"Lets focus on the experience" - Interview with Touhoufest Chair Lucas Chang

 Today we have a different type of blog! I sat down and interviewed the chair of Touhoufest, and Executive Director of the AniMarketplace Organization, Lucas Chang. Lucas Chang also goes by Mikotan on various social media platforms. I ask him questions about TouhouFest, how it came to be and it's future plans. 

You can purchase your tickets here: Badge.

TouhouFest Chair, Lucas Chang, a.k.a. Mikotan

How many conventions have you ran as part of AMP?

As part of AMP I have ran 4 conventions, starting in 2019, we planned to do one in 2020 but Covid made that impossible. We had one AniMarketplace in 2021 and two in 2022, we're in talks to do one this year. We also have TouhouFest and SoCal Idolfest this year. This year I would have six, hopefully seven under my belt.

What gave you the idea to start doing conventions?

I've been going to anime conventions as an attendee since 2009, with my first comic convention being in 2006. Over the years I've noticed that conventions started getting bigger and bigger. For example, Anime Los Angeles started in the Marriott and got bigger and conversely more expensive. I talked to some friends about doing a convention but not just an event like others. I noticed is that what we've been missing is some community focused events. We needed to go back to our roots. 

The original concept was to have a swap meet style event. I thought, "I've got so much stuff and I'm not the only person." We've all been collecting so much stuff and we thought about having a dedicated place, a swap meet for second hand anime goods. That was the original concept, then we would add some artists, and have some light programming. People liked it, it felt chill, it felt fun, it doesn't feel like a full on convention, and more importantly it was affordable.

What gave you the idea to start TouhouFest?

I've been thinking about doing a Touhou event for several years. AniMarketplace was a success, so I thought,  "Hey lets spread out, show that AMP is not a one trick pony. We don't just have one type of event, we can run community events as well." I heard that's how its done in Japan, instead of just general events, they do more focused events. 

In 2021 we started planning TouhouFest, it's been in the works for 2 years. Touhou is a very community focused thing and  naturally we though it was the prudent thing to do is get community outreach. We started asking asking questions for the community to answer: What events do people want? What guests do people want? That way we can focus on what is actually important. That's how we got started.

Distance was one of the concerns, the AMP organization is based in L.A., based in California so  logistically we are confined in L.A. for the time being. When we did the community outreach, people said they would fly in through LAX. To make it easier for people we wanted to be in a 10-15 mile radius of LAX. That really helped narrow down the venue. 

One of the team members found a venue that suited the convention, large parking lot, built-in Japanese garden, and an open air plaza. This venue is hybrid, an open air plaza and rooms that can open up to allow air circulation. People would feel a lot safer than being packed in a  ballroom. Cosplay is a pretty big aspect for Touhou, people asked for a good photoshoot location and we thought that the Japanese garden is perfect for that. 

If you read the official manga or the print works. The way events are done within the Touhou universe itself. Within Gensokyo, is that Reimu would organize a festival. there's a big courtyard in front of the shrine. How its done in universe, she would set up the vendors outside, a stage, they would have lanterns. Similar to a Obon festival. If that's the way they do it, and we have the outdoor plaza, then why can't we do it. We wanted to focus more on the experience.

If you go to a lot conventions like I have, they have different focuses. But other than the location, if you're in the same region they feel the same, like having the same vendors. If we rented a hotel it would be more like a convention that is Touhou themed. Whereas if you notice in our name, TouhouFest, short for Touhou Festival, its meant to be more like a celebration. That's the vibe and experience we want to give to the attendees and the guests. So it doesn't feel like just a convention anymore. 

How do you want your attendees to feel when they attend TouhouFest?

Peoples' experiences are always going to be different when they're looking for an event. When people search for a convention they're always looking forward to something. We asked the attendees, "what are you looking forward to?" and they picked a bunch a stuff. Like meeting guests, concerts, performances cosplay, buying merchandise, meeting people or networking with people. 

There's lots of different factors people look for, so we decided; lets focus on the experience. People don't need physical stuff anymore, people can buy stuff. As I get older I care more about the experience, I want to enjoy that. For our events we want to build a community. Touhou has been here for a long time and we haven't had an event we can all physically congregate. I understand some people can't make it, or are a bit shy to attend, or maybe prefer to have interactions online. But having a place to physically congregate it allows people to put a face to a name of people who have talked online.

If you were given an unlimited budget what guest would you like to bring?

No question, ZUN-san. 

That's been the goal, let's do a Touhou event for the next 2-3 years and then let's invite ZUN-san. That goes without saying. 

What is the goal of TouhouFest?

We want TouhouFest to become like a distribution point. We want any Touhou creator, if they want to share a new song, a new album, a new cosplay, a new merch to think about debuting with us. Because this is where the fans are congregating, we would be the first to get access to that. People make fan games, they make fan content, so why not have a dedicated location where they can come, each year, give them a set time to debut their demo or debut their game here. And hopefully down the road, some bigger company that's releasing a new Touhou game would give access to TouhouFest attendees fans first. That's the bigger picture here, not only to get ZUN-san but to also create something for fans. 

We don't really have the doujin culture here in the US like we have in Japan. That's what we've been trying to build that up and Touhou is the perfect thing for that. To have more variety, more content.

What event would you do with an unlimited budget?

I wouldn't just do TouhouFest. I would do an idea that I've had for several years. One of my end goals for the AMP organization as a whole is to do a US comiket. That has never been attempted here in the US, I want to have an event dedicated to the community, the creators. That has never been done so that's something I'm looking to do down the road. So given unlimited budget that's what I would do. It is something that we have to build up because the US is more spread out than Japan, Japan is denser and fans in Japan are closer together. 

What is one piece of advice you would give someone attending their first convention?

If I have to give one piece of advice, Remember to pace yourself. I have seen people who don't pace themselves and try to do everything and they could potentially get dehydrated, they could potentially get sick. they could potentially get burnt out, and they could be overwhelmed. For someone who is not used to that kind of environment, when you're used to a small group, a lot of attendees are not used to large groups. When you're in that environment for the first time it could be incredibly overwhelming for people. The important thing at that point is, instead of trying to do so many different things, you end up being burnt out halfway through the event. That's probably the best piece of advice I can give, and this applies to convention goes who are older. This applies to me and the people in charge, we have to make sure the event runs as smoothly as possible.

I really want to thank Lucas Chang for his time. I will be in attendance at TouhouFest and I hope to this interview can convince you to attend. You don't have to be a huge Touhou fan, if you have some free time this weekend you can check out this community event that will have artists, merch, stage shows, and a gaming center.

Thank you for reading. Read some of my other blogs:

• Budgeting for a Convention Part 1
  
• Avoiding Con Crud
• Event Review: Harajuku Day Los Angeles January 2023