Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Otakon Vegas is a new event from the people behind Otakon, one of North America’s largest celebrations of anime and East Asian popular culture.

We’re starting the way Otakon started, as a smaller, cozier, hotel-based convention. But we’re starting it on the Las Vegas Strip. 2018 will be our 5th year back at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Otakon Vegas is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, January 19-21, 2018, at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You can pick up your badge (or purchase if you have not pre-registered) from our Registration Booths outside the convention center doors, located on the Mezzanine level of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Go past our Artist Alley area towards the glass doors, the Registration Booths will be on the right of those doors.

Please see our handy map.

You may pick up your badge:

• Thursday: 6pm - 10pm (Pre-Registered Pickup Only)
• Friday: 10am - 11pm
• Saturday: 9am - 11pm
• Sunday: 9am - Noon

Late-night badge pickup, check with our Information Desk.

Sorry, we can not currently mail badges for Otakon Vegas. Please pick up your badge from one of our Registration Booths on-site.

Otakon Vegas is intended to be an annual event. 2018 will be our 5th year!

No. Our home at Planet Hollywood allows all of the festivities to be available to all ages. Children under 12 must be escorted by a parent or guardian at all times. Please see our Convention Policies for more information.

However, we are not a babysitting service and will not function as one. Please use common sense and take responsibility for your family members as appropriate.

If you enter from the hotel lobby you can use either the North or South Elevators to access the Mezzanine level and avoid the casino. If you enter from the strip, you will need to go through the casino floor to access the escalator to the Mezzanine or one of the elevators. Hotel guests can use the elevators to directly access the Mezzanine.

No. Otakon Vegas is an entirely separate event; the original Otakon convention moves to Washington D.C. in 2017.

No. The original Otakon convention in Washington, DC remains our flagship event, and we continue to hold it to the same high standard. Otakon Vegas allows us to reach a wider audience, while providing an additional venue to develop new ideas that all Otakorp events can benefit from.

No. Otakon Vegas is not affiliated with any other (non-Otakon) conventions, but that doesn’t mean we don’t talk to or work with other conventions from time to time.

Mostly, we felt that one Otakon just wasn’t enough to contain all the awesomeness we want to share with you. We’re always looking for new ways to expand our horizons and offer interesting and exciting opportunities to our members.

Otakorp’s mission is to use pop culture as a gateway to broader cultural understanding. We’re doing that pretty effectively on the East Coast now, but our membership reaches far beyond the mid-Atlantic.

Holding an event in Las Vegas offers us a chance to pursue our mission out west, and gives our far-flung membership more opportunities to participate in Otakon-style events.

Las Vegas is also a well-known ’destination city’, attracting visitors from all over the world. The city’s wealth of dining and entertainment options are an advantage when attracting guests, and the local anime convention schedule isn’t as saturated as in some other major cities. (Las Vegas also happens to have some of the lowest airfares in the US.)

Most of them will. If you love the Video Rooms, Panels, Video Games, Dealers Room, and Artist Alley, then we have you covered. The plan is to bring the best we have to offer, and to have some new, never-before-seen content as well.

Online pre-registration (Non-Members): $60 Weekend

Online pre-registration (Otakorp 2016 Members): $39 Weekend

At the door: $65 Weekend / $45 Friday or Saturday Single-Day / $30 Sunday Only

Children Under 6 are Free

When you register for Otakon in Baltimore (moving to Washington, DC in 2017!), you become a member of Otakorp, Inc., an educational non-profit organization with a mission to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment.

Members of Otakorp, Inc. receive the following benefits:

• Admission to Otakon in Washington, DC
• Early access to discounted tickets to other Otakorp events (like Otakon Vegas and the Otakon Music Festival)
• Contests, special events, and discounts throughout the year

No, because Otakon Vegas is a different type of event. The original Otakon convention in Washington, DC is (and will continue to be) the annual meeting for Otakorp’s members, and memberships are purchased by the year, not by the day.

Not quite. Current members of Otakorp, Inc. have early access to discounted weekend tickets to Otakon Vegas at a special members-only price.

No, because Otakon Vegas is a separate, ticketed event. If you are not a current Otakorp member, purchasing a ticket to Otakon Vegas will not make you a member.

Initially, no. If we see that the event is grossly exceeding our expectations we may institute a cap this year. One great thing about being in Vegas is we have a large number of options for additional growth.