OMG!Con will return to the Owensboro Convention Center June 12-14, uniting attendees for three days of anime, gaming, and pop culture events.
The convention’s biggest attractions include a video game room featuring more than 50 arcade units and celebrity appearances by voice actors, cosplayers, content creators, and musical entertainment. This year will welcome first-time attendee Jon St. John and returning guests Greg Ayres and Rikki and Tavisha Simons.
The first-floor exhibit hall will feature licensed merchandise vendors, authors, and an “Artist Alley” that highlights work by local creators.
Fans can also participate in live-action role-play, video game tournaments, cosplay contests, meet-and-greets, a nighttime dance party, and numerous of tabletop, board, and card games.
Alongside entertainment, OMG!Con aims to educate attendees on the culture behind the media they love. Informational panels will explore the history of Japanese animation and modern game development.
“We try to do something new and different every year and continue to bring what folks enjoy,” Board Vice President John Bowen said. “There’s something to do for everyone here at OMG!Con.”
The convention, run by the Tri-State Anime Promotional Society, operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. A staff composed entirely of volunteers continues to sustain the annual event after two decades. This year will mark the event’s 21st anniversary after its creation in 2005.
“We rely really heavily on our community to put this event on,” Bowen said. “If we didn’t have the support of people who were passionate about making this event as good as it can be, we wouldn’t really exist.”
Originally held in Paducah, the event moved to the Owensboro Convention Center in 2014 to accommodate its growing fanbase. Since then, the convention has drawn as many as 3,000 attendees from the Tri-State area.
The convention strives to provide a welcoming space for community members in the years ahead, Bowen said.
“Everybody loves the fact that they can come to OMG!Con and be themselves,” he said.
For more event information, visit omgcon.com
