Ryan Kopf's Blog

Hi, I'm Ryan, president of AnimeCon.org, and part of my job is making sure our conventions bring real Japanese culture and community experiences to anime fans. One of the coolest things we offer at our conventions is the Con "Sweet"—a place where attendees can recharge with unlimited free rice, instant ramen, and soda.

I want to share something exciting that I absolutely love about Japan. Unlike in the U.S., where gaming has become mostly a home-based activity, Japan still has thriving spaces dedicated to bringing gamers together.

As President of AnimeCon.org, I have the immense priviledge of organizing some of the most fun events in the entire world. These are three-day experiences where you can come and be a part of a community of like-minded nerds, play board games, meet special guests, and dance the night away.

As the President of AnimeCon.org and longtime convention organizer, I have seen the world of anime conventions change a great deal in the past 15 years. There are a lot of things to look out for now, and a lot has changed.

You've read stories that Russia and other governments try to manipulate people online. But you almost certainly don't how just how effectively orchestrated influence networks are using social media platforms to make you -- individually-- angry, depressed, and hateful toward each other.

In the world of hotel contract negotiations, encountering the often opaque pricing practices of various audiovisual companies can be frustrating. Hotels have started using third-party AV vendors - like Encore, AVMS (Audio Visual Management Solutions), Swank AV, PSAV (turned into Encore), Three Pillars, Onstage, Freeman, and others - and sometimes it can be challenging to get prices from these companies.

As someone who runs multiple businesses and attends more conventions than I can count, keeping up with emails is a challenge. Each day, my inbox floods with questions, requests, and updates, and it used to take me hours to sift through them all.

In the past few years, we've seen a major shift in the anime industry, and it all started with one big move: Sony buying Crunchyroll, which later merged with Funimation. On the surface, this looks like a power play, consolidating two of the largest anime streaming platforms into one.

Gardening has always been a rewarding hobby, but managing it can be time-consuming, especially when balancing work, conventions, and other projects. That’s why I turned to Farmbot to automate my vegetable garden.

Running an anime convention is no small feat, and I’ve learned that firsthand over the years. It’s exciting and rewarding, but it’s also one of the most financially demanding endeavors I’ve ever undertaken.