“Buu-chan Joins the Carnival” Forum Art Contest

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, artists and creators of all ages!  Join us for the most amazing art contest in the history of AnimeIowa!  Our mascot Buu-chan has run off to join the carnival, and he needs your help!

Our 2017 convention theme is “The Dark Carnival of Pigs”, and Buu-chan is ready to become a performer.  But what will our porcine mascot do at the carnival?  Will he become a traditional performer such as an aerialist on the flying trapeze?  Maybe the strong man?  Or has he been lured in by the darker side of show, conjuring ancient magic, or becoming an unusual freak show attraction?

Dazzle the world with your amazing art skills, and show us Buu-chan’s role in the carnival.  His circus career is in your hands!  For full contest details, please visit the contest info thread on the AnimeIowa Forums.

The 2017 Photography Contest: A Shutter in the Dark

Our Contests Team is hosting another Photography contest this year, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Up for grabs is a New Nintendo 3DS and a limited edition copy of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, on top of amazing swag bags of goodies containing plushes, towels, board games, DVDs, and more.

So grab your camera, and read up on what it takes to win some amazing prize bundles. As always, more information is available on the forums, which you can find by clicking this link.

The 2017 Panel Schedule is Live!

Grab your pens! Grab your markers! Grab something! It’s time to start making a plan on where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing this convention.

That’s right, the AnimeIowa 2017 Panel Schedule is finally live!

If you have feedback to offer, or any questions, feel free to head over the forum thread that our amazing Panel Team has set up.

Otherwise, here’s the info you probably want:
Panel Schedule
Panel Descriptions

The Wait Is Over!

We are proud to announce our AnimeIowa 2017 Guests of Honor line up.  This year’s mix is one of the most diverse we have had the pleasure of welcoming – and welcoming back – to AnimeIowa.  So without further ado follow the link to our Guests section here at the AnimeIowa website to find out which of your favorite voice actors, writers, animators and entertainers are coming to AnimeIowa 2017.

Here are the Guests!

A Tale of Two Contests

Are you a crafty person, or perhaps nimble with your words? Whether you are simply a beginner or an adept expert at either of those, the Contests Department invites everyone to participate in the two contests that are going on right now.

Mixed Up! is an art contest where the object isn’t to draw or paint a picture, but to craft one together using paper, glue, glitter, pasta, fabric, or whatever you have lying around. If you remember doing macaroni art back in early elementary and want to it another go, or just simply enjoy making messes, then this is the contest for you.

A Tiny Tale is our writing contest, where we are giving our attendees the ability to write the official back story behind our theme, “The Dark Carnival of Pigs.” The catch though is that you have to keep it at one hundred words or less. It is easy to come up with an idea, but the real challenge lies in communicating it within those restraints.

So come one, come all to participate in these two amazing contests. Further rules and details are found in the forum threads linked above. And to all of our participants, we wish you the best of luck.

Marketplace Sign-Up has closed

The Marketplace sign-up is NOW CLOSED for the 2017 convention year! 

Important Notice: Anyone that has not been accepted at this time are on a waiting list for openings to the room.  Payment for spaces for those who were accepted this past February are due no later than April 15th.  If not paid by then, we will be moving unpaid acceptances to the waiting list and sending out acceptances to replace them.  Information will be sent to both unpaid and newly accepted vendors/artists on or shortly after April 16th.  

For those who we won’t be able to have space for this year – the good news is that we will have double the space in our new Marketplace in the IEC convention center in DesMoines, IA. for the 2018 convention.   Look for more information here in the upcoming months. 

AnimeIowa 2017 Room Block Opening Monday, March 6th!

Good morning, dear attendees!

For those who have not yet seen the forums, the AnimeIowa room block announcements are up and we’re preparing to open hotel rooms to all of you for AI 2017! You can find information in the Hotel Forums! If you have any questions, please send them to ai.hotel@gmail.com and we’ll respond as quickly as we can.

We’re very pleased to see all your smiling faces at the convention this year, so keep your eyes peeled for the 10am opening of the block and secure your place on site at the Coralville Marriott for the Haunted Carnival of Pigs! *evil cackle*

New Staff Meeting

It’s that time of year again; the air is cold and AnimeIowa seems so distant and far away. Truth of the matter is that AnimeIowa is a year-round operation where our dedicated staff meddle and toil to bring it to life each year. Each year, we have a special meeting where we celebrate the new staff who have joined us, and where we encourage all who are interested to come and learn about being staff at AnimeIowa.

The AnimeIowa New Staff Meeting will be Saturday, February 11th starting at 2:00PM in the Coralville Marriott. Learn about the various departments that make up this convention, participate in a variety of dark carnival games and festivities, and enjoy some food with new friends. If you’re interested in attending, we do highly encourage you to RSVP by sending an e-mail to recruitment (AT) animeiowa (DOT) com.

We also acknowledge that life can get in the way. Work, family, or that dream vacation to Paris might have you busy so you can’t make the meeting on the 11th. Fret not, because new and interested staff are always welcome to our future meetings. So for your easy reference, here are the next staff meetings:

  • March 11, 2017
  • April 8, 2017
  • May 6, 2017
  • June 3, 2017
  • June 24, 2017
  • July 15, 2017

All of those meetings will be at 2:00PM at the Coralville Marriott.

Still, what if you can’t make any meetings and are interested in becoming part of the AnimeIowa family? We do have teleconferencing options for staff where the drive is too much, or otherwise just monthly updates on your progress sent via e-mail is enough. Just contact us at recruitment (AT) animeiowa (DOT) com and we’ll be happy to get you settled and prepared for the road to success.

We look forward to seeing you all on February 11th.