Probably because Los Angeles is huge like xbox, as is California. Also, AX usually has some epic guests of honor.

There is no way in hell that Otakon could support even 30,000+ attendees.

They said they had 514 staffers on site for Otakon this year. Combine that with the limited space the current location offers, I don't see Otakon getting over 30,000 attendees any time soon.

AX is west coast. hur dur

Ok, serious question now: I've never been at a convention that big, the biggest ones I went to had like around 12,000 attendees. What's it like to be at Anime Expo with 40,000+ attendees? Doesn't it get like really really confusing? Ever got lost between all those people?

>>1990171
Well AX has lines until forever for just about everything. But the convention center its held in supports the crowds.

>>1990155
The former more so than the later, but being industry supported helps too.

>>1990161
This.

I think it's also that if you're going to travel for one you're going to travel to AX. I just don't think most people would spend hundreds of dollars in travel expenses to go to the smaller con that has guests that aren't as good. And with them being as close to each other as they are time wise its also probably not in most budgets to go to both. I don't go out to either but I have friends who go out to AX that don't even consider Otakon.

>>1990161

Well they expanded two panels to another hotel. The nice thing about the convention center is that the surrounding buildings are all connected by bridges.

>>1990145
I have already been to Otakon this year and plan on going next year if I can find friends to go with. After going to Otakon, it sort of makes me want to go to Ohayocon, Anime Central, or even Anime North. Surely, Anime Expo is probably within my radar if I only work hard and save.

Now Otakon's problem is competition from other conventions throughout the year while conventions as you head west become sparse. The Anime scene for the West Coast started earlier thanks to Comic Con and the absolute space between the West Coast and Japan while for the East Coast, Anime Boston did not even start until 2003 so the East Coast was slower to catch up in relative space.

Sorry I am in college right now.

>>1990145
Because Otakon is happy to stay at a sustainable size. All the long-running scifi cons have reached their plateau, meaning each year they can focus more on getting better than just getting bigger.

>>1990171
OP here: At Otakon, you just get really angry at a horde of one group getting in your way in that long hallway that spans the two buildings of the convention center together. Then someone stops to take a picture even though it's clearly meant to be like a "highway" for congoers and there's "NO PICTURES" signs on both ends. On the plus side, there are so many people that dropped money is a common occurrence, watch the floors, I found $40 one time.

Last year those fucking Code Grease cosplayers were so rabid they'd just punch me out of the way to get where they were going. Faggots.

Pic related, the fountains at Otakon, generally the biggest place for large concentrations of cosplayers and group photo shoots. Best place for chilling out and people watching.

If you think about it. Since AX is in southern California theres alot more you can do before and after AX. All the beaches like Venice and Santa Monica, Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and 6flags Magic Mountain. Ppl will make an entire trip/vacation out of it.

One of my roommates at Otakon was flying from San Diego to make it. Granted, he also went to AX, but he was going to both.

...Except he never showed...still havn't heard any word from him...but nonetheless, he was GOING to go. I think he prereged and bought his plane tickets and everything.

There's so many cons up and down the East Coast and even inland that if you don't live in the DC/Balitmore area, you can have you con fun without needing to travel that far.

I have no idea if the same is true for LA, but since most of the SouthWest is just barren wasteland, the opposite would make more sense.

>>1990299
Agreed. Another point I would like to make out is that AX tries every single year to include the 4th of July which is a big holiday and many people are off work that day.

>>1990161
This. Otakon even had attendance caps in 2005 & 2006: 22,000 and 25,000, respectively. '05 actually did reach the max.

I wonder what ever happened to that. The convention center hasn't gotten any bigger, right? Why the lack of cap in the past few years?

>>1990501
They finished the Hilton connecting to the convention center, they had three huge rooms in there this year for panels and autograph sessions.

>>1990501
They also had more staff to deal with the increase of attendees.

>>1990581
they had more staff this year?

It has to do with legal issues and the fire capacity of the convention center.

I don't even think Otakon, or the Baltimore Convention Center is supposed to pass 26,000 attendees. But they usually pass that number because there's constantly people coming and going in and out of the convention center.

I think it's actually the largest convention center on the Northeast as well. So there isn't much of an option to grow.

>>1990171
You don't know crowds until you've been to the San Diego Comic-Con

The some aisles in the exibition hall can be so crowded that it feels like a Holocaust train or something.