What Sakura-Con does

Sakura-Con is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that has produced an annual anime convention continuously since approximately 1997-1998, making it one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running fan conventions. The organization is volunteer-run with 11-50 staff/contractors and operates on a membership-based revenue model, selling tiered convention memberships ranging from approximately $55 (early bird) to $85 (at-the-door) with pricing escalating as the event approaches.

The convention's product is a multi-day in-person event experience featuring 16+ documented programming tracks, including competitive events (Cosplay Contest, AMV Contest, Karaoke Idol, Mecha Modeling, Lip Sync Extravaganza, Tournament Gaming with 30+ brackets via start.gg), social events (Cosplay Chess in both all-ages Arena and 18+ After Dark variants, Nerd Prom/Floral Court Invitational, dances), creative workshops (Artist Alley, panels), and industry guest programming featuring Japanese animation studios (e.g., Studio Orange in 2026). The organization coordinates hotel blocks, venue logistics (Seattle Convention Center and 800 Pike Arch building), and exhibitor hall operations.

Sakura-Con's go-to-market is community-led, relying on organic social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest), the official website (sakuracon.org), and word-of-mouth to drive annual attendance. The primary customer segment is anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest, with secondary segments including cosplayers and voice acting/animation industry professionals. Sponsorship revenue (e.g., Wacom's 2019 Mascot Contest sponsorship) supplements membership fees. The organization has no proprietary technology products, no API, no AI capabilities, and no disclosed funding rounds or external investment.

Name

Sakura-Con

Legal name

Sakura-Con

Website

https://sakuracon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sakura-Con is a Seattle-based nonprofit that operates one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running annual anime conventions, serving anime, manga, and cosplay enthusiasts with tiered memberships, competitive events, industry guest programming, and artist exhibitions since approximately 1997-1998.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anime Convention Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Collectibles & Hobby Shows (MPAGAFAN)

Keywords

• Anime convention
• Fan convention events
• Cosplay contests
• Anime community events
• Manga fan gathering

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Convention Memberships: Annual convention membership fees collected from attendees. Pre-registration prices are offered at lower rates during early bird periods, with higher at-the-door pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sakura-Con is a volunteer-run nonprofit anime convention held annually in Seattle, Washington. The organization sells convention memberships that grant access to a multi-day event featuring cosplay contests, gaming tournaments, anime music video contests, panel programming, artist alleys, exhibitor halls, formal dances, and guest appearances by Japanese and American voice actors and animation industry professionals.

Product overview

Sakura-Con is an annual anime convention held in Seattle, Washington, offering a unified event experience centered around Japanese animation, manga, gaming, and pop culture. The convention provides a portfolio of interconnected programming including competitive events (Cosplay Chess, Cosplay Contest, AMV Contest, Karaoke Contest, Tournament Gaming), social events (Nerd Prom/Floral Court Invitational, Dances), creative workshops (Mecha Modeling, Artist Alley), and informational programming (Panels). The convention operates on a membership-based attendance model with tiered pricing and coordinates hotels and venues for attendee convenience. The core product is the annual multi-day convention experience itself, with individual events and contests serving as sub-offerings within that unified framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Convention Membership/Registration Pre-registration and at-convention badge sales providing access to all convention events and programming for anime and pop culture fans attending the annual Seattle convention.
• Exhibitors Hall Vendor exhibition space at the convention featuring anime merchandise, collectibles, and related products from various sellers reaching attendees.
• Artist Alley Booth space for amateur and professional artists to sell anime, manga, and Japanese-inspired works including illustrations and cosplay accessories.
• Hotels & Travel Coordination Hotel booking assistance and travel resources including ground transportation, air travel, and water transportation options for convention attendees.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WacomminorOthers · 13 February 2018Wacom sponsored the 2019 Sakura-Con Mascot Contest, providing products as prizes for winners. This was a contest sponsorship arrangement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Otakon: Long-running East Coast anime convention with a similarly broad programming portfolio including cosplay contests, panels, and industry guests. Comparable operating model as a volunteer/community-led event serving dedicated anime fans.
• Anime Central (AnimeChi): Midwest anime convention held annually near Chicago with extensive cosplay, gaming, and guest programming. Closely comparable to Sakura-Con in scope and community-led nonprofit structure.
• Anime NYC: Major anime convention held in New York City with strong Japanese industry guest programming. Comparable in offering anime-specific content and experiences but draws a national rather than regional audience.
• Anime Boston: Northeast US anime convention with comparable programming categories including cosplay contests, panels, and industry guests. Similar volunteer-driven nonprofit operating model.
• Katsucon: East Coast anime convention known for elaborate cosplay programming and industry guests. Operates with a comparable volunteer-run nonprofit structure and similar annual membership-driven revenue model.
• Momocon: Anime and pop culture convention held in Atlanta with multi-day programming covering anime, gaming, and cosplay. Comparable in scale and programming mix to a regional fan convention like Sakura-Con.
• Anime Expo (SPJA): The largest anime convention in North America, held annually in Los Angeles. Directly comparable to Sakura-Con as an anime-focused fan convention with cosplay, guest programming, and exhibitor halls, but at materially greater scale.
• Anime Milwaukee: Smaller regional anime convention in the Midwest with similar annual format and community-led programming. Closely comparable in scale, geographic scope, and volunteer-driven nonprofit model.

Broad incumbents

• New York Comic Con (ReedPop): Largest pop culture convention in the US, operated by ReedPop. Overlaps with Sakura-Con on anime and Japanese pop culture programming but operates at significantly larger scale and broader genre scope.
• Fan Expo: Major multi-genre fan convention operator running large-scale events across multiple cities. Overlaps with Sakura-Con on anime-adjacent pop culture but operates at much broader scope across comics, gaming, and genre entertainment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SakuraCon
• Facebookfacebook.com/SakuraCon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sakura-con

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sakura-Con