There are haunted house conventions held in generic event spaces, and then there’s the Ohio Haunters Association Convention — an event that puts the industry inside one of its own. The 2026 convention returns to Blood Prison at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, running May 15–17, using the famous historic prison as its venue. If you’ve been to the Reformatory’s own haunt experience, you know what kind of backdrop this is. If you haven’t, that’s one more reason to go.

What Is the Ohio Haunters Association Convention?

The Ohio Haunters Association (OHA) is a professional and enthusiast organization dedicated to supporting the haunted attraction industry in Ohio — one of the country’s most active haunt markets. Their annual convention serves as the regional gathering point for haunt operators, scare actors, prop makers, vendors, and enthusiasts who make the Midwest haunt scene function.

Unlike the massive national trade shows like TransWorld, the OHA Convention is deliberately regional in scope — which makes it more accessible, more intimate, and in some ways more useful for people who want real conversations with industry professionals rather than a sprawling trade floor. If TransWorld is the industry’s Super Bowl, the OHA Convention is where the work actually gets discussed.

2026 Event Details: Dates, Venue, and Tickets

The 2026 Ohio Haunters Association Convention runs May 15–17, 2026 at Blood Prison, located within the Ohio State Reformatory campus at 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield, OH 44905. Note that some earlier promotional materials listed May 9–10; the official OHA website and FAQ confirm the May 15–17 dates for 2026.

Attendance is open to OHA members and non-member industry professionals, haunt owners, scare actors, vendors, and enthusiasts. The event is 18+ only; attendees ages 14–17 may attend only if accompanied by a registered adult with prior written parental consent submitted to OHA in advance. For complete registration information and current pricing, the official source is ohiohaunters.com.

What to Expect at the Convention

The OHA Convention is structured around three core experiences: the vendor floor, the seminar program, and the social events that happen around the official programming. Each serves a different need for different attendees.

The Vendor Floor

The vendor floor brings together prop makers, costume suppliers, effects vendors, and industry service providers in a space where you can actually touch the merchandise and talk to the people who made it. For operators sourcing props and effects for the 2026 season, this is purchasing intelligence that no website provides. You see build quality up close, compare similar products side by side, and hear directly from vendors about what’s new, what’s selling, and what’s coming.

Seminars from Industry Professionals

The seminar track is where the convention delivers its most concentrated value. OHA seminars cover topics that range from technical (lighting design, pneumatic effects, audio engineering for haunts) to operational (safety protocols, actor management, marketing) to creative (set design, storytelling, immersive experience architecture). For newer operators or serious home haunters looking to level up, a single day of seminars can compress years of learning.

The OHA Costume Ball

The annual Costume Ball is the social event of the convention — a chance for the haunt community to dress up (which they are exceptionally good at) and connect in a less structured setting. It’s also one of the better costume showcases in the regional Halloween calendar, given who’s in the room.

The Ohio State Reformatory: A Haunt Icon as Convention Venue

The Ohio State Reformatory’s six-story, 250,000-square-foot building is one of the most architecturally striking Gothic structures in the Midwest — a fact that Shawshank Redemption fans and haunt enthusiasts alike have known for decades. The Reformatory served as a working prison from 1896 to 1990 and has been a popular filming location and tourist attraction since its closure.

The Blood Prison haunt event that operates there each October consistently ranks among Ohio’s top haunted attractions. Holding an industry convention inside the building means attendees are literally working within one of the most effective haunt venues in the country — an environment that makes every conversation about set design and atmosphere immediately contextual. For those interested in haunted houses in Ohio, the Reformatory itself is an experience worth planning a trip around.

Who Should Make the Trip

The OHA Convention draws a specific and valuable crowd. If you fall into any of these categories, it’s worth the drive to Mansfield:

• Regional haunt operators sourcing props, effects, and vendor relationships for the 2026 season
• Scare actors and makeup artists looking for training, audition opportunities, and community connections
• Home haunters serious enough about their craft to treat it like a profession
• Prop and costume vendors seeking direct access to a qualified regional buyer base
• Haunt enthusiasts who want a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the industry works

The intimate size of the event compared to national shows means the networking is unusually productive. You’re not chasing vendors across a massive convention floor — the OHA Convention puts everyone in the same building, often the same room.

The Ohio Haunters Convention is one of the best opportunities to connect directly with the people who build, operate, and supply the haunted attractions you love. For full details and registration, visit ohiohaunters.com. And while you’re planning your haunt calendar, explore Ohio’s top haunted houses for inspiration — including Blood Prison itself, which operates each October at the Reformatory.