ANA Takes Flight into the World of Anime at
Anime Expo in Los Angeles
‘Anime with ANA’ delivers interactive installations and artist collaborations
to bring Japanese culture to life
ANA's newest immersive experience, ‘Anime with ANA’, recently took anime fans on a dynamic tour across Japan with original artwork and interactive displays.
From July 4-7, 2024, ANA captivated thousands of visitors through the ‘Anime with ANA’ Experience at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. As one of the city's largest annual conventions, Anime Expo draws hundreds of thousands of anime fans from around the world.
We spoke with Tommy Sikolas, Senior Communications Strategist for PR and Branding, Marketing and Sales, The Americas, to get a behind-the-scenes look at this engaging experience brought to life.
The ‘Anime with ANA’ Experience
“Any time you plan an activation where you want the audience to walk away with a specific message and perception of ANA, there's always some anticipation around ‘how will we bring this message to life?’ and ‘how can we make visitors see ANA the way we see it?’" says Sikolas.
While last year’s activations featured ANA’s special collaborations and unique liveries, ‘Anime with ANA’ transported guests into a world of anime. In collaboration with artist MinoMiyabi, a renowned artist with a background in animation and concept design, visitors stepped into a vibrant, colorful cabin to experience ANA’s flagship Business Class seat, THE Room.
“My favorite part of the booth is the fact that the seat mockups are surrounded by an anime version of the ANA cabin,” said Sikolas. “Being immersed in MinoMiyabi's original ANA anime while also experiencing ANA's seats is the ultimate execution of the idea we had for this booth, to show Anime Expo fans our Japan.”
From window panels depicting an aerial view of cities like Tokyo and Osaka, to a fully interactive graffiti installation, ‘Anime with ANA’ offers a variety of immerse activities for attendees of all ages.
ANA at Anime Expo 2024
Over the convention’s four days, fans lined up to visit the ‘Anime with ANA’ Experience, eager to explore all the booth has to offer.
“We could see the amazement on visitors’ faces as they stepped into the experience, each leaving with a yearning to travel to Japan in THE Room” says Sikolas.
Throughout the event, artist MinoMiyabi met with fans, sharing his work and collaboration with ANA. Attendees then had the opportunity to showcase their creativity at the digital graffiti experience, bringing their artistic visions to life by coloring original artwork designed by MinoMiyabi.
With Anime Expo's extensive global audience expected to travel to Japan and Asia in the near future, the convention provided an opportunity to directly connect with fans passionate about Japanese culture and anime. Sikolas hopes that visitors will walk away knowing that ANA, as a premium, global airline, should be their choice when visiting Japan.
Upcoming Events
With the success at Anime Expo, the team is preparing to bring the experience to more fans around the United States.
“I think these booths at premier pop culture expos have really elevated ANA's presence in the market among a very relevant and motivated audience,” says Sikolas. “I'm very proud to be working on these booths and I think we are increasing ANA's brand equity every time we show up with a big splash and impressive experiences.”
Don’t miss your chance to experience ‘Anime with ANA’ at two more conventions this year in the United States: FAN EXPO Chicago from Aug. 16-18 and New York Comic Con from Oct. 17-20!