MomoCon

MomoCon
Status	Active
Venue	Georgia Tech (2005-2011) Marriott Marquis (2012)
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
Country	United States
First held	2005
Organizer	Anime O-Tekku
Attendance	10,000+ in 2011
Official website	momocon.com

MomoCon, is a fan convention in held in March in Atlanta, Georgia. From its beginning through 2011, it was held on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology; in its first year, MomoCon was held in the Georgia Tech Student Center. In 2006 it expanded to include several events, mostly video game tournaments, in the nearby Instructional Center. In 2011, it was held in Technology Square, and in 2012 it will be held in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

The convention is run by the Georgia Tech club Anime O-Tekku since its inception in 2005. The convention encompasses anime, video games, LARP, webcomics, comics, costuming, card games, board games, science fiction, and prop armor construction, among other things. From 2005 to 2011 there was no entry fee to MomoCon; the convention sold t-shirts and highlight DVDs to fund the next year. 2012 will be the first year that an admission fee is required. Due to rising costs, MomoCon 2012 will have an admission fee.

History

Early history

Every year, MomoCon has a theme that goes into the design of the convention that year. The first year, it was "Southern Hospitality" and T-Shirts were black and featured the MomoCon mascot, as created and drawn by H. M. Ogburn. In 2005, MomoCon was run by an estimated 35 staffers, and opening ceremonies included a mock Patton speech by convention chair Jessica Merriman. The convention had over 30 guests and many special demo teams, as well as several special events and feature movies. An article on the anime club and the convention was featured in the February 2005 issue of Newtype USA, and professionally-made commercials were seen around Georgia Tech campus before on-campus movies in the Student Center.

In 2006, T-shirts for 2006 were black and featured the same MomoCon mascot in a purple kimono in the moonlight,^[1] to coincide with the Tsukimi ("moon-viewing") theme. MomoCon 2006 had a convention motto of "Because You Shouldn't Have to Pay for Quality" and featured an opening ceremonies video that was a parody of Iron Chef, with "Chairman Panda" and the "Iron Staff". Key events for 2006 included a Tsukimi festival with kimono-clad wait staff, a Gaming Decathlon, a Pocky Stop cafe, and a rain-cancelled Sidewalk Art competition. Guests included numerous webcomic and comic artists, voice actress Amy Howard-Wilson of Starblazers fame and prop maker Robert "Vaderpainter" Bean.

In 2007, T-shirts for 2007 were hunter green and featured the MomoCon mascot; the staff theme was "The Family." The video game tournaments were reworked to feature a few large tournaments, as opposed to many smaller tournaments, and a larger costume contest was held at Georgia Tech's Kessler Campanile.^[2] The new costume contest location provided seating for a greater number of attendees, and was held earlier in the evening. Local area groups stepped forward to run workshops and seminars on their respective expertise, including a plethora of costuming panels and workshops, Japanese ceremonial demonstrations and game demos. On Sunday (March 18, 2007), the convention was closed nine hours early because several con attendees attempted to set off firecrackers inside the Georgia Tech Student Center.^[3]

Because the number 4 is considered unlucky in Japanese culture, MomoCon 2008 (the 4th event) featured a gothic horror-style theme. In addition to several events from past years, 2008's event included a Twilight Tea event, at the end of the day on Sunday, in lieu of a closing ceremony. Con-goers were asked to stop by for some fresh-brewed tea under the light of red paper lanterns at dusk and let the staff know what they would like to see at the event in the future. Due to the security problem in 2007, subsequent MomoCon events (starting with 2008) have required registration to enter. Attendees were required to present a valid photo ID to enter, and children under the age of 16 needed to be accompanied by an adult. Badges were provided, and the event remained free for congoers.

The theme for MomoCon 2009 was retro-campy science fiction. Additional Japanese cultural events were held, including community support from local groups who specialize in these events.^[4] The second floor of the Instructional Center building, previously used only for tournaments, was used for additional panel, workshop and anime viewing space. Special events included screenings of public domain science fiction movies from the 1950s and 1960s and a Mechas and Monsters late-night programming block, featuring Kaiju and mecha movies. The first band performance at MomoCon happened in 2009: The Extraordinary Contraptions, a Steampunk-themed rock band.

Recent conventions

The theme for MomoCon 2010 was music. MomoCon had 7800 attendees in 2010; due to crowding issues, the convention implemented a 7000 attendee-per-day cap on attendance.

The theme for MomoCon 2011 was espionage and super spies. MomoCon had over 10,000 attendees to the 2011, spread across three buildings and two blocks of Technology Square in Midtown, Atlanta.^[5][6]

MomoCon 2012's theme is set to be dinosaurs. Due to excessive crowding and limited funds, the convention moved to a pay model for the 2012 event.^[7] It will be held March 16-18th, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta.

Event History

Dates	Location	Atten.
March 26-27, 2005[8]	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons Atlanta, Georgia	700[9][8]
March 18-19, 2006	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons Atlanta, Georgia	1,800[9][1]
March 17-18, 2007	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons, Student Services Building, Kessler Campanile and Instructional Center Atlanta, Georgia	2,600[9][3]
March 15-16, 2008	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons, Student Services Building, Kessler Campanile, and Instructional Center Atlanta, Georgia	4,840[10]
March 14-15, 2009	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons, Student Services Building, Kessler Campanile, and Instructional Center Atlanta, Georgia	7,200
March 20-21, 2010	Georgia Institute of Technology - Student Center & Commons, Student Services Building, Kessler Campanile, and Instructional Center Atlanta, Georgia	7,800
March 12-13, 2011	Georgia Institute of Technology - Technology Square (College of Management) Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments Atlanta, Georgia	10,300
March 16-18, 2012	Marriott Marquis - Atlanta, GA Atlanta, Georgia	TBA

Peripheral events/MomoCon on Tour

Cosplayers at MomoCon's Cosplayers on Ice 2008

MomoCon also sponsors local events that bolster awareness of the convention and of Japanese culture. Anime O-Tekku began this tradition by bringing many movies and gatherings to Georgia Tech's campus and Atlanta, and MomoCon continues it.

• Georgia Tech Riki-Oh Night 2005 - MomoCon helped staff and financially sponsor the annual Georgia Tech cult film festival and Super Smash Brothers Melee tournament, Riki-Oh Night. The convention paid in part for the banner and prizes for the tournament.
• Photoshoots on Tour 2006-2011 - MomoCon on Tour has hosted photoshoots around the southeast since 2006, including two Savannah shoots (one on Tybee Island), three South Carolina shoots, a zombie-themed Halloween shoot in Perry, GA, joint photoshoots with Middle Tennessee Anime Convention and Anime Weekend Atlanta in Chattanooga, TN and Rhodes Hall in Atlanta, respectively.
• Gaming Festivals 2009-2010 MomoCon hosted a Summer and Winter Gaming Festival at the Georgia Tech Student Center. Events included board, card, and RPG gaming, as well as retro video gaming.
• Cosplayers on Ice 2007-2011 - Annually in December, MomoCon on Tour welcomes attendees to the Cosplayers on Ice event. Over 180 cosplayers attended in 2010 at Centennial Olympic Park's seasonal Ice Skating rink. The 2011 event will be held December 3rd, 2011.
• Steampunk Photoshoot 2008 - On May 24, 2008, MomoCon in association with Peach State Cosplay Society hosted a Steampunk photoshoot on Georgia Tech campus. The shoot took advantage of some of the unique campus architecture and was open to all types of costumers.
• MomoCon Winter Ball 2008-2012 - MomoCon hosts a winter semi-formal ball event annually. It features wintery decorations, DJs playing danceable anime/video game tunes as well as classic pop, rock, big band, lounge, and jazz music.
• MomoCon Summer Charity Ball 2008-2010 - MomoCon hosts a summer semi-formal ball with all proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen organization for breast cancer awareness.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Garcia, Nathan (2006-03-31). "Second Momocon proves successful". Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070427160819/http://www.nique.net/issues/2006-03-31/entertainment/1. Retrieved 2007-03-01. 
2. ^ "Anime-O-Tekku Announces the Return of MomoCon". Anime News Network. 2007-01-11. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-01-11/anime-o-tekku-announces-the-return-of-momocon. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Guyton, Andrew (2007-03-30). "Third annual MomoCon draws 2,600 gaming fans". The Technique. Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20070715100947/http://www.nique.net/issues/2007-03-30/entertainment/5. Retrieved 2007-04-03. 
4. ^ "MomoCon 2009". Anime News Network. 2008-10-30. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-10-30/momocon-2009. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
5. ^ Nelson, Andrew (2011-04-01). "Cosplayers take over MomoCon". The Technique. http://nique.net/entertainment/2011/04/01/cosplayers-take-over-momocon/. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
6. ^ "MomoCon Announces New Location, Registration, Guests". Anime News Network. 2010-12-01. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2010-12-01/momocon-location-registration-guests. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
7. ^ Kopf, Ryan (2011-10-05). "MomoCon Not Free Anymore". Upcoming Cons. http://www.upcomingcons.com/news_items/1141-MomoCon-Not-Free-Anymore. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Cuneo, Joshua (2005-04-01). "Tech hosts anime, gaming convention". Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070528205554/http://www.nique.net/issues/2005-04-01/entertainment/1. Retrieved 2007-03-01. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} A hard number is not available because of the lack of convention registration. In particular, it is difficult to determine unique visitors over both days of the convention. In 2006, the location of several tournaments outside the Student Center complicated the count.
10. ^ "Information on MomoCon 2008". AnimeCons. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/1433. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 

External links

• MomoCon webpage
• MomoCon LiveJournal Community
• MomoCon Official MySpace page
• Anime O-Tekku
• MomoCon on Tour webpage