It is with immense sadness that we announce the cancellation of Animazement 2021.
While restrictions have started to lift in North Carolina, there are still many restrictions in place that would not allow our event to happen to the fullest extent. Modifying the convention to fit what would be allowed would mean compromising the quality and essence of Animazement.
The health and safety of our Animazement family is of the utmost importance to us. Along with our attendees, staff, guests, artists and dealers – this includes all the staff at the hotels, convention center, and the entire Raleigh community. Although vaccinations are becoming more readily available and cases are starting to slowly decrease, we cannot forget that we are still in the midst of a pandemic.
So what does this mean for you?
- For those interested in holding on to their tickets, all registrations will automatically be rolled over to AZ 2022. You will not need to do anything. All artist and dealers’ booths will also be automatically rolled over if you take no other action.
- For those who would like full refunds:
- ATTENDEES & DEALERS – forms can be found here or here. (Both are the same form, just duplicated for traffic purposes). Please note that unless your ticket was purchased within 180 days, we will be unable to do an electronic refund and we will need to mail a check. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing as this all has to be done manually. Be sure to fill out all the information carefully, as incomplete information may slow down the refund process.
- ARTISTS – refunds should be initiated through Eventbrite directly.
- If you reserved a hotel room, the hotels have been notified but we do recommend contacting your hotel directly to ensure that your reservation has been canceled.
And as a reminder – Animazement is a nonprofit, volunteer run organization. Our income comes from direct sales related to our convention – every badge that is purchased, every shirt, button, or pin you buy from the dealers table, and booths that are purchased in Artist Alley and the Dealers’ Room. The sales from each convention are what cover our operational costs throughout the year and fund the next convention. With the cancellation of our convention last year and this year, we will be leaving the cost of badges at $65 for the next year to help cover our operational costs. If you are in a financially stable position and are able to do so, please consider allowing your badge to roll over to next year to help us offset some of our costs.
Please know this was a very difficult decision to make. We have heard the emails, messages, posts and concerns that have been voiced, and we also have shared all of those same thoughts. We were also hopeful that we would be able to get back to our Animazement family and see all of your smiling faces again. And while we were all so anxious and hopeful for this year to happen, we also know this is the right decision for all of us and for our community. We miss seeing you all very much and hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!
-Animazement