User blog:Lder1995/Fandom’s Weekend at Crunchyroll Expo!



This year Fandom had the privilege of attending Crunchyroll Expo in San Jose! Not only that, but we were able to partner with event organizers to provide free, weekend long passes to users and editors through an on-site and social media giveaway. Thanks to the work of several members of Fandom staff and partners, Fandom’s first major engagement with an in-person anime event was a resounding success and will hopefully lead to even more opportunities in anime spaces.

Fandom at Crunchyroll Expo
Fandom had three goals going into Crunchyroll Expo; host interviews and surveys that anime users on our platform will enjoy, meet with giveaway winners and help them have the best weekend possible, and represent the Fandom community and platform in the anime scene. We easily met these goals and the weekend was a resounding success!

Bailey and Emma from Fandom's Content Team collected some great insight from voice talent, content creators, and fans in the anime space. I was also thrilled to meet with winners and give them Fandom swag while learning about what they love about the Fandom community and where the platform can improve. The highlight of the weekend, though, was being able to connect with so many anime fans and help them realize that most anime wikis aren’t solitary sites and instead a means through which they can connect with an array of other anime fans. Just being able to walk around and talk to people about how Fandom is a space where they can celebrate the anime, games, shows, movies, and hobbies that they’re passionate about in a host of different ways was an absolute delight.

I also had my fill of incredible anime experiences at CRX. The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero panel was absolutely vibrant from the cast interview to a preview of the first 20 minutes of the film (featuring a show stopping fight between Piccolo and new villain Gamma 2). The convention floor was equally captivating, with spectacles like custom anime wraps on vintage cars to vendors selling CDs of the Berserk 1997 OST (which made me realize that I don’t own anything that can play CDs). I was even able to pick up an adorable Dragon Quest slime magnet from Tatiana Quigley’s booth in Artist Alley. Chainsaw Man absolutely stole the show, though, with a new trailer dropping on the first day of the event and CSM cosplayers abound. It made me even more excited for the anime’s premiere in October.

Post CRX Excitement
The Fandom content team is diligently working on publishing all of the material collected over the course of the convention. So keep your eyes out for interviews with the likes of the Spy x Family English cast and YouTube sensation King Vader. We’ve also turned those surveys into Fanalytics videos that show how the opinion of  Fandom’s Genshin Impact and Dragon Ball stack up to those of convention attendees.

The Community team is also going to use what we learned in organizing this giveaway and attending the convention to pursue other opportunities in this space. It’s more than clear that Fandom users are interested in attending events tied to their passions, and the Community team wants to help make that happen. Crunchyroll Expo is proof that the anime fandom is a diverse and eclectic space that inspires unforgettable experiences when its members come together. So long as Fandom’s users express interest in attending these kinds of events, by continuing to engage with these promotions and saying as much in surveys, I’ll do my best to help them attend and could not be happier to spend my time doing so. As the Fandom Stars program continues to grow, so will the opportunity to attend incredible events like this one.