My first time at Vexpo

On the weekend of the 6th, I travelled to Birmingham for the second edition of Vexpo, not just as a developing voice in the industry, but also as a fan. This was my first time attending and given how hard it’s been to find VTubing content or communities at other UK conventions, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Since returning from Japan, I hadn’t actually met any other VTubing fans in person. That’s why I was genuinely surprised and a little overwhelmed by the sheer turnout, with fans travelling from across the world to celebrate their favourite VTubers. The excitement started even before the con itself: on Friday night I met up with a group of fans, and although we didn’t have concert tickets, we crammed into a hotel room to watch it together. I ended up on the bathroom floor, but I wouldn’t have traded that moment for anything.

Event Mangement

Of course, this was only the second year for the Vexpo team, and some of the growing pains showed, particularly around planning and contingency. Friday saw huge crowds turning up to collect badges and concert tickets, but the demand was so overwhelming that many fans didn’t receive their concert tickets in time. It’s still unclear why badge collection for non-concert attendees was scheduled for the same day, or why the potential bottleneck wasn’t anticipated by organisers.

Saturday’s concert also experienced delays, further highlighting the challenges of handling such a large turnout. While no official attendance figures have been released, last year’s numbers weren’t made public either, it’s safe to say that the increase in visitors this year caught the organisers off guard. To their credit, Vexpo is still a young convention, but if it wants to establish itself as a major event on the calendar, there are clear lessons to learn and improvements to make heading into 2026.

Industry Presence

Plenty of players from across the VTuber industry had a presence at Vexpo this year, though one noticeable absence was Hololive/Cover Corp. Hololive has remained relatively silent about Europe, but it would be naïve to think they aren’t planning an entry. For now, they seem to be holding their cards close to their chest. That said, the sheer number of Hololive cosplayers, fan artists, and merchandise on display showed how effortlessly their brand spreads even without an official presence.

Brave Group made a strong showing, represented by several of their subsidiaries including Globie, ChromaShift, and V4Mirai. Keeping track of Brave’s ever-expanding roster of projects can feel confusing, and that lack of clarity may not serve them well if they want lasting recognition in the industry. What they do have, however, is infrastructure in Europe. If Brave can leverage that before the bigger players arrive, they may carve out a niche. I had a great conversation at the Globie booth, and I came away thinking that if they execute carefully, they could establish a foothold in the European market.

Phase Connect, meanwhile, has earned a reputation as the most PR-friendly VTuber agency. Almost every fan I spoke to said Phase Connect are “winning” while other corpos are “shooting themselves in the foot.” Interestingly, this is the exact sentiment people were saying about Hololive only a year ago showing how quickly reputations can shift. Regardless, Phase Connect has undeniably achieved a lot. They even launched their own card game, timed perfectly to compete with the English release of the Hololive OCG. They’ve positioned themselves as disruptors, but whether they can scale to the level of Hololive or Nijisanji remains to be seen.

Finally, Nijisanji’s presence was harder to spot, with only a small booth tucked away. It’s disappointing to see how much they’ve scaled back in the English market. The fallout from the Selen Tatsuki controversy seems to have dealt lasting PR damage, leaving the company hesitant to fully re-engage with Western fans. Nijisanji still boasts a vast roster of talent and is steadily building infrastructure, but whether their cautious approach will help them recover or simply keep them side-lined is still an open question.

Final Word

I had a brilliant time at Vexpo, meeting so many fans, creators, and industry professionals. What stood out most to me is how strongly indie VTubers have carved out their place in the scene, drawing in fans from all over the world. For the larger agencies, this poses a challenge: they’ll need to find new ways into mainstream markets, and Europe is shaping up to be the next battleground. Brave Group may have drawn first blood, but the fight is far from over. It will be fascinating to see how the landscape shifts over the next year, and I’m already looking forward to reflecting on those changes at Vexpo next year.

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