My KCON Adventure
Hi, KCON-ers! Are you ready for KCON18NY happening on June 23rd and 24th? We’ve brought many amazing special guests, ranging from beauty insiders, music insiders, journalists, artists, and so much more! If you’re also joining us at night for our MCountdown Stage, you’ll know that our artist lineup is lit! But with such an amazing lineup, there’s also so many awesome panels, workshops, performances, and engagements to check out. If you haven’t seen our full Convention schedule, you can check it out here. You can also use the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android) to look at the full schedule and customize your own schedule. To save you a little time, though, we’ve made a few itineraries you might want to check out. My First KCON Whether you are attending KCON for the first time or you are overwhelmed with all the exciting programs, you’ll want to check out this itinerary for a list of programs you can’t go wrong with! We’ve added a mix of panels, workshops, and performances to introduce and help you familiarize yourself with the KCON Convention. I’m A KCON Parent, Help! We understand that not everyone who comes to KCON is a K-Pop fan, K-beauty fan, or a particular fan of Korean culture in general. In fact, you might be coming to the Prudential Center this weekend because you have to “supervise” your child or because you wanted to something fun and new with your family this weekend. If you can relate with any of these reasons, click here for a sample itinerary we have made just for parents! KCON Veteran/Returner “First time at KCON? Pshhh!! I’ve coming to KCON for years, a true veteran! But… I wouldn’t mind taking a quick peek at the schedule KCONUSA has prepared.” If that’s you, no worries! We’ve compiled some of the programs that may interest you. (Click here for details) Aspiring K-Pop Artist or Professional Some of you who are reading this may plan to be a future K-Pop star or a future professional who works behind-the-scenes in the entertainment world. If that’s you and you want to find out a little more on how to advance your career, check this schedule for a recommended schedule. We’ve complied a list of meet-and-greets and panels with current professionals in the entertainment industry. Dance Like An Idol Are you just excited to dance to all your favorite K-Pop songs and meet other fans while doing so? No worries! We have a ton of dance workshops and fun random dance play programs for you that you can check out here. Don’t worry about eating too much before joining in in these workshops because you’ll be moving a lot and burning off all those extra calories 😉 Addicted to K-Beauty One well-known aspect of Korean culture is its amazing beauty products. If you were planning to meet some popular beauty YouTubers or insiders, check here to see other programs that you may also fit your taste! Well, that’s all we have prepared but we hope these sample itineraries help you plan your KCON Adventure. Remember, you can always customize your own KCON Adventure through the app! Just click on the little heart for each event you want to go to and all those will be organized together in a separate tab. See you guys at the Prudential Center!
My KCON Adventure – Aspiring K-Pop Artist or Professional
GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Check-in The KCON Convention will be open from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on June 23 and June 24. We encourage you do early check-in on June 22 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. But, if you’re not available, you’ll be able to check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on June 23 and June 24. If you have artist engagement vouchers, we can’t encourage you enough to check-in before the event starts either on June 22 or the morning of June 23 so that you don’t miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise Summertime in the East Coast is…humid and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing. You can purchase your water bottle on site at the KCON merchandise booth located in the K-Culture Zone. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to update the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. Maps Just to give you a more visual sense of where everything is at the KCON Convention, we’re going to share you the two maps of the K-Activity and K-Culture Zones. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! MY KCON ADVENTURE: Aspiring K-Pop Artist or Professional If this schedule name sounded perfect for you, then you must be familiar with KCON already! Nowadays, it seems like everywhere you look there’s something related to Hallyu. We know that with Hallyu is only getting bigger, many of you have different reasons for coming to KCON–whether that be K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Dance, or K-Food. If we were a fan interested in the music industry, below would be our ideal schedule. We can’t promise everything (there’s a lot of stuff going on all at once!), but we’ll try our best to show you the KCON world in two-and-a-half days. Let’s KCON! SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd 10:00 – 12:30 PM: Exploration Time Convention programs won’t start until 11 AM, so you can use this hour to get yourself acquainted with the KCON Convention. Make sure your children don’t run because we don’t wish for them to get injured. Here are the four main areas you will need to know: K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you or your children are really excited about, you will want to get a seat early. K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch (i.e. water bottle) before they sell out! Championship Plaza: This is the registration area and it’s also where the Information Booth & Lost and Found are located. If you’re coming with children, you are probably aware that things get lost all the time so you will probably want to know where you can go to find your lost item. Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): Here is where all the artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place. 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Behind The Scenes with Ryan Jhun: Multi-hit K-Pop Producer Whether you’re looking to expand your musical taste, or want to learn about trends in the entertainment industry, take this chance to learn from one of the best in the industry! Ryan Jhun is the creative force behind Marcan Music Production and is a hands-on producer, who has established an immense music catalogue with many top K-Pop artists in Korea. Ryan’s productions have become successful hits in Korea as well as the rest of Asia, and if you’re a fan of “Produce 101,” you might have noticed him as one of the guest producers! 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: How We Made It: Korean American Edition We brought together many talented Korean Americans to share their story of breaking into the respective industries. If your interests are more of the television variety, panelists Donna Kim and Ellie Lee have plenty of experience and insight to share with you. If you’re more of the K-Beauty persuasion, Nina Park, a career make-up artist, and Stevie Chong, our moderator and a Senior PR Manager for Glow Recipe, will join the panel as well! Sit back, relax, and engage with these professionals who are top in their field! 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: K-Pop Journalism 101 Jeff Benjamin has been Billboard’s K-Pop columnist for more than five years. He’s written about K-Pop for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and NPR, while being asked to share his expertise with The Washington Post, CNN, USA Today and beyond. He has shared groundbreaking stories about K-Pop in America, including exclusives with BTS, CL, Seventeen, Psy, while hosting events with KARD and Kevin Woo. In 2017, The New York Times referred to him as “the most knowledgeable person in America about K-Pop.” If you want a career in journalism covering K-Pop, learn from one of the most respected journalists out there! 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Meet & Greet: eSNa It’s time to “meet” and “greet” eSNa! The singer, songwriter and producer, who originally hails from LA, has worked with some of the biggest names in Korea like Madclown, Hyolyn, Jo Kwon, Sane E, Mamamoo, Bastarz, Jun. K, among others. Plus! She’s released several albums of her own. How might you already know this triple-threat talent? eSNa is the songwriter behind Soyu and Junggigo’s massive hit “Some”! We definitely recommend coming by to
My KCON Adventure – Addicted to K-Beauty
Hello! Did you come to KCON to feed your K-Beauty addiction? We got you. — First things first, though, we have to inform you of our generic policies and programs that will help you enjoy the convention. KCON Convention Registration The events and programs we will be recommending can only be accessed at our KCON Convention, which means you will need to purchase a Convention wristband. If you have one already, that’s great! If you don’t have a wristband yet, you can purchase and register a 2-day wristband for $20 each on this website or on-site. On-site registration will take some time, however, so we recommend you and your family register your wristband online in order to have more to explore the Convention. KCON Check-In Now that you have your wristband, you’re ready for check-in! The Convention itself will be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on both June 23rd and 24th. You can check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on those days. However, we highly encourage you do early check-in on June 22nd from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. You’ll save yourself more time to enjoy the actual Convention on Saturday and Sunday. If you or any of your family have purchased artist engagement vouchers, you will definitely want to check-in on June 22nd or the morning of June 23rd before the Convention starts so that you don’t accidentally miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise The convention is big and with programs happening in different locations, you might find yourself hurriedly power-walking across the Convention. If you are coming with children, you may even find yourself hurriedly chasing after them as they excitedly power-walk to the next program. As this pattern repeats throughout the day, you’ll most likely find yourself parched and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. You’ll be able to refill your water bottle at the water refill stations to stay hydrated even after all that rushing around to keep your children in your sight. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to download the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It will be well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you know why people are rushing towards a certain direction or to which booth or program your child may have secretly rushed off on his or her own. Maps As mentioned earlier, the convention is big and you will probably want to familiarize yourself with where everything is at the KCON Convention. Take a look at the following two maps of the K-Activity Zone and K-Culture Zones so you can orient yourself before the event starts. (If you decide to let your 18-year-old children go off on their own, familiarizing yourself with the map will help you reconnect with them throughout the day and understand what they mean when they say “I’m at BHHH right now. I’ll see you at Champion Plaza.”) SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd 10:00 – 11:00 AM: Exploration Time Convention programs won’t start until 11 AM, so you can use this hour to get yourself acquainted with the KCON Convention. Make sure your children don’t run because we don’t wish for them to get injured. Here are the four main areas you will need to know: K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you or your children are really excited about, you will want to get a seat early. K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch (i.e. water bottle) before they sell out! Championship Plaza: This is the registration area and it’s also where the Information Booth & Lost and Found are located. If you’re coming with children, you are probably aware that things get lost all the time so you will probably want to know where you can go to find your lost item. Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): Here is where all the artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Meeting Idols in Korea – Reality vs. Expectation (Panelists:HeyitsFeiii, JRE, WhitneyBae) So, this first program isn’t actually about “Beauty,” but in the lineup of panelists you’ll find HeyitsFeiii, who’s a fan favorite K-Beauty and K-Fashion YouTuber. She’s done a ton of videos combining K-Beauty and some major K-Pop idols, and a bunch of K-Beauty reviews of the latest products. Some come to this panel ready to engage with a K-Beauty fave! 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: How We Made It: Korean American Edition (Panelists: Donna Kim, Ellie Lee, Nina Park; Moderator: Stevie Chong) We brought together many talented Korean Americans to share their story of breaking into the respective industries. If your interests are more of the television variety, panelists Donna Kim and Ellie Lee have plenty of experience and insight to share with you. If you’re more of the K-Beauty persuasion, Nina Park, a career make-up artist, is ready to discuss her life in have plenty of experience appearing on TV to give you their insight and advice for breaking into that field. We also have Nina Park who can share her expertise in her career of being a make-up artist for celebrities. Finally, the moderator for this panel Stevie Chong is a K-Beauty retailer with Glow Recipe’s that serves as their Senior PR Manager, overseeing all communications with media and beauty influencers. 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: [Panel #2] The Top 10 K-Pop Beauty Looks of All Time (Moderators: Caro Malis,
My KCON Adventure – I Want To Dance Like A K-Pop Idol!
Dancing is a great way to express your love for K-Pop idols, not to mention it’s really good for you! We have plenty of great dancers & choreographers to show you the moves to some of your favorite songs so let’s get pumped! Before we have you getting down on the dance floor here are some general things to get your day started. GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Check-in The KCON Convention will be open from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on June 23 and June 24. We encourage you do early check-in on June 22 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. But, if you’re not available, you’ll be able to check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on June 23 and June 24. If you have artist engagement vouchers, we can’t encourage you enough to check-in before the event starts either on June 22 or the morning of June 23 so that you don’t miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise Summertime in the East Coast is…humid and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing. You can purchase your water bottle on site at the KCON merchandise booth located in the K-Culture Zone. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to update the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. Maps Just to give you a more visual sense of where everything is at the KCON Convention, we’re going to share you the two maps of the K-Activity and K-Culture Zones. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! MY KCON ADVENTURE: I Want To Dance Like a K-Pop Idol! Welcome to KCON! We are so happy to have you here with us and can’t wait to share all the new things you can experience! Because we love things that are fun, we’ll be including GIF’s from all of the KCON 2018 NY lineup and if you click them, you’ll be taken to that artist’s MV. June 23 – KCON DAY 1! 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Check-in You all don’t need a reminder! Once you’ve checked in at Championship Plaza with your confirmation email and have received your wristband – grab your friends and get ready go explore KCON! 10:00 – 11:00 : Exploration Time Convention programs don’t start until 11 AM, so use this hour to get acquainted with the KCON Convention. Below would be our ideal schedule if we were a fan like you so get your typing fingers ready and jot down what you don’t want to miss! K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you’re really excited about, get a seat early. K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch before it’s sold out! Championship Plaza: This is the registration area, but it’s also the location of the info booth where you can find our Lost and Found. Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): All artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place here. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Super Junior’s “Lo Siento” with Grace Chu x SJWORLD SJWORLD is teaming up with Grace Chu to teach you the dance to “Lo Siento!” If dancing isn’t your favorite way to express your K-Pop feels, they will also be teaching you the fan chants to this great new hit! 12:30 – 1:30: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Random Play Dance, with East2West Come test your K-Pop recognition and dance skills with a massive dance crew and your fellow KCON fans. There’s no need to feel shy about dancing because when you’re in a crowd of fans just like you! 2:00 – 3:00: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Red Velvet’s “Bad Boy” with I LOVE DANCE Who dat who dat who dat crew! It’s I LOVE DANCE teaching you the addictive moves to Red Velvet’s Bad Boy! 3:30 – 4:30 PM: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Stray Kids “District 9” with East2West Stray Kids everywhere! Gather round the dance floor with an epic session with East2West. If you loved their self-produced videos on YouTube, you definitely know you’ll need to see them in person for their dance workshop. 4:30 – 5:00 PM: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Random Play Dance, with GoToe If you’ve seen GoToe’s videos on YouTube, you would understand that his style is perfectly suited for Random Play Dance! You’ll have a great time dancing like no one’s watching here! 5:00 – 6:00 PM: [DANCE WORKSHOP] Pentagon’s “Shine” with Ellen & Brian A couple that dances together stays together! Check out these two love birds as they hop out of YouTube and into our dance workshop for an unforgettable tutorial of Pentagon’s “Shine!” June 24 – DAY 2! 10:00 – 11:00: Exploration Time After Day 1, you might be a little tired from all the excitement and dancing but this is a once a year opportunity so we want to help you make the best of your time with us! Try and relax in the picnic area or chill with your fandom at our Fan Club Meeting Space, and then take a deep breath because there’s still about 12 hours left to enjoy the rest of KCON! 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: [DANCE WORKSHOP]
My KCON Adventure – KCON Veteran/Returner
So, it’s your fourth time attending KCON in the east coast right!? Just kidding! Whether it’s your second, third, OR fourth time attending, each and every one of you are the true veterans of KCON! *YAY* You’re used to the drill that is KCON: 1. Register for your convention ticket online, 2. Select your “add-ons” like KLUB KCON and Artist Engagement Benefits, 3. Check-In early and don’t forget the sun screen and cap because this outdoor festival is a hot one! As a returning KCON-er, you all are used to how many events KCON has to offer, but as every year in the past, we strive to be bigger and better and have some new programs for you all to experience! We’ll release more “adventures” in the coming days to suit those KCON-ers who may have different interests like Dance, Beauty, etc… But, this is a handcrafted, convention adventure for those who think they may know everything there is to know about KCON – but will be thrilled about how many new experiences they will be able to have this year. We couldn’t be happier to welcome you back, thank you for being a loyal fan of KCON! LET’S GO! GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Check-in The KCON Convention will be open from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on June 23 and June 24. We encourage you do early check-in on June 22 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. But, if you’re not available, you’ll be able to check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on June 23 and June 24. If you have artist engagement vouchers, we can’t encourage you enough to check-in before the event starts either on June 22 or the morning of June 23 so that you don’t miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise Summertime in the East Coast is…humid and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing. You can purchase your water bottle on site at the KCON merchandise booth located in the K-Culture Zone. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to update the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. Maps Just to give you a more visual sense of where everything is at the KCON Convention, we’re going to share you the two maps of the K-Activity and K-Culture Zones. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! MY KCON ADVENTURE: KCON Veteran/Returner! (WOO! It’s so nice to see you again~) Welcome to another KCON! We are so happy to welcome you back and can’t wait to share how many new things you can experience! Because we love things that are fun, we’ll be including GIF’s from all of the KCON 2018 NY lineup and if you click them, you’ll be taken to that artist’s MV. June 23 – KCON DAY 1! 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Check-in You all don’t need a reminder! Once you’ve checked in at Championship Plaza with your confirmation email and have received your wristband – grab your friends and get ready go explore KCON! 10:00 – 11:00 : Exploration Time Convention programs don’t start until 11 AM, so use this hour to get acquainted with the KCON Convention. Below would be our ideal schedule if we were a fan like you so get your typing fingers ready and jot down what you don’t want to miss! K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you’re really excited about, get a seat early. K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch before it’s sold out! Championship Plaza: This is the registration area, but it’s also the location of the info booth where you can find our Lost and Found. Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): All artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place here. 11:00 – 5:30: [FAN CLUB MEETING] New. NEW. NEW!!! What’s amazing about KCON is that it provides a space for attendees to meet people who love the same things as them! Last year, we launched the first ever fan club meeting room at KCON17LA, led by some amazing and dedicated fan bases, and this year it makes it’s debut at KCON18NY! Meet a new best friend from your same fandom, trade your photo cards, and win some awesome prizes! 11:00 – 12:00: [PANEL #2] K-Pop’s LGBT Fandom: We Love It! (Panelists: HelloEddi, Lai Frances, The Producer. Moderator: Alex Ocho). Three years ago, this beloved panel first made its debut at KCON LA and now it makes its debut at KCON NY! This year we witnessed the first openly gay K-Pop idol make his beautiful debut, we’ve seen some of our favorite idols state their support for the LGBT+ community, and more! Come learn about the rising influence of K-Pop in the LGBT community and the experiences of LGBT Hallyu Fans! 12:30 – 1:30: [WORKSHOP] K-Pop Journal 101 (Moderator: justinebujo). We wouldn’t be surprised if some of you (or many of you) are familiar with the term bullet journal! An amazing way of planning out your weeks, the bullet journal has become extremely popular and a cute trend amongst K-Pop fans! K-Pop photos + cute calligraphy? What more could we ask for! Come make your own K-Pop inspired, bullet journal spread! 5:00 – 6:00:
My KCON Adventure – As a Parent, Is There Anything I Can Do?
Hello! Were you brought here because your child is a big K-Pop, K-beauty, or just general Korean culture fan? Or did you come here with your family because you wanted to do something exciting with your children? No need to fret! We have plenty of programs for people of all ages to enjoy. You might not enjoy K-Pop yourself, but check out the schedule below for programs you can enjoy with your family. — First things first, though, we have to inform you of our generic policies and programs that will help you enjoy the convention. KCON Convention Registration The events and programs we will be recommending can only be accessed at our KCON Convention, which means you will need to purchase a Convention wristband. If you have one already, that’s great! If you don’t have a wristband yet, you can purchase and register a 2-day wristband for $20 each on this website or on-site. On-site registration will take some time, however, so we recommend you and your family register your wristband online in order to have more to explore the Convention. KCON Check-In Now that you have your wristband, you’re ready for check-in! The Convention itself will be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on both June 23rd and 24th. You can check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on those days. However, we highly encourage you do early check-in on June 22nd from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. You’ll save yourself more time to enjoy the actual Convention on Saturday and Sunday. If you or any of your family have purchased artist engagement vouchers, you will definitely want to check-in on June 22nd or the morning of June 23rd before the Convention starts so that you don’t accidentally miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise The convention is big and with programs happening in different locations, you might find yourself hurriedly power-walking across the Convention. If you are coming with children, you may even find yourself hurriedly chasing after them as they excitedly power-walk to the next program. As this pattern repeats throughout the day, you’ll most likely find yourself parched and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. You’ll be able to refill your water bottle at the water refill stations to stay hydrated even after all that rushing around to keep your children in your sight. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to download the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It will be well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you know why people are rushing towards a certain direction or to which booth or program your child may have secretly rushed off on his or her own. Maps As mentioned earlier, the convention is big and you will probably want to familiarize yourself with where everything is at the KCON Convention. Take a look at the following two maps of the K-Activity Zone and K-Culture Zones so you can orient yourself before the event starts. (If you decide to let your 18-year-old children go off on their own, familiarizing yourself with the map will help you reconnect with them throughout the day and understand what they mean when they say “I’m at BHHH right now. I’ll see you at Champion Plaza.”) As you might notice in the photos, we added a PARENT’S LOUNGE this year. We’ll have a few seats and water for you to refresh yourself, so do stop by! — Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s start with the actual itinerary specifically designed for PARENTS! The itinerary assumes you have already checked-in prior to the Convention start time. Of course, the programs listed below are what we think parents will enjoy and you are free to take or add programs from this sample itinerary. SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd 10:00 – 11:00 AM: Exploration Time Convention programs won’t start until 11 AM, so you can use this hour to get yourself acquainted with the KCON Convention. Make sure your children don’t run because we don’t wish for them to get injured. Here are the four main areas you will need to know: K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you or your children are really excited about, you will want to get a seat early. K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch (i.e. water bottle) before they sell out! Championship Plaza: This is the registration area and it’s also where the Information Booth & Lost and Found are located. If you’re coming with children, you are probably aware that things get lost all the time so you will probably want to know where you can go to find your lost item. Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): Here is where all the artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: KCON Paint Nite If you are planning on exploring the Convention with your family, you’ll want to check out this workshop moderated by the lovely Susie Kelly, who also ran this workshop for the first time last year. It may (or may not) get a bit messy but it’ll be fun releasing or even finding your inner artist 😉 2:00 – 3:00 PM: Learn How to Make Jumeokbap and Oi Naengguk with Culinary Chef Shin Kim Unless you know Korean or know how to read Korean romanization, you are probably confused about how to even read the food workshop name. But, in this workshop, you will be learning how to make refreshing cucumber soup (oi naengguk) and rice balls (jumeokbap)! Yum! The workshop will be
My KCON Adventure – First Time KCON-ers!
So, it’s your first KCON. You’re being bombarded by KCON vocab like “K-Activity Zone,” “STAR Live Talk,” and “Star Square,” not to mention panels, workshops, artist engagements, and two concerts. There’s just a lot of stuff. And, that’s on purpose. We want there to be such a variety of things to do that you’ll be able to carve out the unique “KCON adventure” that suits you. If this is your first ever KCON, or if you’re just curious about what things you can do, then read on. We’ll release more “adventures” in the coming days to suit those KCON-ers who may have different interests like Dance, Beauty, etc… But, this is a handcrafted, convention adventure for those who we have the honor of welcoming for the first time. We couldn’t be happier to have you, welcome. GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Convention Registration The events and programs that we are recommending below are available at our KCON Convention, which means you’re going to need a Convention wristband. If you haven’t gotten one yet, please register for the KCON Convention here. (1) 2-day pass is $20, and we’re going to use this article to show you why that’s definitely money well-spent. Of course, if you haven’t decided yet whether you’re going or if you haven’t convinced your friend yet that they should come, you can always purchase onsite. Onsite registration takes some time, so online registration is the best way to make sure you and your fellow fans get through the line fast! View the full Convention Schedule. KCON Check-in The KCON Convention will be open from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on June 23 and June 24. We encourage you do early check-in on June 22 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. But, if you’re not available, you’ll be able to check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on June 23 and June 24. If you have artist engagement vouchers, we can’t encourage you enough to check-in before the event starts either on June 22 or the morning of June 23 so that you don’t miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise Summertime in the East Coast is…humid and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing. You can purchase your water bottle and other KCON merchandise until June 17th on Mwave or onsite at KCON 2018 NY. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to download the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. Maps Just to give you a more visual sense of where everything is at the KCON Convention, we’re going to share you the two maps of the K-Activity and K-Culture Zones. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! MY KCON ADVENTURE: It’s My First Time at KCON! (Woooooo!) Welcome to your first KCON! We know that with Hallyu only getting bigger, many of you have different reasons for coming to KCON–whether that be K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Dance, or K-Food. Below would be our ideal schedule if we we’re a fan like you who is coming to KCON for the first time, but who also wants to experience everything. We can’t promise everything (there’s a lot of stuff going on all at once!), but we’ll try our best to show you the KCON world in two-and-a-half days. Let’s KCON! Also! Just in case you’re new to the K-Pop world or you’re sharing this with a friend who is, we’ll be including GIF’s from all of the KCON 2018 NY lineup and if you click them, you’ll be taken that artist’s MV. June 22 – KLUB KCON! KLUB KCON If you’re coming for early check-in on June 22, don’t head home just yet. Go straight to KLUB KCON! KLUB KCON is a massive K-Pop party that takes place from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM and is open to KCON-ers of all ages (if you’re under 13 yrs of age, you must bring a guardian). KLUB KCON is a Convention ticket add on, and you can register for it along with the Convention here. That’s the definition, but here’s what you can expect: 1. A DJ who’s got K-Pop spinning experience and is ready to make you dance with your friends and maybe help you meet some new ones. 2. Artist appearances. In the past we’ve had major artists like SEVENTEEN perform and say “hi!” to fans, and even DEAN and Amber perform in LA. It’s super memorable because you’ll be able to see major idols in a chill, close setting. What artists are coming this year? STRAY KIDS & PENTAGON! Are you ready to learn the “hammer dance”? June 23 – KCON DAY 1! 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Check-in If you’re a Convention attendee (and to attend all of the programs we’re about to recommend, it’s a must), please head to Championship Plaza with your registration. It’s time to make it rain paper (or digital paper for mobile registrants) like PENTAGON! A hint of a smile à la Hongseok would be nice too 😉 This registration will have a QR Codes that our staff will scan to give you your wristband and any related items like artist engagement packs. If you went to KLUB KCON, you will have already had to check-in so you can bypass this step. Win!
[#KCON18LA] Artist Reveal – SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN is a 13-member boy group who debuted under Pledis Entertainment in 2015. The members are S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino. They are also active with three different sub-units: “Hip Hop Unit,” “Vocal Unit,” and “Performance Unit.” The group is known as the “self-producing” idol group as the members are deeply involved in the composition and production of their discography and choreography. Seventeen debuted on May 26 with a live showcase and was the first male Kpop group to debut with an one-hour live showcase on a major broadcasting channel. Their debut EP 17 Carat became the longest-charting K-pop album of the year in the US and was the only rookie album to appear on Billboard‘s “10 Best K-pop Albums of 2015” chart. In February 2018, Seventeen released a special album Director’s Cut with title track “Thanks” which topped iTunes charts in 29 countries. Time magazine named Seventeen one of the best K-pop groups during this promotion period. Seventeen is scheduled to officially debut in Japan on May 30 with their first Japanese mini-album, We Make You.
[#KCON18LA] Artist Reveal – fromis_9
fromis_9, an initialism for “From Idol School,” is a nine-member girl group formed through Mnet’s reality show “Idol School” in 2017, which ran from July 13 to September 29. As a result of live and online voting, Roh Ji Sun, Song Ha Young, Lee Sae Rom, Lee Chae Young, Lee Na Gyung, Park Ji Won, Lee Seo Yeon, Baek Ji Heon and Jang Gyu Ri secured spots in the final ranking and formed Fromis_9 on the same day. Before their official debut, the group performed their pre-debut single “Glass Shoes” at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Japan. The group officially debuted on January 24, 2018 with their first EP “To. Heart” along with their lead single “To Heart.”
KCON18NY – SPECIAL GUESTS!
Hello East Coast KCON-ers! Are you all ready for KCON!? We are so excited to meet you all and are thrilled to have so many great programs for you to experience during the largest Hallyu event. From panels, interactive art workshops, dance workshops and a new fan club meeting space, meet all our special guests who are making these events happen! Ryan Jhun is the creative force behind Marcan Music Production. Ryan possesses an impressive talent for musical tastes and reading trends. He is a hands-on producer, who has established an immense music catalogue with the top K-Pop artists in Korea. Ryan’s productions have become successful hits in Korea as well as Asia, and is recognized as one of the top producers in the K-Pop industry. He recently appeared in the successful reality girl group survival show called “Produce 101” produced by Mnet as the guest producer. Performance Director and Choreographer, fromis_9 2006~ NANA SCHOOL & NANA Girl Dance Crew 2009~ IDMYO Dance Crew 2008 Super Junior Super Show Dance Team 2009~2010 Girl’s Generation Concert Into the New World Dance Team 2011~2012 JYJ World Tour Concert Dance Team Xia Asia Tour Dance Team 2013 Xia Asia & Japan Tour Dance Team (was the only female dancer in the team) JYJ Tokyo dome Tour “The Return of the JYJ” Dance Team 2014 JYJ Asia Tour “THE RETURN OF THE KING Dance Team Incheon Asian Game Opening Ceremony Dance Team 2015~ The 2nd Loen Music Camp Dance Trainer 2016~ Creative Director DJ GINJO has been a member of TraxX since March 2018 as a DJ and Producer. Birth : April 12, 1983 DEC 2013 Debuted with Single ‘I’m gonna kick’em out’ AUG 2015 DJ performance at ‘Pentaport Rock Festival’ JULY 2016 DJ performance at ‘STORM MUSIC FESTIVAL’ in China MARCH 2018 Released ‘You (Feat. ANGEL)’ as 51st SM ‘STATION SEASON 2’ eSNa is a singer, songwriter, producer from LA based in Korea. She has written for and worked with some of the biggest names in Korea like Madclown, Hyolyn, Jo Kwon, Sane E, Mamamoo, Bastarz, Jun. K, etc. and has released several albums of her own. She made her big break as a songwriter with the song “Some” by Soyou and Jungigo, which put her on the map and put her in high demand by other singers and producers. She is continuing her career in Korea and plans to bring her career over to the states. Jun Sung Ahn, better known by his stage name JuNCurryAhn, is a Korean-American YouTube artist with over 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. He is a classically trained violinist who is known for his Violin and Dance covers of various Pop and K-Pop music. He is also a member of the K-Pop group BGA (Boys Generally Asian) and currently active as a solo artist as well. Jun wishes to continue his solo artist career for the time being, but eventually wants to pursue his passion in film and become a director. Gil Smith is a sought-out American music director, producer and arranger who has played an intricate role in creating some of the highest grossing K-Pop tours. Andreas Oberg is a songwriter, producer born in Sweden. He started out as a pro guitarist mainly focusing on jazz & blues. After some years of touring he got into writing songs and discovered the booming Asian music market. Since then Andreas has written/produced songs for many of the big K-Pop idols such as EXO, TWICE, Super Junior, SHINee, Red Velvet, Girls Generation, (f)x, NCT, TAEYEON, TVXQ, VIXX, MONSTA X & many others. Andreas is known for his use of interesting chords and harmonies as well as his rich vocal arrangements. Melvin Timtim is a world renowned choreographer and teacher sought after for his swag, insane choreography, and unique style. He is the founder of S Rank, the first U.S. team in the History of HHI to win the USA and World Gold Medal in the Adult Division. Melvin has taught all over the world and has choreographed for such artists as Ne-Yo and several K-Pop Artists. Alexandra Reid made history as the first ever non-Asian, black K-Pop Idol. A major label U.S recording artist, Sony ATV songwriter, model in Seventeen Magazine (etc.), and diehard K-Pop fan; Alexandra’s wildest dream came true when she was scouted at a recording studio in Los Angeles, California and less than a week later found herself in Seoul, South Korea preparing to debut. The strenuous training, learning Korean, and acclimating to a new culture all on an idol’s schedule of music shows, interviews, tv appearances and more proved to be the adventure of a lifetime. Fans instantly fell in love with Alexandra’s charismatic stage presence, vocal talent, and endearing personality; embracing her as an inspiration and trailblazer in the K-Pop industry. In late 2017, Alexandra’s abrupt departure from the group left fans with more questions than answers. Alexandra is ready to relive some of her fondest memories, offer advice, and spill the tea on what it was really like to live the dream of boys and girls all over the world. Look out for Alexandra’s upcoming solo release in summer 2018. A perfect blend of Neo-Soul, R&B, and Pop is how Annalé best describes her music. Currently based in LA, Annalé was born in New York, and raised in South Korea and New Jersey. With influences from her parents who are classical musicians, she started out by playing piano at the age of 4 and transitioned into contemporary music when she discovered her talent and passion for singing in middle school. Her debut single “Roses” has gained a notable buzz on Billboard’s R&B Airplay charts and she is now back with her follow up single “Showtime.” Danny Lim is a Korean American actor