OffKai Expo's biggest names are some of Nijisanji EN's streamers: Finana Ryugu, Elira Pendora, and Pomu Rainpuff. The trio are supported by Nijisanji, which is one of the larger streaming organizations in Japan. Japanese companies noticed that a lot of foreigners would watch the primarily Japanese virtual YouTubers, and they decided to branch out with native English-speaking personalities. They're accompanied by a bevy of independent streamers who have their own niches including Ririsya, Rachie, and Tomoko. Like, there's too many to list here. A few other organizations, which include PRISM Project, Tsunderia, and phaseconnect, also lend their groups' talents to OffKai Expo. Again, there's just so many to list here. I would suggest you take a look at their guest page. EDIT: as of 4/15/22, VShojo's Ironmouse and Projekt Melody have been added.
Most streamers focus on playing games. This follows up on the many "Let's Play" videos that are popular on YouTube. Think of the game streams as hanging out at your friend's house and watching them play. There's interaction between them, you, and all the other people watching. Other streamers focus on singing, which is an offshoot of the "utatte mite" ("I tried singing") craze from Japan. Many streamers do both both gaming and singing. Others do art, or just plain chatting and hanging out. There's a streamer for everyone.
As the name might suggest, Virtual YouTubers are primarily on YouTube. YouTube's streaming capabilities allow people around the globe to broadcast and others to watch. Communities have sprouted up around all of these streamers, and they go as far as to also include Twitter and other social media venues. As an alternate to YouTube, you have Twitch, which is known for its many game streams.
Some of OffKai Expo's featured events will be a Nijisanji EN karaoke, a Q&A featuring the same, stage performances, and meet and greets. Panel-wise, OffKai Expo features a lot of "how to" panels regarding streaming and getting into streaming which I believe will be valuable to the aspiring streamer or even those just interested in the nuts and bolts behind the scenes.
I'm still not exactly sure how OffKaiExpo will function but I'm intrigued. Generally, no one knows who a streamer really is except for their close friends and coworkers. How do you keep those secrets in real life at a convention? Will it mainly be remote broadcasts where no one can see you? Or maybe a real life/digital blend like 22/7? Or are we just going to drop the curtain and bam, you get to meet them straight up? Then again, I've seen guests walk by at conventions with no one really paying attention to them. They weren't actively trying to be incognito, either. They were just walking around with their manager and handlers.
OffKai Expo will be held in nearby San Jose, CA, on April 29 through May 1 at the San Jose DoubleTree hotel. That's coming up in just a few weeks, so be prepared!
Badges are in a few various levels depending on your commitment. $65 is your base price for normal access. $100 gets you a shirt and a different colored badge. The top, the rainbow level at $193, gets you some extra merch, priority access, and even priority for one meet and greet of your choice. Badges can be obtained here.
And, as COVID is still a thing, let's go over the policies.
As of 4/7/22, masks are required if not eating or drinking. If you don't have a mask, you'll be given one, so no excuses. This is on a convention level, not a city or county level (the city of San Jose does not require masks). No vaccine mandates are required at this moment (California has dropped those as of the beginning of the month). Vaccines are, however, recommended.
That's basically it.
We'll see you there.
