament to LA’s status as a world-class destination for conventions.”
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