Throughout their time at Illinois, if Juliette Chavarria and her friends wanted to go to an anime convention, they would have had to travel more than 100 miles. Chavarria, then a senior majoring in communication and Spanish with a minor in leadership studies, thought there must be a better option than traveling to Chicago or St. Louis.
During a conversation with other students in a club meeting, it occurred to her: Why don’t we host an anime convention here?
Chavarria was a member of the University of Illinois Japanese Animation Club and Cosplay Design League and saw the opportunity to tap into those networks for volunteers, participants, and attendees. She envisioned partnerships with other campus groups like Illini Esports and Character Creation Hub. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy to lead a big project like this.
As a student, she was no stranger to leading in the face of adversity. When the Japanese Animation Club was facing dwindling membership and at risk of dissolving, she took a leadership role to help steady the ship and would eventually go on to become president of the club. When Cosplay Design League needed another executive board member, she became the treasurer.
When facing challenge after challenge planning UI-Con, from financing the event to finding sponsors so they could secure a venue, putting on the convention seemed like a logistical nightmare. Despite never having planned an event like this, Chavarria and her team were unfazed.
They reached out to other university and private convention organizers for advice. They tabled at events to build interest. They reached out to local vendors and performers. They worked hard to make sure this event was worth attending, whether people would come or not.
In the end, UI-Con featured an artist’s alley, maid café, panel events, a gaming hall, live performances, and a cosplay contest. In preparing and promoting the University of Illinois’ first-ever anime convention, everything seemed to indicate that they might meet their ambitious goal of 1,500 attendees.
As the registration site went live, people started signing up. Ten people. Fifty. Five hundred, and hundreds more, climbing all the way to 800. They were told that early registrations might only account for one-third to one-half of all attendees, which would have already exceeded their original goal.
The weekend of the event, the excitement was palpable. Three thousand and one hundred people of all ages flocked to the Illini Union — more than double the amount that they had hoped for.
“I don't think it fully hit us until we found out that final number on that last day on Sunday,” Chavarria said.
While Chavarria says that a lot of the work fell on the shoulders of three of the 12 executive board members, it would not have been possible without all those who lent a hand however they could, through fundraising, promoting, or volunteering at the event.
“Since I'm the one that dragged everyone into this whole situation, I'm like, ‘I'm going to put in as much time and effort as I can.’”
There were still some hiccups and growing pains that came with hosting an event of this size for the first time. There could have been better lanyards. More wayfinding signs to help people get around. A few more volunteers to staff the registration desks to shorten lines.
Still, Chavarria was overjoyed with how it turned out. UI-Con, she said, was her unofficial senior project before she graduated in May 2024. She mentioned that the communication course “Business and Professional Communication” helped her not only while organizing the event, but also while she has been polishing off her resume and application materials.
As she prepares for the next step in her career, she hopes to participate in the next edition of UI-Con in a less active role. Chavarria stated that she was ready to pass the baton to those who will carry on the legacy of UI-Con, the university’s first-ever anime and comic convention and a testament to their passion, dedication, and perseverance.