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. When you attend a convention, you see the excitement, the cosplay, the vibrant vendor halls, and the community coming together—but behind the scenes, the numbers tell a different story.
It’s not just about putting up booths and organizing panels. There are major costs involved that most people don’t realize until they’re in the thick of planning. As President of AnimeCon.org, budgeting is a huge part of my responsibilities.
I've seen plenty of memes lately about convention organizers getting rich or running away with profits, but the reality is far less glamorous. From venue rentals that rival the cost of a new car to the endless logistics of getting the tech setup just right, every dollar counts—and those dollars add up fast. Even at smaller events like Anime-ZAP!, the price tag for the venue alone can easily surpass $15,000. And that’s just the beginning.
Well, I want to pull back the curtain and share the real financial landscape of running an anime convention—what we spend on, why we spend it, and how it all adds up. You might be surprised to find out just how tight the margins are, and how every decision, from guest appearances to AV setup, impacts the overall success of the event. I will share with you the major expenses that go into making these incredible events happen.
Venue Rental
The most substantial cost is renting the venue. Large conventions require spacious venues with multiple rooms for panels, screenings, and vendor areas. Costs escalate with the venue's size, location, and amenities. Even at one of our smallest conventions, Anime-ZAP!, venue rental for the meeting spaces costs well over $15,000. For a convention with about 1,000 attendees, that means $15 of every badge sold, at an average price of $30-$40, goes directly to the venue.
This does not include hotel rooms for your staff and guests of honor, which are the next largest component of any budget. The rooming for a con with just five guests and ten staff rooms would cost almost $9,000!
Here’s how it breaks down: at $150 per room per night for three nights, plus 14% hotel tax, that brings the room total to $513 per room (3 nights). Multiply that by 15 rooms (5 for guests and 10 for staff), and you’re looking at $7,695 for the rooms alone. On top of that, parking fees of $20 per day per room for three days add another $900, bringing the total cost for hotel rooms and parking to $8,595.
So before anything, a small 1,000-person convention costs twenty-three-thousand bucks just to start. Imagine a ticket price of $40 - you have to sell 589 tickets just to pay the venue, and you have nothing left over for guest appearance fees, entertainment, audiovisual, etc.
Guest Appearances
Inviting famous artists, voice actors, and industry figures is a draw for attendees but involves appearance fees, travel, and accommodation expenses. For each guest, estimate at least $500 for flights, which may be as high as $1,000 for guests flying in from certain airports or for guests who have very specific schedule requirements.
Some guests require first class flights: easily $1,200 - $2,000.
These flight prices are often higher than you can find when booking flights for a vacation, because actors often have strict schedules they have to keep, and so they can't take any red-eye flights or flights with lengthy layovers. They also have to look their best during the weekend, to give fans a good experience, and so they usually have to bring a lot of luggage as well.
Marketing and Promotion
Effective advertising through social media, posters, and partnerships is crucial for attracting attendees. This includes costs for graphic design, online ad space, and promotional materials. If attendees don't know about the event, what is the point of putting it on? The cost of just a few billboards on the freeway promoting an event easily costs over $10,000.
Audio-Visual and Tech Setup
Ensuring an immersive experience for attendees, audio-visual and tech setup is a critical, yet costly, aspect. For a medium-sized convention, renting projectors, sound systems, lighting, and other A/V equipment can range from $10,000 to $80,000. It's a wide range depending on what add-on services you need to add. For example, if you need to attach something to the ceiling, the rigging labor alone can double your costs. Add to this the cost of hiring specialized technicians to manage this equipment. The complexity of today's technology, especially for larger conventions with multiple tracks running simultaneously, necessitates a team of skilled professionals. This is not an area where cost-cutting is advisable, as technical glitches can significantly impact the attendee experience.
Security and Staffing
Security and staffing are pivotal in managing the thousands who attend these events. The cost here varies widely depending on the size of the venue and the number of attendees. This includes on-site security personnel, medical staff for emergencies, and various operational staff for event coordination. The challenge is to balance adequate coverage while managing costs effectively. At our events we have been fortunate to have few medical issues - the most common ones are from people overexerting themselves and getting dehydrated - but we still often have trained medical staff on hand.
Insurance
Securing liability insurance is non-negotiable, with costs varying based on the event's scale and location. For a standard anime convention, insurance costs can be surprisingly high. This insurance protects the organizers against liabilities from accidents or property damage, and is a requirement from most venues in order to hold an event.
Merchandise Production
Merchandise sales are not just a revenue stream but also a significant expense. The cost of producing high-quality, unique merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and exclusive collectibles can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars. For example, a limited edition collectible might cost $20 to produce and is sold for $40, but the initial investment is substantial, especially when producing a wide range of merchandise. At our events we don't really do a lot of merchandise, because the cost is just so darn high. When we have ordered merchandise in the past, we've learned you have to order a lot because you need a wide variety of products in order to get people interested.
Logistics and Operations
The logistics and operational costs encompass a wide range of expenses, from utilities and cleaning to signage and event management software. For example, we pay for local rental facilities near all our events to store some equipment locally, and we also have a main storage office located at our headquarters. Just storing convention equipment, banners, etc, costs over $700 a month considering the multiple conventions and storage locations. If we didn't have local storage, we would have to be driving twice as many hours for each convention, making multiple trips just to bring equipment and signs.
Permits and Licenses
Obtaining the necessary permits and licenses can be both time-consuming and costly. Costs can vary greatly depending on the location and scope of the event. For instance, a convention in a major city might need to spend several thousand dollars on permits alone. Additionally, playing copyrighted music requires specific licenses, which add to this expense.
For example, one city requires a fire marshal review for all events over 300 people. This costs $100 for the review, and the venue charges another $500 to make diagrams for the fire marshal's approval. Another city charges a vending fee of $50 per vendor. Another city requires special permits for dance events. There are tons of kinds of permits and licenses needed, and each one costs more money.
Guest Services
Enhancing the attendee experience with guest services such as a ConSweet adds additional expense. The cost of rice, instant ramen, and soda can't be overstated, and adds up quickly. This is why we encourage people not to waste and take only what they plan to eat at the ConSweet.
Sample "Large" Anime Convention Budget
5000 tickets sold at $35 average: $175,000
Vendor revenue: $50,000
Total revenue: $225,000
Meeting space rental: $70,000
Other venue fees, like parking for your staff, audiovisual "load in fees", "package receiving fees", etc: $10,000
Hotel rooms for staff: $9,000
Hotel rooms for voice actors, entertainers, etc: $17,000
Insurance: $5,000
Medical staff: $5,000
Outside safety: $3,000
Amounts paid to entertainment providers like Karaoke Groups, Manga Library, Arcade Gaming Rental Companies, some of which may just be reimbursing their travel expenses: $25,000
ConSweet expenses: $5,000
Portion of pay to full time staff: $11,000
Headquarters office rental: $9000
AV and Tech: $20,000
Cost of badges themselves: $5,000
Promotional billboards: $15,000
Social media advertising: $11,000
Expenses of taking care of volunteers: $1000
Staff shirts, giveaway items, merchandise, etc: $5,000
Total expenses: $226,000
Total profit after expenses: -$1,000
While revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, and vendor fees can offset these costs, it's notable that when there are dozens of expenses - and each one adds another $10,000 here and $10,000 there - the total cost of running an anime convention can add up pretty fast.