The Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Nashua, NH
Another Anime Convention is a young anime and gaming convention held annually in southern New Hampshire. Although 2006 was Another Anime Con's first year of operation, the con still managed to outgrow its original location in Manchester, so 2007's event was moved to the larger Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Nashua. For its sophomore year, AAC featured a diverse array of panels, dances, concerts, gaming events, contests, performances, and cosplay activities. Given the fact that AAC is a small and still very new convention, I was impressed by the con's professionalism; organizational aspects such as its registration and program guides were excellent, and AAC's larger events, including its formal ball, AMV contest, masquerade, and rave, were all more esthetically and technically well put together than many similarly-sized, but older, New England cons. The convention center itself was also wonderful; the hotel rooms were large, the spacious lobby with its plethora of comfy couches made for a wonderful hangout spot, and the courtyard at the center of the con had beautiful landscaping and was perfect for taking photos. I also enjoyed the relaxed small-con atmosphere which allowed me to spend plenty of time socializing with friends. That said, however, being a new convention in a brand new location, AAC was not without its problems. Communication between staff and attendees was not the best, causing confusion as to locations, event times, how to sign up for entrance to certain functions, and how to effectively identify staff and security team members. Also, with attendance doubling from about 400 attendees in 2006 to over 800 in 2007, the layout of the con hallways needed to be reorganized to better facilitate attendee traffic and prevent noise from the halls or other events from spilling over into panels and video rooms. These difficulties, however, are easily solvable, and I am confident that Another Anime Con will overcome its growing pains and quickly become a favorite of New England con-goers. I know I had a wonderful time, and hope to attend again next year.
