Anime Expo, a convention devoted to the art of Japanese animation and comics, will stay in Los Angeles for the next five years under an agreement inked with the Los Angeles Convention Center, it was announced Tuesday.
AEG Facilities, which manages the city-owned venue, reached the agreement with Anime Expo’s organizers, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation.
Now in its 24th year, the event is considered the biggest anime convention in North America. This year’s Anime Expo begins next week and is expected to draw 100,000 attendees between July 2-5, breaking past attendance records.
Marc Perez, CEO of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, said the convention “has consistently grown in all aspects over the years and we’ve found a very welcoming and supportive home in Los Angeles.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Los Angeles, as “the creative capital of the world,” is “a perfect home for North America’s largest anime and manga convention.”
The partnership with the event’s organizers “generates $55 million for our local economy every year,” he said.
—City News Service