Spring Break
Anime convention comes to Eau Claire
No Brand Con events include gaming tournament, costume contest and variety show
Rob Peterson
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Campus News
UW-Eau Claire's Anime Appreciation Society will kick off No Brand Con 6 - dubbed "Wisconsin's Premiere Anime Convention" - Friday at the Ramada Inn, 205 S. Barstow St.
For those unfamiliar to the industry, anime conventions are events held for fans of Japanese cartoons and the culture that goes with it. No Brand Con 6 will feature everything that an anime and gaming fan could wish for, organizers said.
"We have a very wide range of events from video game tournaments, costume contests (called cosplay), a variety show, a 'ManAuction' and many (other) things," said Eric Lindvig, No Brand Con's director of advertising and public relations.
Lindvig also said there would be forums hosted by well-known voice-actors in the industry - most notably, a couple of guests who have done voices for a highly-acclaimed anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Even though the weekend's events are expected to draw around 800 people, Lindvig said, No Brand Con started out small.
Senior Trae Dorn, one of the founders of No Brand Con, said in May 2000 he and a few of his friends were all crowded into a small hotel room in Wausau.
They spent the weekend there to host an anime booth at a convention called "Westcon." For their booth, Dorn and the others donned shirts that read "No Brand Hero" - paying homage to a mid-90s anime series.
As Dorn and his friends sat in their hotel room, they jokingly decided to host their own anime convention here in Eau Claire. As a spin on their T-shirts, they named it "No Brand Con."
"There really wasn't (a convention) in this area, so we decided to start our own," Dorn said.
Not knowing what to expect, the first No Brand Con was held in 2002 at the Davies Center and 100 people attended the weekend festivities.
"I didn't think that we would get much bigger than a hundred people or so," said Dorn, who is now the events manager for the convention. "But I've been pleasantly surprised."
Since the first convention six years ago, the event has outgrown Davies Center.
Despite the fact that anime is a niche market, Dorn said No Brand Con 6 offers other popular events, including one of the largest video game rooms in the region, offering games ranging from Atari to Xbox 360.
Freshman Ian Stautz said he is an anime and video game fan but is still undecided about attending the convention.
"I'd be more likely to attend (No Brand Con) if it was on campus, but I think they can offer a lot more by holding it off campus."
Dorn said sign-ups for the event are still available at the door. A weekend pass is $35, while single day passes are also available ($10 on Friday, $15 on Saturday or Sunday). For more information, visit the convention's Web site at www.nobrandcon.com.
"Even if you come for just one day, there's always something happening," Dorn said. "It's part of the charm (of the event)."
For those unfamiliar to the industry, anime conventions are events held for fans of Japanese cartoons and the culture that goes with it. No Brand Con 6 will feature everything that an anime and gaming fan could wish for, organizers said.
"We have a very wide range of events from video game tournaments, costume contests (called cosplay), a variety show, a 'ManAuction' and many (other) things," said Eric Lindvig, No Brand Con's director of advertising and public relations.
Lindvig also said there would be forums hosted by well-known voice-actors in the industry - most notably, a couple of guests who have done voices for a highly-acclaimed anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Even though the weekend's events are expected to draw around 800 people, Lindvig said, No Brand Con started out small.
Senior Trae Dorn, one of the founders of No Brand Con, said in May 2000 he and a few of his friends were all crowded into a small hotel room in Wausau.
They spent the weekend there to host an anime booth at a convention called "Westcon." For their booth, Dorn and the others donned shirts that read "No Brand Hero" - paying homage to a mid-90s anime series.
As Dorn and his friends sat in their hotel room, they jokingly decided to host their own anime convention here in Eau Claire. As a spin on their T-shirts, they named it "No Brand Con."
"There really wasn't (a convention) in this area, so we decided to start our own," Dorn said.
Not knowing what to expect, the first No Brand Con was held in 2002 at the Davies Center and 100 people attended the weekend festivities.
"I didn't think that we would get much bigger than a hundred people or so," said Dorn, who is now the events manager for the convention. "But I've been pleasantly surprised."
Since the first convention six years ago, the event has outgrown Davies Center.
Despite the fact that anime is a niche market, Dorn said No Brand Con 6 offers other popular events, including one of the largest video game rooms in the region, offering games ranging from Atari to Xbox 360.
Freshman Ian Stautz said he is an anime and video game fan but is still undecided about attending the convention.
"I'd be more likely to attend (No Brand Con) if it was on campus, but I think they can offer a lot more by holding it off campus."
Dorn said sign-ups for the event are still available at the door. A weekend pass is $35, while single day passes are also available ($10 on Friday, $15 on Saturday or Sunday). For more information, visit the convention's Web site at www.nobrandcon.com.
"Even if you come for just one day, there's always something happening," Dorn said. "It's part of the charm (of the event)."
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