Greetings Ohayocon Visitors!

As the staff makes their final preparations for Ohayocon, they asked me to pass along a few tips for to keep you safe and secure while you’re at the convention. 

Please be aware of your surroundings at all times. Uncharted territories like parking garages, and lesser traveled hallways are places that are much safer to travel in groups. This is just a great idea in general as people tend to have much more fun in groups.

Learn how to identify Ohayocon staff members. No matter what the department, if you have an emergency, or feel unsafe or uncomfortable find anyone on staff, and they will be able to direct you (or take you) to the right people. 

Find a police officer. Throughout your convention experience you will also notice a much larger presence of police. As our event has grown, we have also increased our involvement with outside security personnel, and the Columbus Police Department.  

Don’t take drinks, food, or anything else that may look yummy from ANYONE you don’t know. Make sure to eat plenty of food, and stay hydrated on your own, so that an offer of food or drink isn’t a tempting one.

If you are an older attendee, please look out for the younger members of our Con Family. This may even mean protecting them from themselves. If you see a younger attendee in a dangerous situation, make it your business to help get con staff involved.

Learn more about how to stay safe. There are workshops and panels at different times over the weekend where you will be able to listen to different methods for keeping yourself safe. We think that’s a great idea even after the convention is over, never stop trying to learn about new ways you can keep your con family, and yourself safe.

Lastly, please be aware that some people derive enjoyment from scaring other attendees. Please note that we are regularly informed of safety concerns, we will always err on the side of caution, and turn such things over to the authorities in a responsible manner. 

We hope you will have a wonderful time at our convention, and will not hesitate to find someone on staff, if you have any additional concerns. Most of them have volunteered their entire weekend, so that all of you can have a great time.

With all of that said , it’s time to put my nurses cap back on, and get back to work!

See you soon!

Nurse Lindsey

Ohayocon Health and Safety

For everyone worried about rumors of horror at Ohayocon involving sexual assault, please read this and go forth feeling a little bit safer.

Hey! Thank you for your message regarding this subject. We’ve been getting a lot of responses to this at once, both positively and negatively. The post we were addressing was created by someone with no affiliation to our event; they were just someone who was concerned for their safety and the safety of others. At the time of our response, the post had well over 10,000 notes, which is more then 30 times the size of our follower count. People had been messaging us, obviously in distress from the idea that there could be that sort of danger at Ohayocon, so we had to take action. The last thing we want is for someone to feel like they are at risk for any sort of danger, especially at our event.

I am incredibly sorry if this is a misunderstanding. Again, we did not make the original post- all of our actions are merely a response to it and the reaction it caused.

We didn’t say they weren’t legal. As a concern for our attendees, we brought this to the police department.

The post that was brought to our attention had over 10,000 notes. People had been messaging us to take action- obviously afraid for their safety and the safety of others- and we did. We never said that he was innocent or guilty. We just turned it over to law enforcement. With the amount of notes the original post had, I’m sure someone would have anyway.

If it turns out that the comment in question was nothing more than an incredibly misunderstood joke, then we are incredibly sorry. But the safety of our attendees is our number one priority, and if there is a possibility that they could be or feel endangered, then we are going to do something about it.

I’ve heard a little bit about them. The fact someone would even talk about harming someone because they read a webcomic is simply astounding.

We’re going to make a post about at-con safety soon, but if anyone can send us a link to a source with more information so we can address this specific issue further, it would be greatly appreciated.

In regards to this post-

We have turned this case over to the Columbus Police Department.

The idea of a threat like this is disgusting and offensive. Rape is not something that should be considered, glorified, or joked about in casual conversation. Rape should not be thought of as anything less than the evil, hateful, and cruel act that it is. Rape is an incredibly violent and traumatizing assault on a person that should never be forgiven, regardless of a persons nature, status, or previous actions. Rape is rape, and rape is deplorable.

If this lead has any merit, the person will not be allowed to go to Ohayocon again. I wish that there was more that we could do.

I’m sorry, but we are not affiliated with Matsuricon. Best of luck!

It’s perfectly fine, just as long as it stays within our Costume and Weapons Policy! Cosplays are in no way bound to Zombie/Zombie-related themes. As long as you follow all of our cosplaying rules, then it’s all good!

We hope you have an excellent time at your first convention! :)

Our website is currently under construction! The information on the hotels page is unfortunately outdated. For more up to date information on the Drury’s room availability, you should call them and ask about the Ohayocon room block. Sorry for any inconveniences this might have caused!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad that you’ve had such a great experience with us in the past. I hope you can come visit us again next year!