FAQ

General Questions

Due to Leconte Convention Center policy – Outside food / drinks are not allowed on convention center premises.

For any questions on the Leconte food policy please reach out to them directly.

Children under 7 are free. 

Yes! Submit special guest requests to support@yamacon.org

No. It is not required at all. You will see a lot of people dressed up but all we ask is to bring yourself and try to have fun at Yama Con.

Your ID is only necessary if you plan to pick up your pre-registration badge by showing your ID.

We will ONLY accept Government Issued ID with picture ID such as a driver’s license, Tennesee State ID or Passport. We will NOT accept school IDs, birth certificates, or social security card.

Yama Con does not perform bag checks inside the convention center. All bags, including backpacks, are allowed at the convention. We do not have a clear bag policy at our venue.

No, it does not. Your convention badge is your ticket. We will NOT be charging extra for you to see any of the music acts that we’re bringing in or charge extra to watch the cosplay contest. We do not charge extra to attend a panel. We want everyone to enjoy all the fun they can with just their badge. The only time a panel or event will cost extra will be if we absolutely need to charge extra. This applies to panels which include additional materials like workshops or the Maid Cafe. We will inform attendees about this ahead of time.

No, we do not require cosplayers to enter the Cosplay Contest or cosplay events. You may show up in a costume if you’d like and no further action is required besides having fun.

Yama Con is an all-ages convention. However, if you are under the age of 13, you will need to have a parent or legal guardian who is 18 or above with you at all times.

It is the policy of Yama Con that what goes on in the privacy of a hotel room is not of the convention’s concern. However, we do ask that room parties be kept to a reasonable size (remember the fire marshal restrictions) and that the noise is kept at a reasonable volume. Hotel security will break up parties that receive complaints. However, if Yama Con safety personnel have reason to believe that illegal activities or activities that could threaten the welfare of the convention are taking place at a room party, they have a duty and a responsibility to act to ensure the safety of all involved.

The Yama Con theme changes year-to-year. The 2025 Theme is Cursed for our lucky year 13. You are not required to adhere your cosplay to this theme.

 We will be posting a detailed schedule closer to the convention on our Website and Social Media platforms.

The Anime Blues Con theme changes year-to-year. The 2018 Theme is 8-bit which is everything that involves gaming. You are not required to adhere your cosplay to this theme.

Yama Con is happening on December 8th – 8th, 2019 in Pigeon Forge, TN at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

Address:

Memphis Cook Convention Center

255 North Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Who:

Yama Con is a 3-Day Anime Convention located in Pigeon Forge, TN. Now in its 13th year beginning in 2011, we have quickly grown into the largest Anime convention in West Tennessee with our most recent year welcoming over 5000 fans.

What:

Yama Con is a 501c(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to the Arts & Culture of Japan.

Anime Blues has three goals in hosting its events:

Provide a venue for fans of Animation and Manga to come together in a festive environment.
Educate people about the history and culture surrounding anime and manga, by hosting guests from the industry.
Learn about Japanese culture through animation and comics.

Why:

Why attend? It’s a lot of fun, we promise.*

Registration Questions

No. We are not sold out of regular Yama Con convention passes. We do not have a limit on the number of passes.

You are not required to purchase a pass on the Yama Con website as you may purchase a badge at the convention location. We have convention badges for sale at the convention. Don’t worry, we will not be sold out as our facilities can comfortably fit over 10,000 people and we anticipate around half that size in attendance.

Yes, you may pick up a friend, family or significant other convention badges if you have their barcode confirmation paperwork. If you do not have their confirmation paperwork then we will not allow you pick it up for them on their behalf.

No. You do not have to show up at the convention on Thursday or Friday. You can pick up your convention badge at any time during the duration of the convention when Registration is open during the convention. Your convention badge is valid for the duration of the weekend.

Children who are under the age of 7 years old will be given a FREE child badge with a paid full price badge. Child badges can only be picked up at the convention. The child must be with an adult at all times.

No, we do not. You must purchase a 3-Day badge even if you are only attending for 2 days. It is still cheaper than any combination of 2 1-day passes.

No, we do not mail out badges of any kinds. You must pick them up in person.

Mailing out badges are not being considered this year.

Pre-Registration will cost the following amount (up until 11:59 PM Central Time):

  • $30 Early Pre-Registration Tier 1
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Yama Con badges are non-refundable and all sales are final.

In the event, you are unable to attend Yama Con we can offer you two options so your badge won’t go to ‘waste’.

  1. Transfer to another person – Choosing this method you could technically ‘sell’ your badge or give your badge to another person.
  2. Transfer to the following year – Choosing this method will transfer your badge to be used towards the following year. In this case, it would be transferred to Yama Con 2026.

To get started with the process please contact us at Support@yamacon.org with the following information.

  • Buyer Name:
  • Buyer E-mail:
  • Additional names: (If you purchased additional badges under the same transaction)
  • Confirmation/Receipt #: (If possible)

Please be sure to include as much information as possible to expedite the process and of course what option you choose to go with.

Yes, we do sell 1-Day passes/badges which can be purchased at the Registration table on-site at the convention. We do NOT sell 1-Day badges online prior to the convention. 1-Day passes/badges are only made available on the day you’re attending the convention.

Example:

  • 1-Day Friday Only badge can only be purchased on Friday – July 12th, 2019
  • 1-Day Saturday Only Badge can only be purchased on Saturday – July 13th, 2019
  • 1-Day Sunday Only Badge can only be purchased on Sunday – July 14h, 2019

Walk-In Registration price:

  • $30, Friday – 1-Day Badge (Age 8 & Up)
  • $30, Saturday – 1-Day Badge (Age 8 & Up)
  • $20, Sunday – 1-Day Badge (Age 8 & Up)
  • $50, Regular 3-Day Pass (Age 8 & Up)
  • FREE for anyone 7 years old and under (With paid adult badge)

Regular 1-Day and 3-Day passes will be available for purchase on-site.

Having a PayPal account is not required to purchase a badge.

Once you have entered your badge information through Eventbrite.

  1. Choose “Checkout with PayPal”
  2. Once redirected you will be given the option to sign into PayPal or Check out with Debit/Credit Cards and continue as a guest
  3. Continue as a guest and enter all necessary information it requires
  4. Check out
  5. Congratulations! You’ve finished registration and you should receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite confirming your ticket!

Eventbrite (Our ticketing platform) is powered by PayPal and accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Debit Cards.

  • Should you encounter any problems with Registering please contact Support@yamacon.org with as much information as possible with the error and we will try to assist you the best we can.

E-mail Support@yamacon.org. Be sure to include your full contact information to verify yourself. We ask to please format your email with the following:

  • Ticket Buyer Name:
  • Ticket Buyer E-mail:
  • Additional Names: (If purchased multiple badges under the same transaction)
  • Confirmation # (If possible)

As much information given will greatly expedite your inquiry. You can also bring your Valid Government-issued ID (Drivers License, State ID, Passport) as your confirmation too.

E-mail Support@yamacon.org about your issue. Be sure to state what device and browser you are using.

Be as thorough as possible when describing your issue.

If you will be entering into any parts of the convention that require an attendee badge to be shown then the answer is yes. We do not offer a parent discount pass. If your child is 12 or under, you or a guardian will have to be with them at all times. The Guardian must have a standard Yama Con convention badge.

Parents of attendees over 12 years old may wait nearby in the lobby/pre-function area located on the convention floor of the Leconte Center before entering our badge checkpoint stations.

We do not offer a group discount rate on convention badges.

You may print out and/or bring any one of the following to pick up your Pre-Registration or Online Registration if you have any of the following:

  • QR Coded Confirmation within the Eventbrite App
  • Barcoded Confirmation email from Eventbrite/Anime Blues Con (ID is not required in order to pick up your badge IF you have the confirmation email)
  • A Valid, government-issued photo ID is only required if you do not have the barcode confirmation email printed out or shown on your phone.
  • You have the Paypal confirmation e-mail printed out or shown on your phone.

In most cases, displaying your Barcoded Confirmation email on your smartphone will allow us to scan the barcode directly from your smartphone.

To answer an extremely commonly asked questions, Yes, you can pick for your friend if you have their barcode confirmation email. An ID is not required in order to pick up a friends or family badge if you have the barcode confirmation. We will not accept your family/friend Paypal confirmation.

Just your smiling self and some money or credit card. IDs are not required to register at the door if you’re paying for a normal pass/badge. We are strongly encouraging as many people as possible to Pre-Register to get the guaranteed lowest convention member badge rate. Payment for sure accepted at the door will be accepted in the form of Cash, Visa, Discover, Mastercard or American Express. We will not accept checks.

This would be correct, you are pre-purchasing a 3-day Yama Con pass at the lowest current tier price when you purchase pre-register. Pre-registration is the lowest rate you’ll spend for a convention pass at Yama Con. We do not offer 1-Day pre-registration as it will only be (and always will be) 3-Day pre-registrations. 1-Day passes are available at the convention at the Walk-In Registration table.

In this case, please bring your Pre-Registration Payment Confirmation email/page to claim your badge. However, State IDs are very easy to obtain for all ages. We will accept pre-registrations if you have the Yama Con Pre-Registration Confirmation E-mail displayed on your smartphones, tablet or other electronic devices.

We do accept drivers licenses (all kinds, expired ID is okay), military ID and passports. We do not accept birth certificates, School IDs or temporary paper ID without a picture on it. The government-issued ID must have a picture ID on it in some fashion. No exceptions are made.

The price of VIP Badges is $99.00* with 100 passes released for our 2019 convention. In 2018 VIP Badges sold out in 4 hours. We are anticipating the same in 2019. VIP Badges went on sale on February 17th, 2019 at 7:00 PM Central. Once VIP badges have sold out for the event no more VIP Badges will be made available.

Attendee’s who purchase the ‘VIP Badge’ will get the following benefits:

  • Access to all 3-Days of the convention
  • Exclusive VIP Badge
  • Exclusive VIP T-Shirt, VIP Lanyard & Tote Bag
  • One free (attendee provided) item autographed [Subject to Guest Contract terms]
  • Priority VIP Access (Autograph Signings, Main Events, Exhibit Hall)
  • Exclusive VIP Meet & Greet with Convention Guests [Subject to Guest Availability]

Registration will be located in the  checkout desk as soon as you walk into the Leconte Center

Pre-Registration badge pickup is available on:

  • Thursday at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Walk-In Registration/Pre-Registration badge pickup will open at the following times:

  • Friday at 9:00AM – 8:00PM
  • Saturday at 9:00AM – 8:00PM
  • Sunday at 9:00AM – 2:00PM

Please note that all times are when Registration will be open but we might be open later if there are a lot of people still wanting badges when we’re scheduled to close.

Registration will be located in the Memphis Cook Convention Center (Exhibit Hall/Ballroom Level 3) in the Lobby/Pre-Function area near the Exhibit Hall.

Pre-Registration badge pickup is available on:

  • Thursday 07/11/2019 at 6:00PM – 9:00PM.

Walk-In Registration/Pre-Registration badge pickup will open at the following times:

  • Friday 07/12/19 at 9:00AM – 8:00PM
  • Saturday 07/13/19 at 9:00AM – 8:00PM
  • Sunday 07/14/19 at 9:00AM – 2:00PM

Please note that all times are when Registration will be open but we might be open later if there are a lot of people still wanting badges when we’re scheduled to close.

We will have badge checkpoint stations to enter our main convention floor space at all times of the convention hours. Badge checkers will be checking to ensure all badges are valid Yama Con badges. ‘Sneaking’ into areas requiring an attendee badge will have you escorted to Registration to purchase a badge or escorted off convention grounds by security.

Guest Relations

If you want to be considered for a guest it is heavily suggested to contact us in the spring or summer when we’re booking guests. Reaching out to us in the spring might be too late and reaching out to us in the summer is definitely going to be too late as we generally have all of our guests booked by that time.

If you’re someone who has done something of note in the anime, manga, video game industry, Japanese pop culture then drop us a line. We will do a bit of research to see if you would be a good fit.

We do receive a large plethora of inquiries asking to be guests. It is a lot more that we could possibly afford or manage to have at the convention. Please do not be offended if we turn you down or do not reply back even if you offer to attend for free. We hope you understand that our guest list has a limit. However, you are still welcome to attend the convention and host panel.

Anime Blues Con takes guest suggestions from the public on multiple channels. We also take a look at what is currently popular in the fandoms that our convention tends to bring in. These suggestions (as well as suggestions from staff members) are reviewed by the Board of Directors. We whittle down the list and then when finalized we track down the potential guests on the list to offer invitations.

Soon after, if a guest accepts our offer, we’ll announce then added to the Guests section of the website. Until a guest is announced Anime Blues Con can neither confirm nor deny if someone has been invited as a guest.

We are switching over to INVITE ONLY on all DJ music acts as we only want to offer the best for our attendees. Regional DJs will be contacted if they offer an opening slot by our DJ department. We will no longer allow DJs to apply for future Yama conventions.

We do not consider last-minute guests at our convention. If a guest slot needs to be filled by a cancellation we will inquire with the dozens of others who’ve inquired over the year. We completely finalize our guest list at 30 days out.

You may drop us a line if you a music act that you feel would be a good fit to perform at a Japanese-focused fandom convention event. We also consider Video Game Music acts and similar genre acts. We do research all music acts who reach out to us.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a guest at Yama Con. We are seeking Cosplay Guests as judges for the Anime Blues Con Cosplay Contest. As a heavily craftsmanship-focused contest, we are looking for portfolios that demonstrate skill in craftsmanship, experience in competition, and love of sharing the craft. Each judge will be given one-on-one time with every competitor, an opportunity to discuss construction methods and get a close-up look of each cosplay that will cross the main stage.

We welcome our guests to submit programming content such as teaching or demonstration panels, booths or tables, or fan meetups. Guests will be in touch with a member of cosplay staff to coordinate any programming they are interested in submitting.

If you’ve sent in an inquiry through the forms then one of our staff members have read it as it is sent out to multiple people. We receive a large number of inquiries from people who’d like to be a guest at our convention every year. If you are selected then we’ll use the information provided to inquire with you.

We highly recommend keeping inquiries to one or two submission per year. Multiple guest inquiries beyond once a 12 month period will push down any of potential consideration ever. Submitting your inquiry to multiple departments will have all future e-mails marked as spam. This can not be stressed due to guests who will tell their fan base to send us multiple inquiries.

Another tip: please do not shill yourself in our request threads or have your agent do it. It is really obvious to us and will push down future consideration. Also, do not put on a Twitter/Facebook/IG rally to get yourself booked. It doesn’t work on us.

We also implore you to not track down Yama Con staff personal social profiles to ask/pitch to be a guest. If do so you will never be considered, ever. Please respect our personal privacy as we ensure that you will be contacted by Yama Con official channels if you’re being offered a guest slot.

We do not send out rejection emails due to prior inquiries who will grief, spam, or go as far as stalking us for being turned down. Yes, it’d be nice to know if the answer is no but a quite few bad apples had to make it so that we can’t let people know on our decisions.

A huge factor when considering our headliner guests is that we try to book unique guests who have not appeared at other nearby conventions. However, it is a huge factor as we want to ensure that Yama Con has a guest lineup that many will not see at other fan conventions in Tennessee.

If you really want to see a guest who has been announced elsewhere nearby then we encourage that you take a road trip to that city to meet your favorite guest.

You may submit a proposal but it must stand out as something that we don’t already offer that would still be a good fit at an anime/gaming convention. US-Based groups who ask for monetary compensation to put on panel programming will not be considered. We will do our research on any group who contacts us.

You may submit to host a panel at Yama Con, but be sure to read our Panelists Knowledge base as you will see that we do not issue compensation beyond complimentary badges if they are approved for 2 or more hours of panels.

You can link us to your website with your client list. We will review it. We do prefer to work with agents who’ve booked clients at anime conventions. We prefer those with an understanding of the kind of negotiations which it entails.

The reputation of an agent does have a big factor too. Anime convention organizers do talk to each other and share info.

DO NOT ADD OUR GENERAL CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS TO YOUR MAILING LIST! DOING SO WILL REMOVE ANY CHANCES OF US CONTACTING YOU.

We try to put in a valiant effort to bring in a large variety of new guests every convention year. If a guest is announced in attending Yama Con we highly recommend making a consorted effort to attend our convention to meet them. We can’t make any guarantee that they’ll be returning to Yama Con after that particular convention year.

We will be periodically announcing guests in batches or when they have been fully confirmed. It is a long process as some times we can not confirm a guest until up to a month before the convention based on scheduling and availability. We ask for your patience as we generally do not finalize our guest list until around 30 days before the convention.

Panelist Questions

You certainly can, but make sure it is prominent in your write up so that the programming committee knows, along with the attendees.

Yama Con will not be responsible for collecting the fee for your workshop event.

Due to privacy concerns, we can’t give out panelist’s information, but we will happily give your information to the other party. They can contact you at that point if they’re interested.

Yes, anyone who is listed as a panelist at Yama Con should contribute in a visible and meaningful way during the panel. For example, someone who is coming to help transport your materials should not be listed as a group member.

No. It does not cost anything to run a panel at Yama Con.

There can be up to 4 panelists for each panel. Events that require larger groups (such as performances) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Panelists can check in with the designated ABC Staff member either posted at the door to your assigned room or just inside the room. Once you arrive at check-in, please give your name and the name of the panel you are running. The staff here can help with any last-minute needs.

Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start of your panel to check-in so that the staff has ample time to get you situated and or take care of any last minute needs. Failure to check-in with the Staff member on duty or arriving late to your scheduled panel will have their panel forfeited and the panelist blacklisted to host future panels at Anime Blues Con events.

After the panel has been accepted, we take a look at your preferred schedule and the overall schedule availability to decide when and where your panel will be. We work hard to make sure your event is scheduled during your preferred hours, but sometimes we can’t. You’ll be notified in advance if we can’t make your preferred times. Room selection is done based on panel attendance numbers we’ve been gathering for the past several years. If we find that a certain type of event or specific fandom is super popular, we try to fit it into a larger room. Of course, sometimes, the schedule works out such that only a smaller room is available during your preferred hours. Please don’t take this as a slight to your panel!

That depends. You should get a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting your proposal, but after that, there’s no set timetable. The programming committee will meet roughly once a month, but we always want to make sure we have the best panels possible. This means we may hold off on sending status updates until May 1st. Of course, you can always email us with questions or anything else you think we need: Panels@yamacon.org.

We do not allocate any space for storing personal items used for panels. Please make sure that you plan ahead and either have a hotel room or another storage option on-site. We are not liable for any lost, stolen, or damaged items that are left at Yama Con.

Your panel submission will not be considered if you miss the deadline. We do not consider submissions submitted through our contact form or by e-mail.

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide prizes. Dates are NOT allowed to be given as prizes.

  • Yes. We, unfortunately, have to mention that dates are NOT to be used as prizes.

There is no minimum age to run a panel at Yama Con.

E-mail Panels@yamacon.org to let the Panels/Programming Team know, or find a staff member with a radio to get in contact with the Panels/Programming Team. The earlier you can let us know the better. Being a no-call/no-show at Anime Blues Con will greatly affect on being approved for any future panels. We do keep track of canceled panels.

We like proposals for panels that:

  • Directly involve anime, manga or other Japanese culture. For example, a well-planned proposal that features an anime will take priority over an equally well-planned proposal that features an outside fandom, such as American comics or movies. Having said that, we do have a certain amount of leniency, especially if the fandom is large (in other words, we’ve received a lot of proposals for it) or overlaps Anime Blues Con’s main fandoms in some way.
  • Are well-planned and have supporting materials. The proposal is our first glimpse of how you communicate and what you want to do at ABC. Make sure it’s well-written and try to include evidence that the panel will be successful. If you can’t include something in the online form (such as a picture) or a something changes after you submit, email it to Panels@yamacon.org (make sure to include your name and the panel name for reference).
  • Are engaging and interactive. We like lectures, too, but a proposal that introduces a creative way to communicate with the audience really catches our eyes.
  • Are more than dressing in character and showing up. You can certainly submit “in-character” panels, but we’d like to see more than, “come ask your favorite character a question” in the description. If you have support for your panel going well in the past, such as videos, we’d like to see that, too.
  • Don’t involve physicality. We know that “battle chess” and other such games are super fun, but we don’t have the room or oversight to make sure they run safely, unfortunately.
  • Aren’t speed or blind dates. You can definitely submit a proposal, but please know that we’re pretty strict with planning these sorts of events. We have to make sure that all our guests are comfortable and safe, after all. That being said, ABC is a huge gathering of people with interests just like yours – any event could be the place you meet your new best friend!
  • Panels for all audience age groups are welcome. Just make sure to let us know your panel is 18+ if it is for more adult audiences!
  • Grammar and spelling are very important if you are going to be addressing a crowd during a panel. It also helps to make a good first impression on those evaluating panel submissions.

If you have any other questions about this information or the panelist proposal form, please send an email to Panels@yamacon.org.

Currently, we support laptops (PC and Mac) only. We can’t connect a tablet or phone to our system. If you plan to have a digital presentation, make sure you can run it from a laptop.

  • If you have any Videos for the screens, you must be able to give us HDMI signal. (Not VGA, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, etc.).
  • If you have Audio Only on a computer, smartphone, tablet, other devices, we can work with 3.5mm headphone jack.
    • If you have the new Apple phones or computers with no headphone jack… Bring that adapter, please!

The Yama Con A/V Team does our best to assist panel hosts before each panel to set up with sound and video when needed. This advice is based on our experience to keep things moving as smoothly and timely as possible.

We make sure to include a projector, speakers, and equipment to connect a laptop and/or smartphone (3.5mm Headset jack for music playback)

Unless otherwise requested, we will also provide a table, 2 chairs, and 2 microphones. Please assume that if it is not listed here you will need to provide it yourself. Please email us at, Panels@yamacon.org if you have any further questions.

This is to be determined. We will have a field in which you should list your expected capacity so that you’re scheduled in the right size room. Please try to be as accurate as possible, though we understand this can be difficult to calculate for new panels.

When you receive your panel acceptance email it will indicate what room your panel will be in and we will be glad to assist you to let you know the max capacity your room can fit.

There is free Convention WiFi available at the Leconte however it is known to be VERY unreliable even more so when thousands of attendees are also likely using it at the same time. Our recomendation is to have all materials downloaded before your panel for easy, and smooth playback.

Programming Questions

Great! Submit a Panel once Panel Applications open!

As an Anime convention, we will be bringing you multiple panel rooms, gaming, interactive events, industry panels, guest panels, karaoke and more!

General Information

  • Email: Support@yamacon.org
  • Convention: Yama Con 13
  • Theme: Cursed
  • Date: December 5th – 7th, 2025

  • Location: Leconte Convention Center, Pigeon Forge, TN

Don’t Miss out!

Yama Con

Yama-Con Anime & Comic Convention is the largest anime convention in East Tennessee held annually in the massive LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. Now in its 13th year, it has quickly grown in size and scope to welcome thousands of attendees, hundreds of hours of programming, events, and more!