2014 Convention Feedback
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Thank you so much for attending Youmacon 2014! We hope you had a wonderful time with us for our 10th year celebration. Please take a moment to fill out our 2014 feedback survey and help us improve Youmacon for 2015!
Youmacon presents - Michigan Masters
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League of Legends, StarCraft 2, Smash Brothers, and an array of Fighters - Youmacon presents Michigan Masters - streaming all weekend on Twitch - youmacon.com/championships
Origa Concert Update
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Origa's back on! Origa will be streaming a live acoustic performance from Canada to the main ballroom at 5pm!
The Big Pre-Event Post
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It's that time of year again. Youmacon is only a few days away, and we wanted to provide you with some information to help you navigate our 10th year celebration.
Event Registration and Badge Pickup
Registration and badge pickup this year will be in Hall C (Oakland) at the Cobo Center. Hours for badge pick-up is as follows:
- *thursday 6pm-10pm (only for attendees who pre-registered online)
- friday 12pm-9pm (open at 11:00 for those who have pre-registered online)
- saturday 9am-7pm
- sunday 9am-2pm
(thursday pre-reg only, friday 11-12 pre-reg only)
On-site registration is cash only, however ATMs are located inside Cobo Center.
Please check out our Registration Page for more information.
Parental Consent Forms
For anyone under the age of 18 you will need to have a parental consent form filled out in order to obtain your badge. We will have forms available at-con, however if you would like to have yours filled out pre-con you can find it here: Youmacon 2014 Parental Consent Form
Event Schedule
Our 2014 schedule is now available for you to plan your weekend. You can view the schedule at schedule.youmacon.com from any computer, tablet, or smart phone. In the event of a change in the schedule, this online schedule will be updated to reflect the most accurate times and locations.
Dealer's Room & Artist Alley
Like shopping for anime or collectibles? The dealers' room brings the store to you! Many different retailers have come to Youmacon to offer you great prices on DVDs, manga, collectibles, and other items, many of which you'd have a hard time finding in most other stores. Take a souvenir of the convention home with you, or add to your anime collection! The Dealer's Room will be located in Hall D (Wayne) at Cobo Center.
The hours for Youmacon's Exhibit Space (Dealers Hall, Artists Alley and Youmacon Merchandise) are:
Friday
Platinum Attendees: 1 PM - 7:30 PM
General Attendees: 2 PM - 7:30 PM
Saturday
Platinum Attendees: 9 AM - 7:30 PM
General Attendees: 10 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday
Platinum Attendees: 9 AM - 4 PM
General Attendees: 10 AM - 4 PM
Cosplay Contests
Each year Youmacon features contests for the amazing costumes our attendees bring to the event. All attendees who wish to enter their costume in a contest require a judging appointment. There will be a sign-up table in the Cosplay Registration booth on Level 4. There you can find the required forms, as well as the list of available appointment times. Entrants will sign up for a craftsmanship judging time, a skit approval time, or both. You may enter either or both Friday and Saturday Hall Cosplay contests, and/or the Masquerade, provided that you have a different costume for each. Only Masquerade entrants will appear on stage during the Masquerade. Hall Cosplay contestants do not appear on stage. More information can be found on the cosplay contest page of our website.
Video Gaming & Tabletop Gaming
Be sure to check out our Video Gaming and Table Top Gaming pages for their respective schedules, and tournament information.
The Youmacon Video / Audio Track (VAT)
A Video/Audio Track (VAT) is a selection of content related to Fan Created video content. Basically it is the evolution of the old AMV room and it's content in order to encompass a wider variety of fan created works. Primarily VAT content will be held in the VAT room located in Ambassador 1&2 in the RenCen.
VAT content runs the range of fan created video material. If it was made by a fan it's welcome in the VAT. As such, inside the VAT room you can expect to see blocks of showings and events playing content such as:
AMVs (Anime Music Videos), M@Ds (Japanese AMVs), Fan Parodies, Flash Videos, Video Game Videos, 3D Animation, Live Action, Cosplay Music Videos, My Little Pony, American Animation, And Much, Much More!
However, please keep in mind this is only Fan Created works. If you wish to see actual anime episodes or other such content check out our Video Programming.
For more information, visit the Youmacon VAT/AMV page.
Location and Parking
Youmacon 2014 will be held October 30 – November 2 at two of the most iconic locations in Downtown Detroit: The world famous Cobo Center, and The Renaissance Center. Separating these locations is the beautiful Detroit Riverwalk. Remember, attendees traveling from outside the United States are now required to bring a passport or enhanced license to enter the country. Please consult the map linked below for parking locations near The Renaissance Center, Cobo, and Greektown. Click here to view an Interactive Map map of the downtown area for Youmacon 2014!
New GM Renaissance Center Costume Policy
There's been confusion surrounding a new GM Renaissance Center policy which has generated buzz around the internet for the past month. In areas of the Renaissance Center outside of our official convention space, the management is requesting "no facial mask covering the entire face and no simulated weapons that can be construed as real by an employee or tenant." This is NOT a Youmacon or Marriott Policy, and is only enforced by GM Renascence Center staff in the common areas of the building, such as the Food Court and Wintergarden. All costumes are completely welcome in The Detroit Marriott hotel and Cobo Center. For more information on this, please see our full statement on the Youmacon FAQ page. Regardless of your thoughts on this issue or how the Renaissance Center chooses to enforce this policy, we ask you to be polite and considerate at all times to all Renaissance Center and General Motors staff.
Navigation between venues
With the construction occurring on Jefferson Ave in front of the Cobo Center, we highly recommend those walking between venues to take the Riverwalk Path highlighted on the downtown Detroit map. This route is about an 8-10 minute walk between venues in a well-lit and well-patrolled area along the Detroit Riverwalk, just south of Hart Plaza. You may also find the Rickshaw Detroit Pedicab Service along this path, which will be providing rides between the riverwalk for tips.
Alternatively, the Detroit People Mover will be operational throughout the convention. Unlimited-ride people mover passes valid for the duration of Youmacon 2014 will be on sale throughout the weekend for $5 each. These passes can be found for sale in our Event Registration room in Cobo Hall, along with the foyer outside of our tabletop and video game rooms in the Renaissance Center. Without one of these passes, People Mover rides are 75 cents each way.
Construction
Unfortunately, Jefferson Ave will be under construction during Youmacon 2014 as Cobo begins renovations on the front of their building. For those dropping someone off at Cobo, we recommend the entrance on Atwater Street / Steve Yzerman Drive. Alternatively, you can make drop-offs and pickups at the Crowne Plaza just across the street from Cobo Center
We've been working hard this past year to bring you an amazing event, and we know you'll have a great time at our 10th year celebration - Youmacon X.
Sincerely,
The Youmacon 2014 Team
Parental Consent Form 2014
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For anyone under the age of 18 you will need to have a parental consent form filled out in order to obtain your badge. We will have forms available at-con, however if you would like to have yours filled out pre-con you can find it here: Youmacon 2014 Parental Consent Form
New GM Renaissance Center Policy
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During our final planning phase for Youmacon 2014, it was brought to our attention that the Marriott had been notified by GM Renaissance Center management that face coverings and props which resembled weapons would not be permitted in the renaissance center, with the exception of the Marriott hotel and the official Youmacon event space. The only official statement we’ve received – via second party – is below:
“The building code of conduct is no facial mask covering the entire face and no simulated weapons that can be construed as real by an employee or tenant. These guidelines are for all GM and public areas of the facility and does not have jurisdiction in the hotel domain”.
RT @DetroitMarriott: Looking forward to @Youmacon and let's remember that @gmrencen will not permit face coverings or weapon-like objects.
— GM Ren Cen (@gmrencen) October 14, 2014
Like many of you, we had questions and asked for clarification several times. Unfortunately we have not received any clarification on these new policies, nor any official communication from the GM Renaissance Center management - outside of a post on twitter a few days ago. We can only assume what the scope of this policy is.
Please keep in mind, that this is NOT the policy of Youmacon, The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, our additional contracted hotels in the downtown area, the City of Detroit or Cobo Center. As many of you know, Youmacon already has strict guidelines on what is and is not acceptable for cosplay accessories, such as no “live steel” as an example.
As stated above, props that closely resemble real weapons and full facial masks will not be permitted in specific areas of the renaissance center. Non-Marriott areas of the Renaissance Center would include the front lobby, the winter garden, and the food court. This is a policy NOT enforced by Youmacon, The Marriott, or Cobo.
Areas NOT affected by the GM Renaissance Center policy and which welcome costumes and props are:
- The Detroit Marriott hotel at the Renaissance Center (this includes the entirety of the third through fifth floors of the hotel, as well as all guest hotel rooms)
- Cobo Center
- The Riverwalk, Hart Plaza, and the other public areas of Downtown Detroit
It should be noted that the Motor Lobby (the 1st floor lobby directly underneath the main Marriott lobby) is also part of the hotel, with an entrance to the building and walkways leading directly to Cobo Center. Attendees who wish to wear full masks and / or carry props which resemble weapons between the Detroit Marriott and Cobo Center are encouraged to use this entrance. The Motor Lobby entrance is located across from the Miller parking garage on Renaissance Drive.
For a decade we’ve worked closely with our venues, contractors, unions, sponsors, cities, and various businesses around our events to ensure a fun and safe weekend for everyone involved. We are disappointed that the management of the GM Renaissance Center has chosen to enforce this policy, which impacts many of the 15,000+ international, out of state, and local visitors Youmacon brings to the city of Detroit – without having a dialogue with us to express and address any concerns they may have regarding our event.
Regardless of your thoughts on this issue or how the Renaissance Center chooses to handle it, we ask you to be polite and considerate at all times to all Renaissance Center and General Motors staff.
If we receive any official clarification on this policy we will be sure to let you know, but for the time being we can only direct you to the management of the GM Renaissance Center for further information.
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
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Our newest overflow hotel - the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit - will be locking the Youmacon room block Friday at 3pm. This is your last chance to book your stay at The Westin for this year's Youmacon at the special Youmacon rates. If you don't have your room yet, you should hurry while there is still time.
Panel submissions are now closed
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Submissions for attendee panels are now full, and our schedule will be finalized shortly. Stay tuned for Updates.
A few updates
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Hello everyone,
As online registration for Youmacon 2014 comes to a close, we have a few important updates for you. Online registration is still open until Monday September 15th, so there's still time to purchase a badge online.
- For the past few years, we've set a soft cap on the amount of platinum badges available to ensure a healthy balance of platinum attendees to normal attendees. This was to ensure that both badge types had an amazing time at the convention - platinum attendees could receive the value of skipping certain lines, while normal attendees were not inconvenienced by the number of platinum attendees 'taking the good spots' for popular panels, or adding a significant wait time for normal attendees. Until last night, we have never hit our ratio limit of platinum badges, but as Youmacon X is a special 10th year anniversary with amazing guests, we've hit the limit. Upon reviewing the current amount of 3-day passes vs platinum passes sold, we've added additional (but a limited amount) of platinum passes.
- As online registration closes in the next few days, an email will be sent out to all pre-registered attendees with parental consent forms, panel registration information, and more. This information will also be available on the website.
- Overflow hotels are now available for Youmacon 2014. You can reserve a room online for The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Detroit Downtown, or Greektown Casnio Hotel. If you call the hotels directly, please mention Youmacon 2014 for the special Youmacon rates. (Please note that guests staying at Greektown under the age of 21 will not be allowed on the Casino floor - which includes cutting through the casnio to reach the hotel. We recommend attendees under the age of 21 to stay at either of the other three hotels.)
- Press applications will be available soon. All press are required to fill out the press form once it's available. If you have emailed This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about a pass earlier this year, you will be sent an email containing a link to the form.
- We have a record number of special guests booked for Youmacon 2014! Please stay tuned for updates.
- There are currently no plans for a ball pit at Youmacon. The Midwest Media Expo however . . .
Youmacon 2014 is Go!
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Youmacon is not only Detroit's first and only Anime Convention, it's also one of the fastest growing fan conventions in the country! Last year over 14,000 individuals joined us in downtown Detroit to enjoy our 24 hour programming, great industry guests, cosplay contests, and our epic video game room.
After a brief hiatus on updates while we ran our new sister event, the Midwest Media Expo, the Youmacon crew is back in action, ready to bring you our best event yet as we celebrate our tenth year! Youmacon X will be held at the newly renovated Cobo Center, as well as the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.
Check out our latest Special Guests for Youmacon, visit our Registration Page to purchase your badge at a discounted rate, or stop by our location page to book your hotel room. You can also join our community on our forums, or on social media.

