Ai-Kon 2024 Presenter Guidelines 

**Events taking place in the gamer’s lounge need to apply via gaming, not the general events application**

Every year we have an amazing set of fans, collectors, cosplayers, dancers, industry professionals and other interesting members of the anime community present our selection of panels and events at Ai-Kon.

We are always looking for new and returning presenters to run events at Ai-Kon! Do you have a passion for certain topics in anime? Do you have a skill that you would love to teach? Have you been wanting to host a game show? Do you just love interacting with a lively audience? If you answered yes to any of these, then we want to hear from you! 

Check out our event guidelines below to see what type of programming we’re looking for, and then submit your event by clicking here.

Ai-Kon 2024 event submissions will close May 17, 2024.

Application Timeline (Ai-Kon 2024)

• Submit an application during the open submission period (March 1 – May 17)
• Contact with Ai-Kon Staff regarding any questions, scheduling concerns & pre-approvals (Date of Application – May 17)
• Preliminary scheduling & approvals (May 1 – May 17)
• Application deadline & final scheduling (May 17 – May 28)
• Final approval & rejection notices, scheduling adjustments (May 28 – June 6) 
• All programming changes deadline (including passes, bios, photos, music, prizes etc) (June 18) 
• Ai-Kon pre-registration (July 11, 2024)
• Ai-Kon 2024 (July 12, July 13, & 14)

General Rules

Presenter Expectations

• Please respect Ai-Kon and RBC Convention Centre property. Keep the panel room as clean and as you found it. Do not move around any furniture without permission. Please consult the Ai-Kon panel coordinator if you require a change in room set-up.
• Arrive at your designated panel/event start slot in a timely manner (15 minutes prior to your panel/event start time). Any cancellations or delays should be reported to the Ai-Kon panel coordinator.
• Be mindful of your designated event completion time as other presenters will be awaiting use of the room. Also, if the presenter before you is running late, please be considerate and contact the Ai-Kon panel coordinator or room volunteer to see if the schedule is behind.  
• There will be a 15-minute buffer between events for presenters to use for setup and teardown. This will include some time for your panel to run over, but do not allow this to last longer than 5 minutes.
• As per RBC Convention Centre policies, no outside foods or drinks are allowed in any of the panel rooms. Special exceptions may apply if this is the pre approved focus of your event by the Ai-Kon panel coordinator.
• Failure to comply with these rules may result in a ban from hosting future events at Ai-Kon.
• Please do not begin formally organizing an event until you have received approval by the Ai-Kon panel coordinator.

Rules Regarding Event Content

• Ai-Kon is a family friendly convention. Please keep all content and language to a PG13 level. For 18+ panels, please see rules below.
• Events that align with Ai-Kon’s mission statement of promoting Asian culture will receive higher priority in acceptance.

18+ Event Rules

• Events that involve ‘mature content’ including nudity, sexual content, heavy violence or gore, or any other content that is not family friendly (PG13) should be submitted as 18+.
• Audience entry will require photo ID or an 18+ wristband, and all organizers are required to be 18+.
• 18+ events should still follow all Canadian laws when it comes to content.
• Even though your panel is age restricted, they are still open to the public. Please be mindful of the audience and provide any additional warnings for content that may negatively affect individuals.
• Photography at 18+ events is prohibited, with the only exception being Ai-Kon committee approved photographers.
• Failure to disclose your panel or event as 18+ prior to Ai-Kon may result in a ban from hosting future events at Ai-Kon.

Event Room Styles:

• Theatre style seating. (audience area is comprised of only chairs facing the panelists)
• Classroom style seating. (each row of chairs is accompanied by tables for the audience use)
• Workshop style (open area with tables & chairs, no TVs or mic) 
• Open space (open area free of tables & chairs, for events like dance classes) 
• Stage performance (performance upon main stage)

If you require a different room set up, please note it on your application and we will assess based on time and resources available.

Standard Panel Room Equipment: 

• Two skirted head tables with four chairs for panelists
• Two 65” flatscreen TVs (HDMI only)*
• Speakers with 3.5mm jack
• Microphone (supplied via RBC Convention Centre and through their sound system)
  
  
  All other equipment to be brought in by the presenters in charge of the event.

*Presenters needing ANY adapters to connect through HDMI (VGA to HDMI, USB-C to HDMI, Thunderbolt to HDMI, etc.) must supply their own.

Note: Some equipment may not be available in some non-panel rooms. If you require a room other than a panel room, you may not have access to all features.

Event Types

Below is the list of event types as per our application form. Some events may not fit neatly into one type, so please select the one that matches the most, or choose “other” and provide us with full details about your panel layout. 

Panel / Presentation

A panel / presentation of a premade slideshow, speech or talk on a set topic. Often includes things like Q&A, audience participation, video examples and physical examples, or multiple hosts discussing a topic. 

What we are looking for:

• Well researched topics
• Fun presentations 
• Presenters looking to share information  

Craft Workshop / Demo

Teach a group of participants to make a craft, or demo an art style or process.  (Examples: paper craft, traditional Japanese crafts, cosplay, resin, crochet, gardening, digital art, etc).

Craft workshops provide not only a learning experience, but something for participants to take home that they created themselves. 

Demos can allow attendees to see a process up close and personal, and even get some hands-on experience. 

What we are looking for:

• Traditional Japanese / Asian crafts
• Anime based crafts 
• Supplement of required materials and tools for the craft 
• Clear and simple instructions at a beginners level 

Ai-Kon may be able to supply certain craft materials based upon donations from our community, please note on your application if you would like to request assistance in providing supplies, and we will look into any possibilities we may have.  

Game Shows

Interactive game show using audience members (examples: Anime versions of Jeopardy,  1 vs 100, The Price is Right or newly created games)

What we are looking for:

• Hosts with a positive vibe 
• A clear set of rules/steps your game show will follow
• Supplement of any required props 

Ai-Kon is happy to provide prizes for game show winners as we see appropriate. 

Dance Showcase

The Ai-Kon dance showcase is a main stage event open to dance groups & solo dancers to perform styles such as K-pop, J-pop, idol group, para para & traditional Asian dances. 

The Ai-Kon dance showcase takes place Saturday afternoon. 

Standard stage time slot allotted for each team will be 15 minutes, depending on entrants.

All dancers taking part will be required to attend rehearsal, and remain in the backstage area until their performance is completed.  Please see more information on the dance showcase page.

Open Space Activity

Dance classes, yoga, and other events that require an open area free of chairs & other furniture.

Open space activities are expected to be safe for general beginner level attendees to take part in, with no hard contact or dangerous actions.

We highly recommend making your open space activity accessible to as many participants as possible, and consider ways to get all kinds of attendees involved.

Fandom / Community Meet Ups

A meet up is an event held in the workshop area (tables & chairs) and is run by a single presenter or group, which provides a mini event catered to a specific fandom or community attending Ai-Kon, with the intention of welcoming new members, friends & fun.

A meet up is a great way to expand upon an exhibitor table, allowing more space for members of the community to attend & mingle. 

Meetup events can include elements like:

• Cosplay group performances & character Q&A
• Friend making games 
• Mini demos & workshops that may be to specific for an entire workshop time slot
• Tables for setting up group collections of merchandise, art or projects
• Reading & discussion groups
• Games 
• Group photos
• Prizes / raffles (free to enter, drawn during event only) 
• Swap meets (no cash sales, trades only)

The presenters organizing the meetup are required to: 

• Arrive before the scheduled time & set up area. 
• Provide a variety of fun discussion topics, skits, games, interesting trivia and/or physical items to keep the meetup interesting & welcoming.
• Talk to the fans who show up, help them make friends with those around them, ensure the conversation does not get to far off topic, or inappropriate.  
• Find a volunteer or member of staff to intervene if an issue arises that they are not comfortable with. (example: attendee is using wildly inappropriate language, and has not stopped after being politely asked not to)  
• Clean up at the end of scheduled time, and ensure the area is clear for the next activity.
  

Some examples of the type of meetups we are looking for include:

• Doll meetup with shared doll table, mini faceup demo, clothing swap meet 
• Artist meetup with creative drawing challenge & giveaway of neat art items 
• Gunpla meetup with expanded building table, display table, swap meet & introduction to members of the club 
• Cosplay “ask a nation” style groups with character Q&A, skits, fandom discussion & fanfic trade. 
• Manga & light novel discussion groups & book trades 
• Open anime club meetups, to introduce potential new members to the community and participate in a group activity
• Friend making activities in the style of ‘speed dating’ or group tables, run by an experienced host.

Fashion Show

All presenters entering into the fashion show are required to do so via the fashion show application form, not the general events form.  Please see the link for more information on the fashion show. 

Presenter Passes

Information regarding our 2024 Presenter Pass Policy will be available soon.