Zuiichi
August 3rd, 2008
Cinetopia Theater
Vancouver, WA
http://www.zuiichi-event.com/

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY ISAAC ALEXANDER
[AA]  - Active Anime
[MU] - Megumi Uhde - Founder of Zuiichi

[AA] Could you give me your full name and your general background(work and fandom)?
[MU] My name is Megumi Uhde. I'm employed in the pre-construction department of a major commercial builder. I run the online plan room and train people on the software interface, and perform administrative tasks within the department. It's somewhat monotonous, but it pays the bills, and gave me an excuse to learn some simple html.

As far as fandom, I've always loved animation in general, but got very involved when Yu-Gi-Oh started airing on Fox. At first I thought it was a ridiculous marketing ploy, but then became enthralled with the storyline. I hadn't been spoiled to dubbing or overt Americanization at that point, so I just went deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, eventually ending up at Kumoricon. I joined staff at the end of the 2004 convention, and became chair for the years of 2006 and 2007.

[AA] What is Dreamland Japan?
[MU] Dreamland Japan is a concept, or a set of guidelines that affirms an event meets a certain standard in business. A Dreamland event must provide for the needs of staff, volunteers, and attendees in order to foster high morale and a sense of community. It is also the name of the Lolita online store that my mother and I are running. The name is derived from the book on manga of the same name. I have great respect for the author, and feel his work on manga exemplifies "the concept".

Currently, Zuiichi is the only event which bears the seal. I'm hoping that other events will strive to receive our seal. It really is about treating the people who make events happen with respect and dignity. (Something I feel is lacking in the world of conventions overall.) If the staff don't feel appreciated, it will adversely affect the event overall.

[AA] What is Zuiichi?
[MU] Zuiichi means "elite" or "foremost" in Japanese. The event focuses on all of the best things in fandom, and with the venue and cuisine, we thought it appropriate. The focus for this year's Zuiichi is trifold - Anime, Lolita and other Japanese fashion, and Joss Whedon. As we grow, we'll incorporate more of the random fandom into the Dreamland fold.

[AA] Why is this event worth attending?
[MU] I wanted to create an event that *I* would want to go to. I'm older than the general anime convention crowd, and though I can keep up with them on any topic, I  feel somewhat out of place. (For the record, I'm 29.) So I went for what I thought would have more appeal to a mature or discriminating fan. Zuiichi provides a few things other events do not - a focus on the viewing experience, face time with guests, and food and drink.

I decided to put the focus back on viewing by utilizing Cinetopia theater. We've hand picked shows that deserve to be seen on a large screen. Zuiichi is an amazing chance to see Howl's Moving Castle and Serenity as they were meant to be seen. We're also working on hard-to-license and hard-to-find shows, to make the event that much more special. The films will be shown through a Digital Super High Projection using dvd's and blue-ray discs. At this time we're not showing 35mm films but that could change if they're made available to us.

We will have panels and events outside of the theaters, mostly focused around our guests of honor and on lolita fashion. The desire is to get as much people time with the guests as possible, and promote the Dreamland Japan store. Most conventions allow little face time with guests, keeping them insulated from the fans.

I love food, especially the excellent local fare that the northwest has to offer. Vinetopia, Cinetopia's in house restaurant, specializes in local cuisine. They've been very accommodating with the menu items, even incorporating an Asian theme. It's rare to have any thing more than a fast meal at Shari's when you're at a convention, or a box of Pocky and a handful of hard candy. This is especially true if you're staff. So, we're including FOOD. The meals average around $35-40 a piece, so it really is a deal to be able to eat here all day.

Most anime-cons are dry events for the most part. We're providing drink tickets. Those who are underage can use their tickets for other beverages, Red Bull and the like. Sodas free all day.

[AA] Are you using any other event in North America as a model for your event?
[MU] As far as I know, we're unique. Kumoricon had a VIP bracket, guests who paid $150 for their tickets based on the priority seating and time with guests. I took what I learned from heading this event, and from the feedback from the guests, and worked it into Zuiichi. Again, I made it worth $150 if I had to pay.

[AA] This event sounds closer to something of a cross between a genre film festival  such as Fantasia or Fantastic Fest and a Creation Con convention. Is that a fair assessment?
[MU] Zuiichi is a new type of fan event; we've got some similarities to other anime and film conventions as well as elements of a wine and cheese tasting fair. I've been involved mostly with anime conventions for five years; anime is my true fandom, first and foremost. However, I'm also a huge fan of Firefly, as well as sci-fi greats such as Star Gate SG1 and Atlantis. As far as programming content, we're two-thirds anime, one third Joss Whedon.

What really inspired me to create Zuiichi beyond wanting a crowd closer to my age was the great wine and cheese shops that Portland is home to. The Willamette Valley is full of vineyards. Our Pinots are world renowned. SakeOne is located just up the street from me in Forest Grove. We're also home to great cheese shops such as Tillamook and smaller family owned shops which specialize in goat cheeses. So, if Zuiichi is a blend of anything, it's the love I have for anime and sci-fi and the influence of the great area I live in related to food. I guess you could call us a foody-con with awesome programming.

[AA] Can you explain the story about how you chose the Cinetopia theaters to host the event?
[MU] I got a gift certificate for Christmas. I went to the website, and the first thing that popped into my head was "VIP Con". I went that weekend to tour the space and find out if it was available for rent. The staff was amazing, and the venue absolutely decadent. Once I got my friends on board, it was and easy decision.

[AA] What type of programming(film, guests, panels, etc...) will we see this upcoming year?
[MU] Zuiichi is still a fan-run event. As we come up with ideas related to the fandom, they will end up on the schedule. That's how the sake tasting came about. We'll see a greater variety in panels once people catch on that panelists get in free.  We have a musician confirmed, an author in the works, and are currently negotiating with an actress. I can't say much more on the guests as of yet, but we'll issue press releases as contracts are signed. There is a preliminary schedule already on the site, for anyone who would like more details.

[AA] How large is the staff?
[MU] Ah, excellent question... Zuiichi has a unique structure. I wanted a small, dedicated staff that I could spoil rotten as work was done. There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to provide so much as a proper meal to people who've been working on your event prep for 12 hours straight. My staff at Kumoricon was over 100, so it was hard to keep track of their names and positions, let alone their general wellbeing.

We have
3 Owners
10 Partners
3 Models
Panelists and Check-in staff
That's it.

The small structure is why it was so important to find a good venue. The staff of Cinetopia is doing all of the door checking, security, serving, and information for us.

[AA] How does Serenity/Firefly co-relate to anime films?
[MU] This was an interesting discovery. There's a huge cross-over between the fandoms. Lots people who love anime love Firefly as well. So, when the staff asked to show Joss Whedon, we created Zuiichi as "random fandom" instead of strictly anime. Every partner and owner is a big fan of both.

[AA] What type of publicity are you planning to do before the event?
[MU] Press releases, flyers, a couple events, and a huge social network push. We're working on a youtube commercial. We've got collaborations with other conventions and the tie in to the store backing us as well. The main difference between promoting Zuiichi and Kumoricon is the need to reach an audience more interested in great food and comfortable ambiance. We're going to pitch more in local wine and coffee shops than in comic book stores.

[AA] $150 is quite a bit of money for attending an event. Can you elaborate more then what's on the registration page on what you'll receive for paying for an admittance into this event?
[MU] The registration page outlines it fairly well. Time with guests, great food, and state of the art viewing. Zuiichi is a unique event in that it's main focus is making the guests feel like royalty. We don't stop serving people once they've checked in. Remember, Kumoricon had people pay extra just for a front row seat at concerts and a 1 hour dinner with guests. Everything else was pretty much the same. Nothing wrong with that, but imagine spending the same or less and receiving a full four star food selection, leather seating in a high def theater, and as much time as you like talking to the guests at your convenience?

That's VIP treatment, and that's what would make me willing to spend $150 at a similar event.

It's also important to note that $150 is just one price bracket. $150 is for the full admission pass. There's also a Meal and Movie option at $60, and we'll be running promotional pricing as we approach the date. Meal and a movie is a pretty good deal, if you're interested in a single theater showing, as you can hang around the events in the open areas as long as you'd like. (Only one meal with at this price.) There are also ways to get in free, like running a major event or owning the check-in desk. I like trades, too. That's how we got our first flyer run.

[AA] Will there be any other fees besides the ones listed?
[MU] The ticket is all inclusive for anything related to the event. Parking is free, meals are included, and you won't have to rent a hotel room, as we're single day. (I recommend getting a room if you plan on drinking!) We will have a handful of vendors, so it will be worth it to bring cash for merchandise and any alcohol beyond the two drink tickets.

[AA] What is the maximum attendance for the event?
[MU] There will be a maximum of 500 people.

[AA] Will the themes each year will change? Will anime always be part of the  programming, or will it be replaced occasionally with other genre programming?
[MU] The themes will not change so much as be added to as we gain space and time to include more fandom. Anime will always be the main focus of Zuiichi.

[AA] How many guests roughly are you planning to invite for the first year? Will they  just be North America or Japan as well?
[MU] Just guests from North American this year. We are currently planning to host 3.

[AA] Is there an age limit for this event as there will be alcohol served?
[MU] No, we're all-ages. The cinema will card before serving, and one of the theaters will be off limits to minors after 8pm. There will still be plenty to do if you are under 21. Some of the viewing might be restricted for content, but we'll make that clear on the schedule beforehand.

[AA] Any last statements you wish to make about Zuiichi?
[MU] I want to thank all of the people who are backing me on this project. That's everyone who has spent hours on promoting the event, creating the site, working with the cinema, putting together the schedule, buying a ticket, and just being there for me. My friends and family, even my co-workers, want this as much as I do, so it's important to see Zuiichi succeed not only for me, but for everyone who believes in this dream.