San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau Welcomes Back FanimeCon

SAN JOSE, CA. - May 3, 2006 – The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB) welcomes back FanimeCon 2006, Memorial Day weekend, May 26-29. FanimeCon 2006 will be Northern California's largest anime convention, with 10,000 members expected to attend, many in full costume.

"San Jose is an excellent location for our conference; it is a community centered, family friendly city that offers many of the big city attractions without the additional stress," said Tomoko Shintani Stocksiek, President of Anime Resource Group (ARG), FanimeCon's presenting organization.

The convention originated by anime fans is a lively showcase of art and live performances, and creates an opportunity for anime enthusiasts to network in a variety of unique activities. This year's show has grown in size and occupies the entire San Jose McEnery Convention Center and Civic Auditorium facilities – the largest space the show has ever occupied. Members of the conference will not lack for things to do as they choose between video screenings, panel discussions, an electronic gaming area, a 24 game arcade zone, over 100 vendors displaying anime related materials, dances after dark, Artist Alley, and many other demonstrations.

New this year is a theme room dedicated to showing a single genre of anime 24 hours a day throughout the conference. Another premiere event will be Musicfest, which will feature six Japanese bands plus local acts representing a broad range of musical styles. A conference favorite is the 6th Annual Fanime Con Karaoke Contest, which will feature 30 acts but only one winner! Another popular attraction is the Asian Film Room, which highlights East Asian Cinema from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan.

FanimeCon will be offering its enthusiastic members non-stop live and video programming all weekend long.

Anime is the Japanese word for animation. The artwork is represented by stylized, colorful, large eyed images depicting characters in a variety of settings and story lines.

About The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB)

The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB) mission is to enhance the image and economic well being of San Jose by marketing San Jose as a globally recognized destination. The SJCVB offers meeting planners, tour operators, and individual visitors a wide range of services to ensure a successful event and fun visit to San Jose. To receive a copy of the Bureau's Meeting Planning Guide or Official Visitors Guide, please contact the SJCVB at 1.800.SAN.JOSE (1.800.726.5673) or visit http://www.sanjose.org.