Laura Bailey Cancels Ai-Kon 2008 Appearance
Winnipeg, MB - July 11, 2008 - Due to a work-related scheduling conflict, voice actor Laura Bailey will be unable to attend Ai-Kon 2008.
In an e-mail, Bailey indicated she will be in Japan at the end of July, where she'll be working on a new video game project.
Voice actors Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres and Johnny Yong Bosch are still scheduled to attend the three-day anime convention, scheduled for July 25, 26 and 27 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
Available through Ticketmaster, Ai-Kon weekend passes are $39 plus agency fees. Individual day passes are available only on their respective days. Children under 8 are free and must be accompanied by a paying adult. Full details are available at the Ai-Kon web-site, http://www.ai-kon.org.
ABOUT AI-KON: Ai-Kon is Manitoba's largest anime convention. An all-ages event, the goal of Ai-Kon is the promotion of Japanese/Asian animation and culture to the public. Started by the University of Manitoba Japanese Animation Club (UMAnime) in 2001, Ai-Kon took a reorganizational hiatus in 2002, returning in 2003. Ai-Kon has since become an autonomous event, run by an independent volunteer board. "Ai" means "love" in Japanese, hence Ai-Kon's slogan "For the Love of Anime".
In 2007 approximately 1,500 people attended Ai-Kon, and organizers anticipate attendance numbers of 1,600 to 1,800 for this year's convention.
ABOUT ANIME: Anime is Japanese animation, and is known for its wide range of styles and genres. Anime has grown exponentially in popularity in North America in the last 15 years, with an ever-increasing list of titles licensed for North American distribution. Popular anime titles include Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece, and Sailor Moon.
