Tekko Convention in Pittsburgh Seeks 100K in Donations to Hold Convention
Community raises $30k in 3 days
Pittsburgh, PA - June 16, 2022- Tekko is an Anime Convention in Pittsburgh that started in 2003. In 2019, Tekko achieved attendance of over 11,000 by bringing not only the standard industry voice actors, but also with fashion, cosplay and musical guests from around the world.
However, COVID hasn't been kind to Tekko and like other conventions, it has been hurt financially. Now with the convention supposed to start on the 21st of July, Tekko has been asked for a high increase in their deposit to the convention center and other vendors. While Tekko was prepared for their usual deposit, they were not prepared for a 60k deposit. Without these funds, Tekko is unlikely to have a convention next month.
On June 12th, Tekko launched a fundraising campaign in the hopes of reaching $100,000 to not only secure the needed funds to hold the convention next month, but also regain stable footing moving forward. The community reception has been overwhelming. In 3 days the Tekko Together gofundme has reached over $30,000 in donations from just over 500 individuals. Since the fundraising campaign has gone live, Tekko has announced a Cars and Cosplay fundraising event on July 2nd and a livestream event, Tekkothon, scheduled for July 9th.
A member of their programming leadership, Andrew Webb shared “We are humbled by the initial response of the community and cannot thank our donors enough. We know our goals have not yet been met, but we are determined to reach out as far as we can for donations from the generosity of individuals and sponsorship of companies and organizations. Tekko has been a home and safe place to be oneself. And we have every intention of providing that next month, next year, and beyond. Our community's love and passion is too strong to wither.”
To learn more about Tekko's campaign, click the link to their gofundme page or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
