| 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 | www.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.
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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.
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.
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wendee Lee, Ellen McLain, Martin Billany (Little Kuriboh), Gina Biggs, Sketch MacQuinor, Jennie Breeden, Kittyhawk, Catherine Jones, Harrison Krix, Penny Dreadful Productions, Bill Winans, Gamesare, Atlanta Imaginarium, DJ Yigytugd, Laugh Out Loud, Go, Robo!, Go!, The Gekkos |
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.
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