I live!! For the last several weeks, I have been on the road promoting Tokyo In Tulsa (and there was the “But I don’t wanna get out of bed and work!”). So here is an update of the TnT life.
Anime Central
The crew and I left for Chicago and Acen excited and with high hopes … which were dashed with complete and utter abandon. Now, everyone that knows me and / or reads my blog knows that I see conventions as a community and I hate to talk badly about another con but Acen was an utter disaster. The first part was actually shortsightedness on my part. I did not pre-reg for Acen. Due to schedule conflicts, I was unsure of what days we would be attending or even if we were going to make it at all. So I waited thinking that the registration line would not be that bad. I have attended over 40 conventions in the last 2.5 years and others, like AKon, which have just as large of numbers for attendance and I was able to make it through Registration in a matter of a couple of hours. Not True here.

After five hours of waiting in line, I watched barely 100 people make it through the line and into the convention space.During my time in line, I heard horror stories. The guys in front of us were on their second day of waiting in line. They tried to get in on Friday, waited for nearly 9 hours and, understandably, had to take a bathroom break. At which point an IRT (Acen Security) told him that if he left the line he would have to go to the end of the line. So he left and had some dinner instead and then came back on Saturday. As far as I know, he never got a badge.An associate of mine, whom I was supposed to meet at Acen, waited in line for over 4 hours… and he pre-registered.Here is the set up … you got in this twisted, Walt Disney World nightmare inspired line that lead up to DIY (Do It Yourself) terminals. Once you completed filling in a form that felt more like you were writing your autobiography than registering for a convention then you, guess what, got into another line to pay for your registration. Once paid, you go into a third line to get your badge. We had people yelling from the “pay line” that they had already been there for over 8 hours. We never made it through the lines. I cornered a IRT and went into Righteous Rage with him. After bitching and moaning for 20 minutes, I picked up a Comp badge and ran into the convention to take care of the bare-basic business that I needed to while the rest of my team sat outside the convention and waited for me. I did not get to enjoy Anime Central at all. I took some time to talk to vendors and artists, then left.Since Acen, I have talked to many who attended with similar tales of woe … not just in registration but also throughout the convention.

From all reports, this was not an anime convention, it was a line convention. I have also heard stories of Hacked websites and major problems with the Acen registration. This does not excuse Acen … this just proves that they did not have a backup plan.As a convention planner myself, I understand the difficulties of attendee logistics.

Here is my advice to Acen… keep it simple. As far as I can tell, you are making things too complicated. Pen and paper will always be faster and cheaper then DIY terminals. Include the extra information on the paper form if you need it but don’t worry about entering the information until the convention is over. You have 350 days to input the data. Think of it this way … for the amount of money that was lost because of people not being able to get in (at count, there was over 2000 people standing in line while I was there… heh we did not have anything else to do other than count for 5 hours … at $30 for a one day badge) you can hire a Data Entry company to do it for you. These are the things that will kill any convention. If your fans can’t get in, they wont come back.As of right now, I won’t be making that 10 hour drive to attend again.On a positive note, we spent our remaining time in the Chicago Institute of Art and consuming large amounts of food … which, if you have a chance to go to Chicago, is very much well worth your time. As an artist myself there was nothing like seeing American Gothic in person.  Although, I did spend the entire time having odd flashbacks to a combination of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Fugitive.  ”The One Armed Principal Did IT!”

Akon Akon is an ol’ stomping ground for me and I enjoyed it just as much this year as I did last year and previous years before that. Admittedly, that has to do more with the people and less with the convention. I spent a good amount of time with Amelie Belcher and the girls from Manga Candy. Also, took some time and talked with the peeps from FUNimation and Bandi.

Anime Fest Arkansas
I may be a little bias, Brooklyn (the convention chair) is a friend of mine, but I had a blast at AFA this year.  I spent a lot of time handing out fliers and talking to people … which is what I love to do.  I look forward to next year.

Gary Friedrich
If you have not noticed, Gary has been removed from the guest list.  Unfortunately,  he had to cancel for this year but he has promised that he will join us for 2009 if at all possible.

DJ Infam0us
We have finally decided on and secured a DJ for TnT!  I want to thank everyone that offered to DJ and please stay in touch.  It was a hard decision to make.  Check out DJ Infam0us on our guest page.  Also, if you are into steam punk and goth music, check out the Ravenwood Music Festival that he is hosting in Arkansas.  http://www.myspace.com/ravenwoodfestival 

That is all for the moment.  I will be making changes to the webpages for the next few days so be sure to check back often.  Have Fun and Enjoy!! 

Posted: June 19th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 2

There have been several questions and rumors that have been floating around concerning Tokyo In Tulsa as well as the relationship between TnT and Tulsa Defcon. I am not going to further validate those rumors by repeating them here but here are a few facts concerning Tokyo In Tulsa.

Tokyo In Tulsa’s History

2008 is actually the 2nd Tokyo In Tulsa. Let me give you all a little bit of history that I have, negligently, just assumed everyone knew.

Back in the day, that is 2005, there was a little store called DarkStone Anime Store. Melea and I purchased part of the partnership of DarkStone in March of 2005. Melea, Myself, our partner at the time and a group of friends got together and started brainstorming on ways to promote the store and also bring more events to Tulsa. On October 22nd, 2005, we held a block party called Tokyo In Tulsa in the parking lot of our store. The block party boasted music, cosplay, games as well as radio and news coverage. The original TnT had just over 800 attendees. It sparked an idea … what about hosting our own convention?

2006 proved to be a rough year though. Due to an illness in Melea’s family, she had to leave Tulsa. Except for a weekend here and there, Melea was gone for over 7 months, leaving myself and a handful of friends to take care of the store. The store limped along during that time thanks to a lot of our friends and fans donating their time … THANKS AGAIN GUYS … you know who you are.

When Melea returned in July, we made the hard decision to close DarkStone but at the same time committed ourselves to making TnT into a full blown convention. On September 1, 2006, DarkStone closed its doors. In October 2006, one year after the block party, we signed the contract and set the date for Tokyo In Tulsa.

Tokyo In Tulsa is about community, togetherness and common interest. In other words, TnT is about people. OH YEA … Anime is in there somewhere as well. The absolute best part, hands down, of owning DarkStone was the people we met … both in the store and as we traveled around the country attending conventions.

Tokyo In Tulsa and Other Conventions

Conventions are the lifeline, the bread and butter, of fans. We did not start TnT to compete with other conventions, we started TnT to become part of the convention community. Each and every convention has something unique to offer the community. The Tokyo In Tulsa Team works with conventions across the region to promote anime, japanese culture and fandom in general. We have been involved in Conestoga, IzumiCon, HanaCon and are friends with many other conventions across the region. Our goal is to make Tokyo In Tulsa the best it possibly can and bring something unique to Oklahoma.

Concerning Defcon

As I said before, we are not in competition with any convention. Within reason, any convention that decides on Tulsa for a venue is an improvement for Tulsa, for Oklahoma and the region’s fans.

We are saddened by Defcon’s decision to host their convention the same day as ours, largely because that means we cannot attend, but Defcon and Tokyo In Tulsa are different conventions and have a very different “something” to offer fans. If you are looking for a premier anime experience, come see us at Tokyo In Tulsa … on the other hand, if you would like to hobnob with the best and brightest of the comic book and sci-fi world, please attend Defcon. Even better, attend both and get it all!

Posted: May 8th, 2008 under General, Tokyo In Tulsa.
Comments: 4

For those that have not noticed, we have been working on updating the webpage and myspace pages. My eyes have been bleeding code for the last few days. For those of you who do not know, writing web code is on my top list of least favorite activities. But we are getting there and the webpage is almost to the point that the templates are all that we need … which makes everything that much more bearable for me. So onto the updates.

I have the master draft for the event schedule ready to go. Most everything on this list has been approved and panelists found … or waiting for answers from. This is still not the final, but it should give everyone an idea of what is happening on what days.

I still need to update the guest page … with Sara and Gary, as well as, start adding in our panelists and VIPs. So look for these updates this week.

On the coming soon board, Saif of OKgamers is working on the final for the Tournament Schedule for the Video Game Rooms. As soon as the schedule goes live, we will be opening up pre-registration for the Gamer’s Pass. The Gamer’s Pass is a one-day pass that will give the purchaser access to both the video game room and the table top gaming room but not the rest of TnT events. I will have more information about the Gamer’s Pass for you soon.

For those of you who have yet to voice your opinion, take the time to enter our forums and let us know what you would like to see and do at Tokyo In Tulsa.

Also, get involved in our myspace at www.myspace.com/tokyointulsa. Join our friends list and talk with others that will be attending Tokyo In Tulsa. Help us spread the word!

Once again… if you plan on attending Tokyo In Tulsa, be sure to pre-register as soon as you can and reserve your hotel room. Rooms are going fast, so if you are wanting to stay at the Crowne Plaza, get in your reservations while you still can. Once I have word that the Hotel is Full, I will announce the overflow hotel.

Well. Back to work for me. I will update everyone on events as soon as I can. As always, Have Fun and Enjoy!!

Posted: April 21st, 2008 under General.
Comments: 1

Well … it is 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday and I think that I have finally caught up with work! YAY! So now is a good time to update you before the goules known as my clients catch up to me again and chain me once again to the dreaded work.For all of you who have pre-registered, online or at one of our many conventions, I think that we finally have the database in full working order. We are working to confirm that everyone has been entered properly right now but we should be able to start sending out confirmation emails to everyone by the beginning of next week. The confirmation emails will contain confirmation of payment, all of the information that you provided to us and your badge number. Sorry that it is taking so long but we are building everything from the ground up and we are trying to do it right the first time.

On the subject of pre-registration … due to popular demand, I will be adding a page to the website for mail-in pre-registration. Be sure that you follow the instructions on the form when you mail it in. It will be up and running by the end of the day today.

The panel schedule has been completed but we are already having to make changes. As soon as we have a couple more of the critical confirmations from panelists, I will be able to post it to the website for your viewing pleasure. Once I post it, remember, everything is subject to change. We have added an additional event to the schedule … a compromise for you cosplayers. Whose Cosplay Is It Anyway? is an event for everyone who wants to do skits. It will be held, according to the current schedule, Saturday afternoon for 2 hours in panel room A. Don’t worry about space, Panel Room A is the third largest room in use behind Main Events and The Dealers Room. We will have time for the usual skits but also a few games and twists that should be very fun for everyone. We apologize for not including skits in the Cosplay Contests, but time is very, very limited. Cosplay has to be finished in time for the concert to set up.

A call out to all artists and exhibitors … we have over 25 artists and exhibitors (30 tables) but we still have 20 tables (and a few more in reserve just in case) that are still open. Now is the time to get your tables. All tables are $60 and come with one badge.

On to the dealers room … I am waiting on final confirmation, but we believe that the Vendor room is now sold out. I have 2 vendors that I am waiting on confirmation from but once confirmation is received, it will be official … we will have a full dealer’s room for your shopping pleasure. Any one that would like to be a vendor, go ahead and turn in a registration form so that you can be put on the waiting list. Any tables that are not paid for on July first will be offered to those on the waiting list. A short note to dealers … I will be sending out final invoices to all of our dealers this week. Anyone that does not receive one by the beginning of next week should contact me and I will be sure to get one out to you.

I am currently finishing up the T-Shirt design and will have it over the the vendor today. The shirts should be available for purchase very soon.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with Tokyo In Tulsa … and that includes YOU. We would not be hosting TNT without your support and the hard work of a gaggle of friends, family and even many strangers. Thank You.

That is everything that I can think of at this time of morning … will probably think of many more around my usual time of activity … noon. As always … HAVE FUN AND ENJOY, EVERYONE!!

Posted: April 9th, 2008 under General, Tokyo In Tulsa.
Comments: none

Sorry that I have not posted recently.  Work has caught up to me and found out where I live.  I am hoping to get these projects out of my way and do the next roundof website updates in the next couple of days.  I have several new goodies for you as soon as I am able to get the code together.  Clyde (web monkey) and I are working on a Tokyo In Tulsa Gear page.  What kind of gear do you ask?  Well … we have wall papers ready to go so that your computers desktop can look its best when Tokyo In Tulsa comes around.  If you have Facebook with the Flare application, we have Tokyo In Tulsa flare to proudly display.  We also have Gaia Online, MySpace and Website friendly banners to pass around.  Also, as soon as the prototype comes back from Offworld, we will have the Official Tokyo In Tulsa T-Shirt ready for you to pre-order.  Its looking good!

Other than the T-Shirt, which will be available to pick up at registration, what other gear would you like to see.  Hats, ball caps, pins … just let me know here or on the forums.In other news … last weekend ConCom members Daniel and Sean attended Anime St. Louis to pass out flyers and posters.  They spent some time hanging out with Steve Bennett and Jonny Yong Bosh, who both say “Hi” by the way.  According to Daniel and Sean, it was a great convention … well what they can remember of it.  Steve … you are very bad influence… hope you are still planning on coming to TnT.  By the end of the convention I will probably need some of your “Influence.”

This weekend, we will be attending the Norman Medieval Festival in Norman, OK.  If you are there, be sure to track us down and say hello.  After, Norman, we will be taking a break while we can before Anime Fest Arkansas.  From there on, we will be running full on till Tokyo In Tulsa.  Some of the other conventions that we are attending are:  Anime Central, A-Kon, Anime Fest Arkansas, Anime Expo and Dragon Con.  We may have tables or we may not.  Just look for the TnT art badges and the TnT shirts.  Grab a flyer, grab a poster or just come over and visit.  The more the merrier!

Finally … for all of our loyal followers … we have extended the $25 pre-registration till April 11th!   SO … come over and join the Kewl Kids by pre-registering before it goes up to $30!I will have a more detailed update for you in a couple of days … lots of exciting things going on.  And as always … Have Fun and Enjoy, Everyone!! 

Posted: April 2nd, 2008 under General, Tokyo In Tulsa.
Comments: none

I’m looking at getting a Wii again (after having my hopes dashed again and again). My first attempt was at launch in which my pre-order never came in (some screw up in paperwork at the local gaming store). Now, they only seem to be availible around the time that I need to do slightly more important things, like pay the mortgage or electricity, and I don’t have the money to do both at the same time. Anyway, I already own Twilight Princess for the Wii (yea … I have a game and sim card for the Wii, a birthday present, but no Wii … call it a daily reminder of my shopping failure) but I wanted to know, now that it has been out a few weeks, what everyone thinks of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Is it worth the $50 to own? Chime in here or in the forums and let me know.

In other news, Tokyo In Tulsa is attending Anime Matsuri this weekend in Texas. Anyone who is in the area, be sure to come over and say hi to the team. Sorry guys, I’m not there this time but Scott (Nighwolf) and the Sarahs are attending. Drop by our booth and pre-reg this weekend. The Anime Matsuri special is only $20 for the entire weekend! Also, ask to see TnT’s new posters! They just came in yesterday and look great.

That is all for the moment so, until next time, HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!!

Posted: March 20th, 2008 under Tokyo In Tulsa.
Comments: 1

I have temporarily hijacked this blog to point out that there are now RSS feeds available for your subscription joy. Currently it supports standard RSS, Google, MyYahoo, Windows Live, and Bloglines. If there is a feed-reader that you need help supported, contact webmaster@tokyointulsa.com. –The Monkey

Posted: March 20th, 2008 under webpage.
Comments: none

Well … the “Web Development Team” strikes again. Turns out that they deleted a bit of code that was very needed and caused our web forms not to work. So you could not contact us or send in a Volunteer Form. It is now fixed and the Monkey’s have been spanked (I know… bad … but if I’m going to hell, I might as well leave the general populous groaning or laughing … either is good for me).

If you have any other problems with the website, don’t hesitate to contact me at jfowler@tokyointulsa.com or the webmaster at websevices@tokyointulsa.com. Thanks for your patience with us.

As always … everyone have fun and enjoy!!

Posted: March 20th, 2008 under webpage.
Comments: 1

I have to report that everything went wonderfully at Tulsa Comic Con last weekend and I am very pleased with the results. Our friends over at Starbase 21 put on a good show and did well for a first year convention. The anime room was a little small but the guests were great.As a side note … we spent some time talking to Gary Friedrich, creator of Ghost Rider, and it turns out that his daughter is an anime fan. YAY! SO … with that being said, we will now have a guest comic book artist who is going to spend some time talking about writing and creating your own comic book and we are planning a panel to talk about the differences of Manga and Comic books and how they have influenced each other.

We have a lot of great sound bites from Tulsa Comic Con, that we will be posting as soon as our “development team” gets their butts in gear and finishes the editing. The PodCasting thing is still new to us so we are SLOOOOOW at production.We have also attracted several writers for out attendees to speak with about improving writing technique and the creative process. Brad Sinor has given his blessing to host several panels on the subject. We will be posting his information and credentials in the next few days along with Gary Friedrich. We have a several other writers whom we are talking to and hope to convince to bless our little event with their presence.

This is also a call out to all you artists out there … we need you. The Art Bazaar is starting to fill up but we need more actual artists. If you are an artist and would like to display and sell your work, please see the Art Bazaar page and get your registration in as soon as you con so we can add you to the list of attending.One other call out — if you plan on attending Tokyo In Tulsa this year … now is the time to pre-register. Tickets are only $25, that is $10 off the door price but this price will only last until the end of March before it goes up to $30. Your pre-registration helps us pay for the convention that we have all come to love and hope for. SO — the more of you that pre-register, the more guests and events we can add to the agenda!

Currently, we are working on the master events list for TnT and should have it posted for your viewing pleasure early next week. As of right now … we have over 100 hours of panels in 4 panel rooms, 150 hours of anime viewing in 3 rooms, 50 hours of J-Pop, 60 hours in main events. This does not include the Anime Swap Meet, table top room, video game room and the Hall events. Nor does it include the associated events that are happening outside. Sleep will not be an option for TnT attendees or you will miss something!

As I said, the master schedule should be available early next week but keep in mind, As always, everything is subject to change.

AND as always, everyone, have fun and enjoy!!

Posted: March 19th, 2008 under Tokyo In Tulsa.
Comments: none

Well we are attending the first day of Tulsa Comic Con, which is at the Econo Lodge, on 11th street, in Tulsa, OK. It is still a little to early to tell, but so far the attendance for a first year convention has been very good.  For you comic fans out there, one of the original creators of Ghost Rider is here, along with Michael Vance and RA Jones.  There are a few brave attempts at cosplay wandering around. This takes me back to the original days of convention going … un-bathed Freaks and Geeks as far as the eye can see.  WAIT … that is not any different than Anime Conventions.  HEH and I would not change a thing … well … lets talk about the bathing thing.  The nose is begging.  Will report in later.Have fun and enjoy everyone! 

Posted: March 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none