The Apocalypse in PoS

This year’s iteration will be held from July 28-30 and begins with a free cosplay parade in the capital city and then the next two days at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

Sunday Newsday chatted with director Josette James about preparations for AEX 2017 and the growth of the festival over the past three years.

“Things going okay. Everything is hectic. Lot of bumps along the way as expected,” she said.

She noted that they were providing a lot of updates on the events on social media and ticket sales have been going “very well.” “We sell out every year and we’re hoping this year is no exception.” Asked about the genesis of AEX James recalled that the Genesis Foundation had begun having their Anime City comic book convention in the early 2000s and this was the start of the “comic convention craze” in TT . She said that when they stopped the event around 2009 a void was created. She added that by that time the art form of cosplay (a portmanteau of the words “costume” and “play” and a performance art where people wear costumes and accessories to represent a character) had grown locally from one or two cosplayers to more than 50.

James, a cosplayer herself for the past 13 years, did not want to see the art form disappear with the closure of Anime City and saw a need for an event from a personal level.

“I said to myself it would be sad to see something like this forgotten.” So James began Alias in its first incarnation as a cosplay party in 2010 at Larry Gomes Stadium and provided an opportunity for people to dress up like characters from movies, games and comics. The event hosted about 200 people and featured the biggest copslay competition for the year. The name “Alias” was chosen as it was based on the concept that you “can be anybody you want to be” and “what is your alias?” Around 2014 she wanted to “up (her) game” and expanded the event to a full-blown expo and “pop culture convention” that not only focused on cosplay but also gaming, anime, comics and sci fi. The convention featured the annual cosplay parade with a music truck playing anime themes and then the two days of the expo at Centre of Excellence. The expo includes a dealer hall for people to come and purchase gaming, anime and comic items from a variety of vendors. James said some of the dealers make a living from these events and some would shut down stores and come to sell wares at the weekend.

The expo also features a name of game activities based on the theme for the year: in 2014 it was Isle of Adventure which included a Game of Thrones area sponsored by Flow; 2015 was Summer Splash held by the pool; and 2016 was science fiction-themed Final Frontier which James said was a big hit with Star Trek fans. This year the theme is dystopian future with the title The Apocalypse which features apocalypse- themed events.

She recalled in the first year they catered to about 800-1,000 people but they were maxed out and ran out of arm bands. They also had to have Fire Services on hand to ensure the crowd was under control.

In 2015 she was out of the country and scaled back the event to 500 people and was sold out two months prior.

In 2016 they had about 3,000 people, triple the numbers from the first year, and they are hoping to maintain or do better for this year.

James said in the days of Anime City the lines would go onto the road and she would have to arrive at 6am just to ensure she got there in time to buy her merchandise.

“I understood there is a market for these types of events in Trinidad and Tobago.” James said she was surprised by the last minute nature of Trinidadians to purchase tickets. She recalled that in June last year she was having a “heart attack” about ticket sales and then “magically two weeks into July” tickets started disappearing and her phone was ringing every two seconds. She said the trend has continued until now to the extent that they are selling hundreds of tickets in a couple of days.

Asked about the demographic of the event James said that it is mainly 13-30 but they also have from kids to grandparents who attend with children. She added that they have specific games and activities for kids. She recalled that in 2014 there was a couple that dressed up as the parents of anime character Naruto and have continued to attend.

Their son has received the nickname “Naruto”.

On the top class personalities attending this year James said that on a personal and professional level she has a lot of respect for Chinese-American cosplayer Yaya Han, known as the “queen of cosplay”. She pointed out that Han is one of the few people to make a living from cosplay and has her own fabric line specifically for cosplay.

“What she has been able to do for cosplay and with cosplay is extremely admirable.” James reported that Han will also be one of the judges in their Caribbean cosplay championship which will feature cosplayers from mainly TT and Jamaica, the two regional countries with the biggest cosplay demographics. She said that it is their largest competition yet with 25 people and contestants are putting on their best because Han is coming.

The second big personality is American voice actor Richard Hayworth who voiced the title character in the anime Rurouni Kenshin which was known as Samurai X in the West.

James pointed out that Samurai X, which aired locally, started the anime revolution in TT and was the first anime for her and many others.

“To have the guy that voiced that character coming down caused the biggest stir in social media and around anime circles. “Surprised and shocked how many people excited to meet him,” she said.

James said it was difficult finding Hayworth as he does not do much voice work or conventions but she believes the Caribbean aesthetic “wooed him over.” She recalled that for last year with Veronica Taylor, voice of the hero Ash Ketchum from Japanese- animated series Pokémon, the line to see her was “massive” and she can only guess how the reception for Hayworth will be.

“If you watched a flick of anime then you definitely want to meet Kenshin Himura.” Since AEX began, a number of other similar conventions have begun in Trinidad but James said that they are still the “biggest and best” because they are made by fans for fans. She said while other events tend to be a nice place to network and lime with friends Alias takes it a step further where they have a packed programme.

“Always something going on from beginning to end.” The itinerary includes floor activities, their cosplay ball and after party.

For this year the ball will be hosted by Han and will feature two fashion shows, one with a Victoria’s Secret theme and the other elegant gowns.

The free drinks after party, Radioactive, is being hosted by Hott 93 DJ Alex the Executioner.

James also pointed out that events are designed based on the theme of the event. For The Apocalypse this year, they are having a “faction war” where each patron will take a quiz online and be assigned to a faction, whether humans, machines, zombies or mutants, and each game will be to get points for your faction. She stressed that all events are Alias-branded and you would not have it any other place. The other activities include a survivor maze with zombies, where you would need different skills to succeed, as well as a dance competition and lip sync competition.

James said that following AEX their guests will receive a tour of Trinidad and then spend four days in Tobago.

“We want our international guests to go out and preach the word not only of Alias but of TT .” She added that the expo had begun attracting patrons from the United Kingdom and the United States. She said that conventions like AEX are a different type of tourism that caters to a particular demographic together with “sun, sand and sea.” For more info: AEX Facebook page or website www.alias-expo.

com.