For the first time since 2002, Anime Expo, America's largest anime show, moves back to Long Beach from the Anaheim Convention Center.  It will use additional facilities beyond the Convention Center itself, including the Performing Arts Center, the Sports Arena, and hotel spaces. 

The show has more than doubled since it left Long Beach, to a high of 41,000 in Anaheim last year (see 'Anime Expo Finishes Up at 41k'), powered by an appearance by manga supergroup CLAMP.  In its last year in Long Beach in 2002, the show strained the Long Beach Convention Center with around 15,000 attendees.  It used only the Convention Center and some hotel spaces that year; it did not use the Performing Arts Center or Sports Arena.

According to Anime Expo spokesperson Chase Wang, show organizers don't expect problems accommodating all fans that want to attend because of the additional facilities being used.  The show will be able to stage larger events using some of the additional facilities; for example, the Sports Arena seats 9,000 with good sound and sight lines, and will be used for concerts.

The show has maxed out hotel rooms in the Long Beach area, which was unexpected, according to Wang, and indicates that attendance will once again be robust.