MomoCon 2013 – Con Report
This past month, Nerd Caliber attended MomoCon located in Atlanta, Georgia. “Momo” means peach in Japanese, so it’s a fitting name for a con in the peach state!
This convention has an extremely dedicated staff that helped build it up from humble beginnings. MomoCon began in 2005 as a free convention in the Georgia Tech student center, produced by the institute’s anime club. In 2013, the convention expanded to Atlanta’s downtown Hilton and amassed over 12,200 attendees. This year, Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall delivered an official proclamation celebrating the convention’s impact on the city of Atlanta.
MomoCon also hosts events year-round through “MomoCon On Tour,” allowing fans to participate in fun activities such as Cosplayers on Ice, photoshoots, formal balls, and gaming festivals.
The event also attracts big-name guests and vendors, such as Steve Blum, Amber Nash, Jennifer Hale, Yaya Han, Sifu Kisu and Catherine Jones. Nerd Caliber had a great time at MomoCon this year and is looking forward to their next production! The convention space was a little more crowded this year, compared to 2012’s venue, but that could be due to their attendance increase of approximately 3,560!
The convention hosted several fun and inclusive events such as Disney Karaoke, an AMV contest, and panels from popular cosplayers such as Riddle, Katie George, Monika Lee and Lindze Merritt.
We got the chance to speak with Lindze regarding her experience at MomoCon this year:
“I really enjoyed doing my 3 panels on cosplay. We spoke about tricks of the trade and also how to level up your cosplay. Everyone who attended the panel was friendly and asked great questions.”
“My only complaint would be I wish they’d move it back to the Marriott. The Hilton has no large areas to congregate indoors and it led to a lot of congestion. But otherwise, I can’t wait till next year!”
BentPic5 took a lot of great shots of cosplayers throughout the convention, which can be viewed on Nerd Caliber here. Here’s a sample:
Chinese Martial Arts master Sifu Kisu was a featured guest at MomoCon 2013. Sifu Kisu was a consultant for animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra, among other famous projects. At the convention, he hosted a martial arts workshop, teaching convention attendees how to “bend!”
We also got a chance to speak with cosplay guest and 2nd prize Disney Karaoke winner Katie George, who was recently featured on Nerd Caliber.
“Being a part of the 1st Annual Disney Karaoke Contest this year was SUCH a blast! For a contest that didn’t pre-screen its entrants, I was blown away by how talented so many of the singers were! Although, in general, you really can’t go wrong with a room full of hardcore Disney fans.”
That last line seems to sum up MomoCon’s atmosphere as a whole, just replace Disney with any fandom! The staff and attendees are very inclusive and it seems like everyone knows they’re there to have fun. If you’re in the area, NerdCaliber highly recommends paying MomoCon a visit next year. They have a different convention “theme” each year, so look forward to an anime Carnival in Atlanta next year!
