FanCons.ca Press Releases


October 13, 2009

News for Anime Festival Asia 2009:

Animation Asia Conference 2009 announces speakers

This year's conference topic is on 'Globalization of Asia's Soft Power' with three themes

(Singapore, 7th October 2009) - Animation Asia Conference (AAC) organisers announced the speakers line-up and programme details for the inaugural business conference taking place in Singapore on 20th November 2009. Held in conjunction with Anime Festival Asia 2009 (AFA09), the one-day business conference aims to nurture a regional IP ecosystem by tapping on the expertise of the renowned speakers and talents from Japan and the region.

Titled 'Globalization of Asia's Soft Power', this year's conference is focused on three themes: Create, Manage and Engage. Speakers will share their expertise on how they have created content that have mass universal appeal and will share their experience on how their content have successfully engaged the 21st Century's digitally connected youths. The conference will target marketers and advertisers seeking new ways to work with popular culture content to launch successful branding or marketing campaigns.

AAC09's lineup of speakers includes:

  • Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Kadokawa Group Holdings
  • Mamoru Hosada, Director of anime blockbuster hits 'Summer Wars' and 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'
  • Edmund Shern, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Storm Lion and Senior Vice President at Radical Publishing
  • Shiro Sasaki, Chief Executive Officer, Flying Dog Inc. and Producer for many Anime Music Blockbusters
  • Kotaro Sugiyama, Senior Vice President and Head of Solution (Strategy) / Creative Department for Dentsu Inc.
  • Danny Choo, Chief Executive Officer of Mirai Inc. and Japan's top English blogger on Japanese popular culture

Animation Asia Conference 2009 is ready to set the stage as a key regional event that can provide the depth and breadth of content that is relevant to anyone who is trying to figure out how to connect with the digital generation of youths who seek to be entertained and engaged.

"We hope that this conference will draw not just the television broadcasters looking for new anime content, but also marketers and advertisers looking for unique ways to work with branded entertainment." said Anna Teo, Conference Director for Animation Asia Conference 2009."By hosting this regional conference, we hope that creators and advertisers can have an opportunity to network and explore collaboration opportunities to launch the next successful brand franchise from Asia," added Teo.

Through speaker presentations and panel discussions, delegates will have an opportunity to gain valuable insight on the perspectives, plans and strategies of participating companies, which include some of the top animation studios from Japan, in addition to those from South East Asia as well.

Industry Showcase and Business Matching

Industry Showcase and Business Matching is a session where 12 companies will be invited to showcase their latest projects. This session is meant to allow participating TV broadcasters, as well as advertisers an opportunity to learn about the latest trends and discover new IP and business models as some of the top animation studios will showcase their latest works. Leading Animation Studios from Japan such as Madhouse, Tatsunoko Production, Production IG and Gonzo are amongst some of the production studios that have confirmed their participation in this session while organizers are currently reviewing submissions from other studios around Asia.

AAC09 is open for registration

Programme details and speaker profiles are now available at www.afa09.com/aac.html Ticket prices for the one-day conference are priced at $480 Singapore Dollars. Early registration tickets are priced at $432 Singapore Dollars for sign-ups before 20th October 2009.Interested parties can download the registration form online at www.afa09.com / aac.html or contact the AAC secretariat office at [email protected]

Media accreditation is limited and subject to approval by the organizers. Press can submit requests to: [email protected]

About the organisers: I-PROMO, SOZO and Dentsu Singapore

About I-PROMO

I-PROMO is a multidimensional marketing agency specializing in strategic and signature events. I-PROMO conceptualizes, develops, manages, and implements corporate and lifestyle events. The company's primary expertise lies in creating own branded, title events with local and regional sponsors and partners. With years of experience managing conventions, exhibitions, festivals, and gala events, I-PROMO produces events worthy of being called phenomenal rather than merely experiential.

As a subsidiary of Kingsmen Creative Limited, I-PROMO teams comprises of professionals with diverse talents such as conceptualization, marketing, sales, design, and construction. With streamlined operations and collaborative resources, I-PROMO consistently deliver results beyond the expectations of our clients

I-PROMO's pool of talent is able to execute opportune, current, relevant, competitive, and profitable events that are critically aligned to clients' objectives. Over the years, the company has created events for the government and the arts, as well as the giants of retail, IT, finance, and petroleum industries.

About SOZO

SOZO represents a cutting edge entertainment and youth-marketing driven company. Made up of a diverse talented pool of industry professionals, SOZO is focused towards developing animation and entertainment content and service platforms geared at engaging young adults at both regional and global levels. SOZO's main mission is focused on delivering highly entertaining pop culture experiences, contents and products that will constantly engage, thrill and excite this young and restless market.

About Dentsu Singapore

A wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Dentsu Inc. and an 'Asian-born' agency, Dentsu Singapore is a fully integrated communications agency, providing total communications solutions to both regional and local clients. The Dentsu network dates back to 1901 and has at its disposal powerful network support and resources. According to Ad Age Global, it is now the world's number one agency brand and the biggest among all major networks in Asia. Dentsu for many years has also ventured into many successful anime franchises and has a dedicated entertainment and contents division overseeing its operations.