Anime Expo Adds New Passes, Allowing Transfers and Refunds

Over the weekend, Anime Expo changed its attendance policy and added a few new options for people that wanted to attend but weren’t interested in purchasing a full badge with the addition of the Exhibit-Only badge, Dance Only badge and free access to the Exhibit Hall after 3:30PM. Attendees that previously purchased full badges will be able to transfer to the aforementioned passes and tickets while receiving a refund for the difference as explained in the following letter from Interim CEO Marc Perez:

Dear Anime Expo 2011 Attendees,

We hope you are as excited as we are that our spectacular 20th Anniversary Expo is right around the corner.

As part of that celebration as most of you know, we implemented several changes to the exhibit hall to make the experience even more “fan friendly” to our attendees — this includes the addition of a Dance or Exhibit Hall Only Passes, carpet in the Exhibit Hall, and free entrance to the Exhibit Hall after 3:33 p.m.

Our intent with the Dance and Exhibit Hall Only passes was to provide an option for the general public to attend one of our core attractions at a low cost and to benefit our exhibitors and the public with a larger opportunity for purchasing wonderful keepsakes. Unfortunately, this had the unintended consequence of upsetting some of our already registered attendees who may have chosen one of these options instead of a Full Pass.

Hence, we are extending an opportunity for any and all AX attendees who would like to either switch to the newly added options or receive a full refund prior to the convention. All options can be found online: http://www.anime-expo.org/registrati…ng-and-format/

If you would like to change your pass or request a refund, Please contact Customer Service with any questions: 805-290-1341 or email: anime2011@rcsreg.com. We hope that this show of goodwill will honor our fans, and demonstrate that we do care and we wish to provide a great experience for all.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at CEO@SPJA.org

Very respectfully,

Marc Perez
Chairman Board of Directors & CEO
Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation | SPJA.org

These new options were not available earlier this year due to the convention’s initial stance that the only attendance options offered this year would be full and multi-day badges, which upset many attendees that pre-registered earlier this year and saw the new options taking into account the convention’s initial badge-only stance. Below is the official announcement of the new options:

In effort to make the experience even more “fan friendly” to our attendees, Anime Expo introduces the addition of a Dance or Exhibit Hall Only Pass ticket, carpet in the Exhibit Hall, and free entrance to the Exhibit Hall after 3:33 p.m.

Dance-Only Passes are priced between $5-$20 online until June 29 and $10-$25 on-site (good for one night of dance).  Exhibit Hall-Only Passes are priced at $20 online until June 30th and $25 on-site (good for one day). In addition to the above, Anime Expo continues to offer 1, 2 and 4-day passes to Anime Expo which enable fans to not only check out the exhibit hall and attend dance events, but also experience all else AX has to offer including live panels, 24-hour video programming, gaming, karaoke, cosplay competitions, celebrity guest meet-and-greets, autograph signings and much more. All options can be found online here.

“We love our fans,” said CEO and President of The Society For The Promotion Of Japanese Animation Marc Perez.  “Our goal is to give the fans exactly what they want and demonstrate that we wish to provide a great experience for all.”