On 30 October, an individual named Michael "Mikey" Pham posted a tirade denouncing Akihabara (Akiba) Expo, a convention that was scheduled to be held at the Anaheim Marriott / Anaheim Convention Centre from 18-20 December 2015. In his tirade, Pham accused Akiba Expo's CEO of misappropriating convention funds for personal use, mishandling contracts, and failing to address copyright issues with cover songs. Pham did not post any primary sources supporting his accusations but the veracity of his allegations were ultimately irrelevant as guests of honour pulled out of the event, most notably Teddyloid.
Akiba Expo took another reputation hit when it was discovered that the festival rules for their Akibaland programme were copied almost verbatim from Electric Daisy Carnival's rules. The page has since been removed, but has been cached via Google. Presumably, the guidelines about totems would not have been applicable to Akibaland. The mention of TSA-style searches also raised concerns on social media.
On 2 November, the convention staff urged people to "please relax and wait for updated statement [sic] that will be updated later with a letter".
On 3 November, Akiba Expo was officially cancelled citing a lack of "proper staffing and a solid lineup". The remaining staff released an online form for issuing refunds. As of 6 November, Akiba Expo's PayPal has vanished.
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| In this official correspondence dated 11 June 2015, the public relations officer responding to inquiries about press/industry passes for Akiba Expo went by the name "Maikeru". |
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