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AVCon
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. 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 programmingThe festival is divided into multiple sections focusing on individual industries or fandoms.
AVCon After DarkAVCon 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 KidsIn 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 historyEarly 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
MascotsAVCon'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 structureTeam 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 References
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