Yaoi Jamboree

I sent the press release about our new fan convention out this weekend. Many sites carried the news, but if you haven’t heard yet, Yaoi Press is starting a yaoi themed fan convention in Phoenix Arizona, June 20-22, 2008.

I want to address a few things in this post that I didn’t cover in the press release. This is a genre convention, not a corporate show. It will be run similar to Anime conventions everywhere. I consider Yaoi Jamboree to be a cooperative effort among Yaoi Press and other Yaoi/BL publishers in that we will all exhibit, run panels, and have different sponsorship avenues. Two graphic novel publishers, and one graphic novel/anime manufacturer have already given me verbal confirmation that they would like to attend the show. I’m working with a licensor of Japanese bl manga to get the Japanese mangaka guest for the show.

There are benefits to Yaoi Press standing behind this show. We have more of a running start on promotions than if a fan was starting the show up. We have the funding upfront to be able to offer unique events from the start. We have advertising campaigns in place to promote the show, much more than most average first year shows do. My personal connections in the bl publishing world put me in a position to attract the vendors fans want to visit and the guests fans want to meet. Last, we’re a publisher, so we can bring amatuer publishing opportunities to the show easily. Currently there is an art book of attendee submissions planned.

Perceivable negatives to Yaoi Press running the show – one of the goals of Yaoi Jamboree is to promote Yaoi Press. We will be taking advantage of many sponsorship opportunities to the attendees of the show itself. The bags, the bag inserts, lanyards, etc., will likely promote Yaoi Press unless those sponsorship opportunities are purchased by other vendors.

It would be irresponsible to position Yaoi Press better than other vendors in areas where other vendors are participating. For instance, we will not assign our own exhibit table next to the entrance. The choice exhibit spots will be given to those publishers who’ve stepped forward to support us early on. We will not have numerous Yaoi Press panels that take up the choice time spots. There will be a panel to do a meet and greet with our guests, and that’s it. Speaking of guests, we are bringing a popular Yaoi Press studio to be guests at the show. Most guests, however, will not be involved with Yaoi Press. The main events we have planned so far have nothing to do with Yaoi Press. They’re things I know all yaoi fans will enjoy.

I am not the chair of the convention. Although there are several things I will be involved with, the person running this show is Kyla Mills, who is also the chair of Anizona 4. She has brought in the 20+ staffmembers to handle the different functions.

The reason I didn’t have this show in Las Vegas is because I didn’t have this kind of support here. I’ve known from the beginning that I could not start a convention if it meant taking significant time away from my Yaoi Press duties. With Yaoi Jamboree in their hands I know that things will be taken care of by capable people. My involvement pre-show will be in financing, bringing in special guests, publishing the art book, and incorporating Yaoi Jamboree in Yaoi Press promotions. The dealers room, art show, panels, registration, main events, artist alley, game room, anime room, web site, et. al. will be handled by the different staff members.

The best way to ensure a successful convention is to start promoting one year before the show date. I tried to do this with the press release. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes for the show right now. We want to have the web site up and fully functional when we’ve got several things set in stone. We still need to get some confirmations. A full launch with preregistration etc. should happen in mid to late August.