Project: A-Kon

What Project: A-Kon does

A-Kon is a privately held annual anime convention operating as A-KON LLC, founded in 1990 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The convention serves anime, manga, cosplay, J-pop, and broader otaku culture enthusiasts with multi-day programming including cosplay contests, idol performances, autograph sessions, dealer exhibitions, artist alleys, electronic and tabletop gaming, maid cafe experiences, J-fashion shows, and after-hours events at partner venues. Historically ranked as the #2 largest anime convention in the United States in the 2016 AnimeCons.com report, A-Kon sells tiered registration passes — Early Bird, Weekend Early, Weekend Door, Single Day, and Child (6-12) — supplemented by add-on activities (Charity Banquet with the Stars, Lolita Tea Party, Maid Cafe Special Events, Crafting Classes), Dealer Room booth rentals, Artist Alley table fees, FastPass priority access, and merchandise sales.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer digital registration model through a Squarespace website and an EventPower registration portal, supported by Stripe payments, Constant Contact email marketing, and Google Analytics. Pre-registered attendees within the continental U.S. receive mailed badges, eliminating on-site wait times. Customer segments include individual attendees and families (primary B2C) as well as dealers/exhibitors and independent artists (B2B booth and table renters). The convention is run primarily by volunteers, with a small year-round paid staff currently in low-power mode after the 2024 postponement.

A-Kon has historically alternated between Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex venues, including the Hilton Anatole (A-Kon 25), Fort Worth Convention Center (A-Kon 28-29), and Fair Park in Dallas (A-Kon 30, with 350,000+ sq ft of indoor programming space). The Fort Worth venue period (2017-2018) generated material losses and debt, after which ownership transferred from founder Meri to an investor group led by Frank in late 2018/early 2019. A-Kon 31 was postponed twice during COVID-19 before being held in 2022; A-Kon 32 was held in 2023. A-Kon 33 was postponed in 2024 due to funding delays from the Board of Investors and state subsidies; refunds began processing on May 9, 2025. No event is scheduled for 2025, with management publicly committing to explore a 2026 or 2027 return.

Name

Project: A-Kon

Legal name

A-KON LLC

Website

https://a-kon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A-Kon is a privately held annual anime convention founded in 1990 in Dallas, Texas, serving anime and otaku culture enthusiasts with multi-day programming, tiered registration passes, and dealer/artist exhibits across DFW metroplex venues. The 2024 event was postponed and no event is scheduled for 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anime Convention Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty, Fashion & Pop-Culture Conventions (MPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Anime convention events
• Fan convention management
• Convention registration services
• Exhibit hall booth rentals
• Cosplay event programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Attendee Registration / Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream. A-Kon sells various registration types including Early Bird, Weekend Early Registration, Weekend Door, Single Day, and Child passes. Prices increase closer to event date. Additional paid add-on activities include Charity Banquet with the Stars, Lolita Tea Party, Maid Cafe Special Events, and Sponsor Crafting Classes.
2. Dealers Room / Exhibit Hall Booth Sales: Dealers and exhibitors purchase 10x10 booth space to sell manufactured goods. Dealers may acquire and combine multiple booths. This is a B2B revenue stream.
3. Artist Alley Table Sales: Artists selling original, handcrafted, or self-made items purchase a 6-foot table in a circular market-style layout. Artists must apply and go through a peer-jury selection process.
4. FastPass / Priority Access: A-Kon FastPass and Charity Banquet with the Stars are add-on purchases available with pre-registration that provide skip-the-line autograph tokens and priority access benefits.
5. Merchandise Sales: A-Kon sells official merchandise including event apparel and collectibles, available online and at the event booth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A-Kon produces an annual multi-day anime and otaku fandom convention held in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, selling tiered attendee registrations (Early Bird, Weekend Early, Weekend Door, Single Day, Child) plus optional add-on activities such as the Charity Banquet with the Stars, Lolita Tea Party, Maid Cafe Special Events, and Crafting Classes. The company also rents Dealers Room booth space to vendors selling manufactured goods and Artist Alley tables to independent artists, and sells official A-Kon merchandise online and at the event.

Product overview

A-Kon is an annual anime convention offering multiple registration tiers (Early Bird, Weekend Early, Weekend Door, Single Day, and Child registrations) along with optional add-on activities. The convention features diverse programming including cosplay contests, idol performances, exhibit halls, dealers rooms, artist alleys, gaming areas (electronic and retro), tabletop gaming, international concerts, after-hours events, masquerades, the FANS Conference, J-Fashion shows, maid cafes, craft workshops, fan panels, autograph sessions, and themed events like the Lolita Tea Party and Charity Banquet with the Stars. A-Kon is primarily a physical event convention rather than a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A-Kon Annual Anime Convention The flagship multi-day anime and otaku fandom convention held annually in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, offering tiered registration (Early Bird, Weekend Early, Weekend Door, Single Day, Child) and access to cosplay contests, idol performances, international concerts, electronic/retro/tabletop gaming, maid cafe, J-fashion shows, fan panels, autograph sessions, after-hours events, Exhibit Hall, Dealers Room, and Artist Alley. Targeted at anime, manga, cosplay, J-pop, and J-fashion enthusiasts of all ages.
• Dealers Room Booth Space

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised nearly $68,000 for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children over multiple years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AnimeCons.comminorOthersAnimeCons.com publishes annual reports and rankings of anime conventions in the U.S. They recognized A-Kon as the #2 largest anime convention in the country in their 2016 report.
• Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for ChildrencoreOthersMulti-year charity partnership where A-Kon raises funds through charity events and programs including the A-Kon FastPass and Charity Banquet with the Stars. A-Kon raised nearly $68,000 over multiple years for the hospital.
• Omni HotelminorOthersPartnered with the Omni Hotel to participate in the Say Goodnight to Hunger campaign, providing over 17,190 meals to families in need across Dallas/Fort. Worth.
• City of Fort WorthcoreOthersA-Kon partnered with The City of Fort Worth for A-Kon 28 (2017), utilizing the Fort Worth Convention Center. The partnership provided access to Fort Worth Water Gardens and surrounding hotels.
• South Side BallroomminorOthersSouth Side Ballroom in Dallas hosted A-Kon After Hours programming (concerts and dances) from 10pm-4am on Friday and Saturday nights during A-Kon 30 (2019).
• Alamo Drafthouse CinemaminorOthersAlamo Drafthouse Cinema in Dallas hosted A-Kon After Hours late-night activities (Thursday-Saturday) during A-Kon 30 (2019).
• Hotels for HopeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotels for Hope provided a hotel booking portal for A-Kon attendees, offering discounted room rates negotiated through the convention. Access to the portal was opened privately to those who pre-booked rooms and pre-registered before being opened publicly.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Anime Matsuri: Houston-based anime convention serving the same South-Central U.S. regional audience as A-Kon. Comparable in programming mix (cosplay, concerts, dealers, panels) and serves as a regional substitute/alternative to A-Kon when A-Kon is on hiatus.
• San Japan: Texas-based anime convention (San Antonio) operating a similar model to A-Kon. Same regional Texas fandom ecosystem with overlapping attendee and volunteer pools; represents both a comparable operator and a substitute event for Texas anime fans.

Broad incumbents

• Fan Expo Dallas: Large multi-genre pop-culture convention held in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Comparable in scale and Dallas/Fort Worth geography, but broader than anime-specific — a substitute destination for pop-culture fans in the same metro during A-Kon's hiatus.
• New York Comic Con (ReedPop): Largest pop-culture convention in the U.S., operated by ReedPop. Broader than anime-only but draws heavily on the same cosplay, fandom, and dealer/artist alley economy A-Kon operates in; functions as a scale benchmark for event-organizer peers.

Direct peers

• Otakon: Long-running annual anime convention that originated on the U.S. East Coast. Shares A-Kon's core programming model — cosplay contests, dealers, artist alley, panels, concerts, and after-hours events — serving the same otaku/fandom demographic.
• Anime Expo: The largest anime convention in the U.S., held annually in Los Angeles. Directly comparable to A-Kon in core offering (anime, manga, cosplay, dealers, artist alley, concerts) and target audience. Anime Expo is the #1 peer against which A-Kon's 2016 #2 ranking was measured.
• Katsucon: Annual anime convention held in the Washington D.C. metro area. Operates a similar programming mix including cosplay, dealers, artist alley, concerts, and panels, and shares the volunteer-driven organizational model.
• Sakura-Con: Annual anime convention in Seattle operated by the Anime Northwest community. Comparable scope and audience, with cosplay, dealers, panels, and Japanese cultural programming similar to A-Kon.
• Anime NYC: Major U.S. anime convention held annually in New York City. Comparable in audience scale and programming breadth to A-Kon, with similar dealer/artist alley structure and tiered registration model.
• Anime Central (AnimeCon): Large anime convention held annually in Chicago. Directly comparable in tiered registration, dealer hall, artist alley, and multi-day programming for the anime/cosplay community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-a-kon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Project: A-Kon