In
AFA, there are always the “must-have” programs every year such as the “Akiba Town”,
“Regional Cosplay Championship”, “Moe Moe Kyun Maid Café” and “Atelier Royale
Butler Café”. However, despite some similarities, there are still some changes
that were made in the event after all.
Firstly,
there was a prominent change in venue. For the past 4 years of the event, it
was always held in Suntec Convention Centre. Yet, there was a change in venue
in 2012. As stated by the organizers themselves, “Held at Singapore Expo,AFA 2012 expects to attract both local and regional visitors – from anime enthusiasts, music lovers, to anyone who is interested in Japanese popular culture”. Hence, the reason
behind the change is because the event organizers wanted to look and expand
into the other markets. Also, another reason is because of the poor crowd
control in Suntec Convention Centre. If the event is now across the road,
visitors of AFA will not obstruct any in-conjunction events.
Secondly,
there was a slight increase in prices, rising from $18 last year to $20 this year. However, the
festival director of AFA, Mr Shawn Chin explained that, "While various factors are in place that have raised our production
costs by six times over the past five years, the objective has always been to
provide the best value, and a range of ticketing options that offers choice and
value to everyone," Hence, because of the steep increase of expenses,
there is a need to increase ticket prices as well. However, if the perceived
value is there, visitors will not mind paying more.
Thirdly, in 2011, AFA did some marketing of their events by
placing decals for the SBS bus. However this year, most of the marketing was
done online through websites, social media and bloggers.
Lastly, AFA has expanded greatly to Singapore’s neighbouring
countries. Last year in 2011, the organizers of AFA has confirmed and announced that AFA will be held in Malaysia and Indonesia in the following year.
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