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LA Tourism & Convention Board Lists Anime Expo as Having 'Virtual Event' Over July 4 Holiday
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Board of Commissioners has posted the information packet from a planned (but since canceled) special board meeting for March 3, and the packet lists Anime Expo 2021 as "doing a virtual event over 4th of July." The information packet also stated that Anime Expo is "signing their license agreement through 2030." The document does not specifically state that the in-person Anime Expo 2021 event is canceled, nor does it state if a hybrid event is planned.
The document also lists that E3 has canceled its live event for 2021.
A packet for a previous board meeting planned on February 3 had stated that Anime Expo 2021 was planning to hold a live event, pending approval from Los Angeles County officials. That earlier packet added that the convention's staff was also looking at possible dates in the fall "as a back-up."
The 30th anniversary Anime Expo event is slated to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 2-5, 2021.
ANN has reached out to The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) — the California-based non-profit organization behind Anime Expo — for a comment regarding the most recent listing, but the SPJA did not respond by press time. ANN will update this article if we receive a comment from the SPJA in the future.
Anime Expo 2020 was planned for July 2-5 but was canceled due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation. The organization instead hosted the "Anime Expo Lite" virtual event on July 3 and July 4. The event garnered more than 500,000 views from over 70 countries. The event featured over 50 hours of content such as panels, interviews, and announcements by Square Enix, Warner Bros. Japan, Bushiroad, Crunchyroll, Pony Canyon, and Viz Media.
The SPJA announced last August that it had transitioned to become a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization effective January 1, 2020. The organization stated that it was formerly a 501(c)(6) trade association.
Source: City of Los Angeles Department of Convention & Tourism Development (link 2, link 3) via Siliconera
