Germany’s biggest Anime and Japan Expo was held successfully and safely in Düsseldorf. 28,000 young fans of Japanese pop culture convened for the twelfth DoKomi in Düsseldorf on 26 and 27 September 2020. These dates went ahead after the event in May was postponed due to Corona.
In 2019 the specialist trade fair brought 55,000 visitors from all over Europe to Düsseldorf The successful and safe holding of DoKomi 2020 sends an important signal for the future of the event industry, the organisers say.
For two days the community was invited to find out about the latest trends in the areas of anime, manga, Cosplay, gaming, music etc. and to network with like-minded people.
In compliance with the necessary hygiene rules the organisers offered a range of activities: at the DoKomi Dance Off Contest on the Black Stage or in eSports-competitions organised in the Community Contest Area visitors competed with each other in a playful way. Cosplayers presented their costumes in a variety of contests. At a number of workshops DoKomi participants learnt how to make their own costumes, prepare Japanese dishes, or to draw and write their own manga comics. In addition, artists and exhibitors from the fan community presented themselves – including some 300 illustrators and designers.
Starting this year there has also been an additional virtual version of this specialist trade fair – the DigiKomi. With this hybrid format the organisers want to combine an urban pop-culture live event with an interactive online anime convention.
Hygiene and safety measures included enlarging the event area from 65,000 sqm to 108,000 sqm. To this end several halls of Messe Düsseldorf and CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf were used. Moreover, capacity limits of approx. 14,000 visitors were laid down per day. Despite these circumstances both the organisers and participants voiced their great satisfaction with DoKomi 2020, according to the organisers.
