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WasabiCon 2018

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

EVENT PARTNER: little eLeague (@littleeleague) will host a room at WasabiCon 2018!

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Little eLeague is a Competitive Team Gaming League for Youth ages 8-17. Their mission is to foster IRL (in real life) social interactions through Coaching, Connections, and Competitions using Esports as the glue.  During WasabiCon 2018, little eLeague will be taking over the “Captain’s Boardroom” at the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center and converting it to a game room.
The game room is scheduled to open each day at 11:00 AM and run until 8:00 PM on Saturday and 5:00 PM on Sunday during the convention.  (NOTE: room hours are subject to change.  Please check out the event schedule page for the latest times and info.)
You can learn more about little eLeague by visiting their official website at www.littleeleague.com – or follow them on social media:
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook www.facebook.com/littleeleague
Instagram www.instagram.com/littleeleague
Twitter www.twitter.com/littleeleague

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

FEATURED ARTIST: Fluffy Butt Arts (@fluffybuttarts)

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Do you like the new Wasabizilla art from the past couple of years?  That’s the talent work of Brittani Crawford aka “Fluffy Butt Arts“.
Brittani is an artist, animator, and Corgi enthusiast based out of Jacksonville, Florida.  She earned her BFA at Kansas City Art Institute after receiving world class instruction in a variety of visual arts, including 2D hand-drawn animation, graphic design, and painting.  She considers herself a jack-of-all-trades and in the years since completing university has undertaken projects ranging from detailed sculpture, to costuming, painting, and video game concept art.  She also has a passion for teaching and currently instructs adult painting classes, though she also spent 2 years overseas in Japan, teaching English to children.
Ms. Crawford has been very active in the local artistic community, serving as an invitational artist at GAAM (where she unveiled a 6-foot tall Charizard statue last year!). Her art inspirations pull heavily from the styles of her favorite anime and video games, especially the Final Fantasy series, Akihiko Yoshida, and the Dragon Age series. She considers hobby and career to be one and the same and will happily discuss chiarascuro techniques with the same passion as Bioware love interests (though Ms. Crawford will not be swayed from the mind that the only correct choices are Alistair and Fenris).
She will be set up again in Artist Alley at WasabiCon this year – so swing by and say hi!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook www.facebook.com/FluffyButtArts
Twitter twitter.com/FluffyButtArts

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

Hotel Reservations ARE NOW OPEN!

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Why drive back and forth each day WHEN YOU CAN STAY ON PROPERTY DURING THE CONVENTION! We’re expanding our evening programming with a number of great partners like GLHF in Jacksonville to make sure you have plenty to do during the convention on Saturday night… so why not make a weekend of it by staying on property at the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center on the river?
Rooms at the Lexington are discounted for WasabiCon attendees to only $109 a night.  You can make your reservation using this link (http://bit.ly/2ycHglT) or by calling (904) 396-5100 and asking for the WASABICON discount.
Space is limited – so reserve your room early!

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

Want to Host a Panel at WasabiCon? FAN PANEL REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

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WasabiCon is a celebration of pop culture that offers programming for a wide variety of topics including anime, cartoons, comic books, cosplay, fantasy, gaming, music, science fiction, theme parks, video games, and more! Thus, we always open the door for potential panelists each year to present during the event.
We do, though, have a few rules for panels at the convention. Please read these completely before filling out your panel form.
1. ONLY ONE PANEL PER PERSON/GROUP. We want to present a variety of perspectives regarding geek culture and – while we appreciate you hosting a panel – we want to make sure you have the time to enjoy the rest of the convention!
2. ALL PANEL HOSTS MUST BE PAID ATTENDEES OF THE CONVENTION. We don’t offer comp passes for single panel presentations. And we don’t allow more than one panel per person/group. (You can see where we’re going with this.) If you are interested in appearing as a fan group and hosting programming, email us at [email protected]. (Space is limited.)
3, PANEL CONTENT MUST BE APPROPRIATE TO THE THEME OF THE CONVENTION – GEEK CULTURE. A panel about physics wouldn’t really work. A panel about the physics in the Star Trek universe would absolutely work. A panel about the physics in the Stargate universe would make Joey Snackpants a happy camper.
4. ALL PANELS MUST NOT EXCEED A PG-13 RATING. WasabiCon is a convention designed to feature content for all ages. While we may offer some 18+ events, they are tightly regulated and offered late in the evening. (If you are interested in offering 18+ programming, please contact us directly: [email protected])
5. SCHEDULING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON THE NEEDS OF WASABICON. We will do our best to work with you on scheduling the panel in a time slot that works best for everyone involved. If, for unforeseen reasons, we need to change when your panel is scheduled, we will let you know in advance.
6. PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR A/V NEEDS.  Can you do your panel without a projector and screen, or is it required? Let us know.
Thanks for wanting to be a part of WasabiCon.

Click here
to submit your panel.

 

 

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! Shelby Rabara, Peridot from Steven Universe, is coming to WasabiCon!

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Shelby Rabara, a native of southern California, is the voice of the lovable “Peridot” on Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. She plays “Heidi” on YouTube Red’s “Me and My Grandma” alongside Rhea Perlman and Eva Gutowski.   Her television credits include recurring roles on Amazon’s “Goliath” starring Billy Bob Thornton as well as The Mindy Project, 2 Broke Girls, and Glee.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram www.instagram.com/shelbyrabara
Twitter www.twitter.com/shelby_rabara

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

ARTIST ALLEY is now on sale.

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Artists and creators of original content are an important part of the fan convention experience and each year we’ve celebrated this fact by offering discounted space for local talent to sell their commissions, prints, and other handcrafted goods. So THANK YOU for your interest in being a part of that! Please take a moment to read the 2018 ARTIST APPLICATION FORM completely before filling out and submitting your information.
Each ARTIST TABLE includes the following:

  • One (1) table in the Artist Alley area (6’ or 8’ – based on availability)
  • Two (2) chairs
  • One (1) weekend pass to the convention labeled “Artist”

Artist space IS LIMITED – so submit your application early!
Artist Alley tables for WasabiCon 2018 are $125.
If you have questions about anything on this form, please call us at (407) 536-9272 or email [email protected].

Download the 2018 ARTIST APPLICATION FORM

Artist Alley Form

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

Apply to be a VENDOR at WasabiCon 2018!

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The Exhibitors Hall at pop culture conventions is an important part of the attendee experience each year, and VENDORS help create that by presenting merchandise themed appropriately for our event. So THANK YOU for your interest in being a part of that! Please take a moment to read the 2018 VENDOR APPLICATION FORM completely before filling out and submitting your information.
Each VENDOR SPACE in the Exhibitors Hall includes the following:

  • A ten foot by ten foot (10’x10’) area in the Exhibitors Hall
  • One (1) eight foot table
  • Two (2) chairs
  • Two (2) weekend passes to the convention labeled “VENDOR”

All Green Mustard Entertainment events offer pricing based on advance purchases. The sooner you purchase your space, the less expensive it is!
BEFORE APRIL 30, 2018 – $300 per space
BEFORE OCTOBER 15, 2018 – $350 per space
If you have questions about anything on this form, please call us at (407) 536-9272 or email [email protected].

Download the 2018 VENDOR APPLICATION FORM

Vendors Form

 

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

Want to be Featured Talent at WasabiCon 2018? HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!

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Each year we get dozens of email requesting to be a Guest / Featured Talent at our convention.  This year, we have more space for our convention – which means more space for fan groups, cosplayers, and other creative convention personalities!  SO – if you feel you could contribute to being a part of WasabiCon’s celebration of pop culture – send us an email.  Here’s what we need to know…

BIO: Tell us about you.  This doesn’t need to be War and Peace.  A single paragraph will do.
LOCATION: Are you local to Jacksonville/Duval County – or would you have to travel?
GENRE: What category do you fit into?  Examples:

  • Anime/Animation
  • Comics
  • Cosplay
  • Fantasy (including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc.)
  • Internet/Podcasting
  • Science Fiction (including Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Steampunk, etc.)
  • Tabletop Gaming
  • Video Games

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA: Include links so we can see your history in fandom and presence on the Internet.
OTHER APPEARANCES: What other conventions have you been a Guest or Featured Talent for?
PANELS/PRESENTATIONS: What specific panels or workshops or presentations can you offer?  WasabiCon focuses heavily on quality programming, and part of the expectation of featured talent is to present strong presentations for fans.

Put this all together in an email and send it to [email protected].
Don’t panic if you don’t hear back immediately.  We have a lot of emails to sort though, but we WILL get back to you one way or another.  Thanks!

WasabiCon Jacksonville News

WasabiCon 2017 IS COMPLETE! Thank you to everyone who came.

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That. Was. Amazing.
When we started production for WasabiCon 2017, I warned the team that I had the expectation of attendance being the same as or – quite possibly – slightly below 2016’s attendance. This was due to attempts at similar entertainment in the region by other organizations proxy to ours, and then (later in the year) from the impact of Hurricane Irma on Jacksonville, Florida. My team and I shifted our budget accordingly while also working to expand programming since we planned on later event hours and had secured additional space at our host property. Our goal: do more with less.
Then came you: the fans. Out of nowhere the support for WasabiCon came bursting through in the form of pre-sales. Both Artist Alley and our Vendor spaces sold out months ahead of the show. Advance ticket purchases in 2017 compared to 2016 jumped a whopping 60%. With at the door ticket sales, WasabiCon 2017 hosted 3,007 attendees over two days. We had gone up. Way up.
All because of you.
So THANK YOU to each and every one of you that came to WasabiCon 2017. You have made us Jacksonville, Florida’s longest running pop culture convention – something we don’t take lightly. It’s a responsibility Green Mustard Entertainment takes seriously and will continue to do so as we expand over the coming years.
I’d be remiss without acknowledging the hard work of the production crew this year both at and prior to the event.  Thank you Adam, Annie, Chris, Dani, Diane, Francis, Joe, John A., John L., Nita, Kaleb, Kate, Kelly, Kyle, Lisa, Lyn, Megan, Nathalie, Raymond, Ron, Russell, Savannah, Shannon, Tracy, Jo, Jessica, and Mandy. A very special thank you to Danielle who put a lot of work into helping drive the event forward this year.
Additionally, no event is complete without the talent you meet and see at a convention! Thank you to our media guests Kimberly Brooks and Todd Haberkorn for flying out to enjoy our convention (and, in Todd’s case, touring the city with the Visit Jacksonville team!) Thank you to Candy Keane, the 219th Brain Surgeons, Bold City Cosplay, Brittani “Fluffy Butt Arts” Crawford, the Delta Fleet, Extra Life Team Jax, For the Love of Clod, Fred & Elle Designs, Geekapella, Jenifer Ann, LvL Up Events, Noise Complaint, None Like Joshua, the North Florida Ghostbusters, NoS Anime, the Sailor Scouts of Jacksonville, and Tayrex Cosplay.
Last – and certainly not least – thank you to our event partners and sponsors that helped contribute to this year’s convention: AnimEigo, Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi, Blackfinn Ameripub, The Catty Shack Ranch, Cosplay in America, Discotek, the Daytona Arcade Museum, the Florida Theatre, Freedom Japanese Market, Funimation, GLHF Game Bar, GOJAX, iPrintShirts.net, The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, LvL Up Events, Meeple Source, Microsoft, NIS America, Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions, Redfin, Sentai Filmworks, The Southern Grill, Video Game Rescue, Video Games Live, and VIZ Media. A very special thank you to the team at Visit Jacksonville for all the help and support with our project to make “WasabiCon” synonymous with their city.
Thank you to the Lexington Hotel and Conference Center team for learning and growing with us.
This year WasabiCon continued our support for two very important charities, and we’re proud to say that we raised over $1,300 for Toys for Tots thanks to the efforts of Chris Duplis, the Sailor Scouts of Jacksonville, plus staff donations *AND* LifeSouth collected 18 blood donors on Saturday and 21 donors on Sunday. Each blood donation can save up to 3 lives and thanks to the awesome participants, they will be able to positively impact 117 lives in Jacksonville.
Once again: All because of you.
So from by bottom of my heart: THANK YOU to each and every one of you that made our convention a success. You’re more than just attendees to us. You’re part of our “geek family”.
Warmest regards,
Tom Croom, WasabiCon 2017 Event Director
 
WasabiCon 2018 will take place October 20-21, 2018. #StayTuned