In order to have room for more awesome panels at METROCON, a new panel room has been added!

Panel Room 1-2 is set up in a theater style and seats 160 people. It will have no TV. This panel room is ideal for discussion- and gathering-type panels.

[Submit and schedule your panels here at MyConsOnline.com!]

For those of you who are interested in trying out for METROCON 2010 Mascot, we have had to make an important schedule change.

Instead of beginning at 10:00, orientation will begin at 9:00AM on February 20!

Please arrive early for registration!  Remember, anyone who arrives after 9:00 will not be permitted to try out!  Mark your schedules accordingly.

[For more information, click here!]

There are a few updates to the website that METROCON wanted brought to your attention.  The Story Thus Far has been updated to include the 2009 Chess Match and the About Us page has been updated to include the merger with Team Dynamite Productions.

[Full METROCON Story Thus Far]
[Updated About Us Page]

For the first time ever due to what may be delayed inspiration or just pain old absent mindedness, two late characters are joining the cast line up for the 2010 Anime Human Chess Match!!!

We are pleased to announce that Billy Lee and Jimmy Lee from the Double Dragon series have just been added to the Chess Match roster!!!

See you all at auditions!

[Click here for more information.]

The 2010 Artists' Alley section has been completely filled up, in less than 36 hours!  That is a new record!

For those of you who were not able to reserve your table, don't fret!  There is a time limit for tables to be paid for, and any tables that miss this deadline will be re-released to the public for reservation.   As METROCON draws closer, and the Tampa Convention Center has no scheduling conflicts with other events that may use that space, we may be opening the other half of the Mezzanine area for even more tables!

Keep an eye on MyConsOnline.com to see when tables open up!

Recently, AnimeBelle.com website had a full revamp.  With it's new look, they added a Community Research feature to learn more about the anime community in the area and why they attend the conventions they do.

METROCON has always had a close relationship with the people behind AnimeBelle.com (including the METROCON AMV Contest and Fairytale Theater), and we wish to spread this survey to our fans to help benefit their research.

Let your opinions be heard!  Make an account through the AnimeBelle.com homepage (your AnimeBelle.com forum login will not work for the new site features) and take a moment fill out the survey.

[Click here to take the survey.]

I am in need of ushers for METROCON 2010 in the Main Ballroom to help with events. This job is an important one, and NOT an easy one.

If you are interested in possibly becoming an Usher, I will be at the Event Audition on Sunday, February 21 starting at the 2PM Orientation ONLY. So, please, arrive at for that tryout, or hang around after the morning one to see me.

If you are unable to attend this allotted time, please email me at lolita.minako@gmail.com and we can arrange something. Attendance to the Event Audition is preferable. I will also be at Mascot Auditions the day prior, but will have very limited time to talk.

This role is ideal for anyone who wants to be involved who cannot attend weekly rehearsals for one reason or another. Although, it should not be a supplement or replacement. That sort of attitude will not result in the type of usher we require at METROCON. I want people who are wanting to make the con better, not just looking for something to do.

Thank you, and I will see you at the tryouts.

Jamie Rich
METROCON Ballroom Manager
lolita.minako@gmail.com

[For more information about becoming a METROCON Usher, click here.]

The wait is finally over!

The METROCON 2010 Artists' Alley is now available for reservation through the MyConsOnline reservation system.

Similar to the Vendors System, you are able to look at the layout of Artists' Alley, and choose where you want YOUR table to be. Remember, though, space is limited, and we can't open the second half of the Mezzanine area until much closer to the convention due to the possibility of scheduling conflicts with the Tampa Convention Center.

For those of you that don't get a reservation in this first batch, however, remember that there is a limited amount of time that artists have to pay for their booths before their booths are forfeited and become available again.

The room will become available as of 4:00 PM on Tuesday, January 26 2010, so if you don't see it ready quite yet, synchronize your watches and ready the countdown.

Thanks again for the interest in METROCON, and we look forward to working with all of you!

At the 2009 Closing Ceremonies, METROCON offered you, the fans, a challenge.  Do you think you can do it?

Your Challenge:  Help METROCON reach 10,000 attendees.

Your Reward:  METROCON will gain a fourth day.

Yes, you read that correctly, if METROCON gets 10,000 badges sold, then it will become a four-day convention!

How do you do this?  Talk to your friends.  If everyone who attended METROCON in 2009 brings one new person to an upcoming METROCON, we will reach that goal.  Whether or not we succeed relies on you.  Not guests, not events, but all of YOU.

What happens if you reach this goal and we get a fourth day?  More events.  Existing events get bigger.  Bigger guests.  More panels.  More time.  For years, fans have said they did not want METROCON weekend to end, and this will make it last a bit longer!

So, talk to your friends.  Get your friends to talk to their friends.  Get them all to METROCON.  Then, not only will METROCON be the largest anime convention in Florida, we will be the longest!

Now, get out there and get the word out!

Calling all photographers!

If you are passionate about photography?  Then Picture This! is the contest for you!  Returning for it's second year, this highly successful photography contest covers more than just cosplay.  You can take stills of action figures, ball-joint dolls, cosplayers, and anything that inspires your imagination within Asian culture and entertainment.

Read the rules carefully before entering!  Finalists will be displayed and winners announced at METROCON 2010 in the Main Ballroom.

Entries will be submitted using MyConsOnline.com.

[Click here for rules and how to enter!]

Nowadays, nearly everyone is a part of some sort of social networking website.  METROCON is no exception.  If you want METROCON news fast without having to visit this website several times a day, add these pages for quick updates at your fingertips!  Most of these websites even have mobile cababilities for those of you using a web-enabled phone or other mobile electronic device with internet access.

[Follow @METROCON_news on Twitter!]
[Join the METROCON group on Facebook!]
[Add METROCON on MySpace!]
[Join/Watch _METROCON on LiveJournal!]

METROCON 2010 is happy to announce the 2010 AMV Contest up and ready to go!

The METROCON 2010 AMV Contest is your opportunity for everyone, from amateurs to professionals, to showcase their video editing talent!  Anime Music Videos, or AMVs, are videos composed of anime and videogame footage, then set to music to create a fan-made music video!

Ashley Clark, talented video editor, will be returning to host this event!

[Click here for more information!]

Do you love to sing?  Put your own spin on your favorite Asian Pop/Rock Songs at METROCON's singing competition, Anime Idol!

Anime Idol is a different sort of competition experience.  Instead of judging your costume construction prowess, you will be judged on your musical performance.  Technicality, Musicality, and Overall Presentation will be your needle, thread, and fabric in this event.

So, dust off those pitch pipes and get those musical tracks ready!

This year's show will be hosted by our beautiful (and handsome) 2010 Mascots.

[Click here to learn how to enter!]
[Click here to learn how to become a 2010 Mascot!]

That's right, one of your favorite things at METROCON, our Vendors' Room, is now open, and booths are available for registration!

Remember, our Vendors' Room will be open at 11:00 AM on Friday morning for VIP only, so get your VIP passes while they are still available. They're going faster than ever this year!

If you or someone you know is a Vendor, registration is still as easy as always. Just sign-up with a username and password at the MyConsOnline convention management system, and log-in to choose your booths! You get to see the overview of the room and choose where you want YOUR BOOTH(S)!

If you're not a Vendor, no worries, you can still make a difference in our Vendors' Room. As you start making your way around the convention circuit this season, let your favorite Vendors know that there is still time to register for METROCON, but not for long! Our Vendors Room fills up notoriously fast, and space is of course limited, but if you want to see your favorite merchandise stockpiled throughout the Vendors' Room, the best thing to do is just ask them to come! If you want to see which Vendors have already signed up, just click "Vendor List" on the navigation bar to your left.

For those of you interested in Artists' Alley, rest assured, the Artists' Alley system will be going online very soon, and thank you for your patience, we are responding to emails as fast as we can!

So remember, get your VIP Passes, your Vendors' Booths, and make sure your favorite Vendors' will be at the convention so you can get that one item you've been dying for all year!

METROCON is pleased to welcome Robert Axelrod to his first appearance in Tampa!

Axelrod's well-rounded repertoire has characters everyone will recognize and love.  Most recognized as Lord Zedd in the Power Rangers series, he is a performer to be reckoned with.

Stop by during the convention to meet this incredible actor.  You don't want to miss this opportunity!

[Click here for more information about Robert Axelrod!]

Solid Snake returns once again to METROCON in 2010 to recruit more Cardboard mechs in the war against Metal Gear! Teams will be decided BEFORE the competition starts, so arrive early.

Once again each team will get one "overseer" with a box cutter, a roll of duct tape, and a pile of cardboard to draw from. Teams will have 2 hours to build the mech that will impress Snake and his judges the most for a prize!

FRIDAY - JULY 23, 2010 at 3:00pm in PANEL ROOM: 13-14

Information for the METROCON 2010 room rate at The Embassy Suites Hotel is now available! Starting at $144/night, make sure you book now to guarantee your room as rooms fill fast every year! Don't forget to use the code "MET" when making your reservation to get the special METROCON discount rate!

[Click here for more information!]

This year we have decided to add two new items to the list of perks enjoyed by our VIP and Pre-reg badge holders!

After much demand we will be opening the METROCON Vendors Room to our VIP guests at 11:00am on Friday the 23rd. That's ONE HOUR alone with all of the rare collectibles the METROCON Vendors Room has to offer before it opens to the public! 

METROCON Registration will be open in rooms 5 and 6 (the same rooms as last year) at the Tampa Convention Center from 5:00pm-9:00pm Thursday July 22nd for our VIP and Pre-reg Badge Holders. Here is your chance to beat the line Friday morning and jump right into your METROCON weekend.  Make sure to bring whatever weapons/props you plan to carry for the weekend to have them OK'ed by Weapons Check.  

The room will open exclusively for our VIP Badge Holders at 5:00pm so they can get in early!

At 6:00pm the room will be opened up to all of our Pre-registered patrons and will remain open for their convenience until 9:00pm.   As for people buying tickets at the door, this should drastically cut down on the size of the Registration line Friday morning..........everybody wins!  

Notice: While we will have a register open for merchandise and Fantasy Masquerade ticket sales, we will not be selling weekend passes or day passes. Thursday registration hours are for our VIP and pre-registered patrons ONLY.

Since it's conception in 2003, METROCON has striven to provide anime fans with new and unique entertainment.  From the excitement of the Anime Human Chess Match, to the romance of Fantasy Masquerade, and to the slapstick of Star Party, METROCON has never failed to deliver.

With the Anime Human Chess Match character list posted, fans have been anxiously awaiting the lists for the remaining two-thirds of METROCON's Entertainment Core.

Wait no longer!

Combat and action not really your forte?  Perhaps you prefer to make someone laugh, or maybe pull at someone's heartstrings and bring a tear to another's eye?  If this is true, you should definitely check out the Fantasy Masquerade and Star Party!

Once again, join us on February 13th or the 21st in Tampa to exhibit your skills and show us that you have what it takes to bring the eclectic characters of this "Tri-Force" of convention entertainment to life!

Now, on with the show!

[Click here for more on Fantasy Masquerade!]
[Click here for more on METRO Star Party!]

Greetings convention fans!

As we all move forward into this new year, METROCON is pleased to announce that it will be under new management and ownership effective immediately. Don't worry though, it has been placed in the hands of two experienced and capable individuals.

Since we are certain everyone is curious, ownership of METROCON has been passed to the production and entertainment company, Team Dynamite Productions, LLC, co-founded and managed by Nick Fazio and Alex Craddock (METROCON's Head of Security and Director of Operations, Respectively).

What does this mean for you? Hopefully not a whole lot! We constantly strive to maintain the level of convention that our fans have come to know and love, and maybe do a little housekeeping in the process. It will still be the same METROCON, with all of your favorite events, but you might notice a new spin on things here and there, as well as a Team Dynamite Productions logo making its way around the website. With METROCON being a common topic of conversation in the anime community, we feel it is our responsibility to keep you, the fans, in the know.

We will continue to always hold the fans in high regard, and we apologize for the construction being done on the website and any slowdowns that this change of hands has or will cause. We are working to get those gears turning smoothly as soon as possible!

Thanks to all of you for the continued support, and we look forward to bringing you the best METROCON ever!

Do you have a flair for entertaining thousands of people?  Do you have a positive outlook?  Do you love METROCON?

If you have answered "yes" to all of those questions, you just may have what it takes to represent METROCON as the 2010 Mascots!

We are in search of two guys and two girls with enthusiasm and dedication to take on the mantle of METROCON's 2010 Mascots.  Mascots will be present on all convention advertising, as well as have their image rendered by professional artists for convention media!

Come show your METROCON spirit at the 2010 Mascot Auditions!

Don't forget, this year's theme is Samurai vs. Ninja!

[Click here to find out more!]

In 2004, METROCON started an entertainment revolution with the Original Anime Human Chess Match.  This unique evnt has played to over over 10,000 people in the years since.

Now, in its seventh year, the legacy continues.  Here is your chance to become your favorite characters and join the excitement as swords flash and martial artists fly through the air towards the ultimate victory.

The saga continues....

Come to Tampa on February 13th or the 21st and show us your performance skills in your opportunity to take your place in METROCON history!

[click here for more information]

METROCON wishes to welcome the new year by presenting the opening of 2010 Pre-Registration!

There are only 200 VIP tickets available at $100 each and also don't wait as Weekend Passes are only $40 until January 31!
Fantasy Masquerade tickets are available for the first time as a pre-registration item and there are only 1500 of them!

We are now using MyConsOnline.com for all of our pre-registration tickets. You'll find complete instructions on how to purchase tickets on the registration page.

Get yours now!

[Click here to go to Registration 2010]

The web server is back online following updates and acquiring a faster connection. All the websites are active again and the homepage will be undergoing updates for 2010. In the meantime, please excuse any old information you see on the website and look forward to METROCON 2010!

METROCON - YEAR 8
FLORIDA'S LARGEST ANIME CONVENTION 

July 23 - 25, 2010
Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, FL
Theme: Ninja vs Samurai