OMGcon
Encyclopedia
OMGcon is an anime
and gaming
convention
held in Paducah, Kentucky
. First held in June 2006, the convention has been located at the same venue throughout its history and has steadily increased in attendance every year, finally reaching over 1,000 during its fourth year in 2009, an increase of over 400 attendees in one year. The convention is run by the non-profit group Tri-State Anime Promotional Society, commonly referred to as TAPS, which was co-founded by Daniel Dodd and Richard Griffith. It was the first anime convention to be held in Paducah, and is one of the Convention Center's largest conventions of the year, second only to the Annual Quilt Show
for which Paducah is nicknamed.
contest, fan panels, video game rooms for LAN gaming and tournaments, evening rave, tabletop room, and guests from the Anime
profession. Most notably, anime voice actors Greg Ayres
and Christopher Ayres
have been special guests for many years of the convention, even admitting their love for the annual convention.
, and not long afterwards formed the Tri-State Anime Promotional Society in order to form a team of people to run the convention.
The first event then took place in 2006, and has since been held every year either in June or May at the Julian Carrol Convention Center in Downtown Paducah
.
Anime convention
An anime convention is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Commonly, anime conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels...
and gaming
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
convention
Fan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
held in Paducah, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. First held in June 2006, the convention has been located at the same venue throughout its history and has steadily increased in attendance every year, finally reaching over 1,000 during its fourth year in 2009, an increase of over 400 attendees in one year. The convention is run by the non-profit group Tri-State Anime Promotional Society, commonly referred to as TAPS, which was co-founded by Daniel Dodd and Richard Griffith. It was the first anime convention to be held in Paducah, and is one of the Convention Center's largest conventions of the year, second only to the Annual Quilt Show
Museum of the American Quilter's Society
The National Quilt Museum, formerly the Museum of the American Quilter's Society, is located in Paducah, Kentucky. The museum houses a large collection of quilts, most of which are winning entries from the American Quilter's Society festival and quilt competition held yearly in April...
for which Paducah is nicknamed.
Programming
Though each year brings different events to OMGcon, some events have been a mainstay. These include: CosplayCosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
contest, fan panels, video game rooms for LAN gaming and tournaments, evening rave, tabletop room, and guests from the Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
profession. Most notably, anime voice actors Greg Ayres
Greg Ayres
Gregory Scott Ayres is an American voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films...
and Christopher Ayres
Christopher Ayres
For the journalist, see Chris Ayres.Christopher Owen Ayres is an American voice actor ADR Director and Script Writer, who works for anime series at FUNimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, New Generation Pictures and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English...
have been special guests for many years of the convention, even admitting their love for the annual convention.
History
Cofounders Richard Griffith and Daniel Dodd decided to host a gaming convention in their home region after visiting OhayoconOhayocon
Ohayocon is a convention focusing on Japanese pop culture, including popular anime and manga fandom. It is traditionally held during the month of January in Columbus, Ohio. Ohayocon was first held in 2001 in Cleveland, Ohio, moving to Columbus in 2003...
, and not long afterwards formed the Tri-State Anime Promotional Society in order to form a team of people to run the convention.
The first event then took place in 2006, and has since been held every year either in June or May at the Julian Carrol Convention Center in Downtown Paducah
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
.
Event History
| Convention | Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMG!con | June 9–11, 2006 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
260 | Greg Ayres Greg Ayres Gregory Scott Ayres is an American voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films... |
| OMG!!con | May 25–27, 2007 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
380 | Greg Ayres, Luci Christian Luci Christian Louisa Michelle Christian is an American voice actress and ADR Script Writer who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000... , Robert and Emily DeJesus |
| OMG!!!con | June 6–8, 2008 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
660 | Greg Ayres, Christopher Ayres Christopher Ayres For the journalist, see Chris Ayres.Christopher Owen Ayres is an American voice actor ADR Director and Script Writer, who works for anime series at FUNimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, New Generation Pictures and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English... , Robert Aldrich Robert Aldrich Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert... , Robert and Emily DeJesus |
| OMGcon 4th Mix | June 5–7, 2009 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
1,100 | Greg Ayres, Christopher Ayres, Robert and Emily DeJesus |
| OMGcon 5th Year Extravaganza | June 11–13, 2010 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
1,253 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Josh Grelle Josh Grelle Joshua Grelle is an American voice actor and ADR Script writer for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital and OkraTron 5000... , Rosearik Rikki Simons Rosearik Rikki Simons Rosearik Rikki Allen Simons is an American voice actor, writer, graphic novelist, and artist, best known as the voice of GIR in the Nickelodeon animated series, Invader Zim.... , Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons |
| OMGcon 2011 | June 3-5, 2011 | Julian Carrol Convention Center Paducah, Kentucky Paducah, Kentucky Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... |
1,220 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Rosearik Rikki Simons Rosearik Rikki Simons Rosearik Rikki Allen Simons is an American voice actor, writer, graphic novelist, and artist, best known as the voice of GIR in the Nickelodeon animated series, Invader Zim.... , Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons, Eric Stuart Eric Stuart Eric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his... |