Anime Central welcomes all members of the media who are involved in the anime, manga, and/or entertainment industry. Members of the Press may be employed with a major media company, independent contractors, or professionals.
The requirements for registration have been revamped for 2021 and are posted below. Please note that we now offer expanded options for members of the media to join us in coverage of the event as we celebrate Anime Central.
Each member of the outlet must be registered individually. Once you have submitted an application to register for a Press Membership Badge you will receive a confirmation e-mail. We suggest emailing your credentials to press-departmenthead@acen.org at this point as it will greatly speed up processing.
If approved, you will then receive an “Approved Press” e-mail, confirming that you have been registered for a Press Membership Badge, and listing important information regarding the convention. Please note that once you have obtained Press Membership Badge approval, each outlet member will still be required to pick up their own badge and provide valid ID (either government-issued ID, or student ID for student media) at point of pickup.
Prior press badge approval does not guarantee future approvals. Please also be aware that a request for Press Membership Badges does not guarantee approval, nor approval for the number of badges requested, at a complimentary rate. Complimentary Press Membership Badges are a privilege granted by the Midwest Animation Promotion Society (M.A.P.S.) and we reserve the right to deny Anime Central Press Membership Badge applications at any point.
We hope you can join us for Anime Central! If you have any questions, please send an inquiry to press-departmenthead@acen.org.
Press Membership Registration
All items (with the exception of print samples) may be sent to the Press Department Head via email prior to the convention for pre-registration. Any outlet that pre-registers will be able to pick up press memberships at the convention with a government-issued photo I.D. (or Student I.D. as applicable). Pre-registration will close May 1st and any inquiries for memberships received after that point will be directed to on-site registration at the convention.
Any outlet registering on-site at the convention will need to bring the above items, as well as a Government-Issued Photo I.D. (or Student I.D. as applicable) in order to register for a press memberships. Failure to do so may result in denial of your press memberships. Only one of each of the required credentials is required per group attending; however, each individual press member should submit a business card, validating their affiliation with their publication.
Each press memberships must be picked up by the person whose name appears on the pass. A group contact or outlet head may not pick up badges for the group.
Any Press Registration disputes, or questions regarding the operation of the Press Department, should be brought to the Press Department Head or Assistant Department Head immediately in the Press Room, or via email prior to the convention at Press@acen.org.
Press Center Location & Hours
We are located in the Tech Center in the lowest level of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, just right of the escalators.
| Thursday | 6:00p – 8:00p |
| Friday | 9:00a – 8:00p |
| Saturday | 9:00a – 4:00p |
| Sunday | 9:00a – 12:00p |
Membership Registration and Pick-up:
At-convention press registration will be permitted this year at Anime Central, however we do encourage you to pre-register. All registering Press must provide the documentation below upon arrival on-site when obtaining their press membership, as well as a government-issued photo I.D. (or student I.D. for qualifying student press). We reserve the right to turn away any person(s) who do not follow our requirements.
On-site press registration & membership pick-up will be done at the Press Membership Registration Booth in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, near Registration. Registration and membership pick up will not be available at the Press Room in the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.