MomoCon was born from the hard work and dedication of a small group of committed people. Split between animation, gaming, comics and costuming, we strive to bring the very best aspects of these fandoms to our fellow fans. From parents bringing their curious “young’uns” to the most dedicated old-schoolers, everyone is welcome. Based out of Atlanta, extending Southern Hospitality is important to those at MomoCon. It is important for everyone to enjoy what MomoCon does best: having fun!
About
The Idea
Anime O-Tekku, Georgia Tech’s anime club, toyed with the idea of a campus-based convention for years. In 2004, this idea was brought to fruition. A club officer and an alumnus from O-Tekku, along with a tiny dedicated crew of dedicated staff, put on Techwood Con. This small anime and gaming convention welcomed approximately 175 people. In subsequent years, Techwood Con decided to market exclusively to the board/card/RPG gaming community as well as change venues and alter the event in other ways. Anime O-Tekku made the tough decision to withdraw formal support and reformat its own ideas for a convention.
Getting Started
MomoCon began through Anime O-Tekku. Even now, its members and Georgia Tech alumni still comprise a good portion of the volunteer staff. These volunteers worked tireless to bring the first MomoCon to the public in 2005; they were greeted by 700+ eager attendees. In the years that followed, the volunteer staff brought forth new ideas and introduced new guests to the convention scene. Each year they strived to make each event better than the last.
Explosive Growth
MomoCon was fortunate enough to find great reception in the southeast fan communities growing over 50% for several years. Reaching over 10,000 attendees in 2011, MomoCon was listed as the 10th largest anime convention in North America by AnimeCons.com. Due to rising venue costs and the growth outpacing the limited income received, leadership was forced to no longer offer MomoCon as a free event.
Recreating MomoCon as a paid convention in 2012 provided the opportunity to do things never capable of before: adding a third (and fourth!) day of convention, bringing in stellar celebrities from several fandoms, expanding events to include more aspects (such as a rave and martial arts programming), and moving to downtown Atlanta in gorgeous hotels and ultimately in a large enough venue to contain the entire event – the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is one of the largest convention centers in the United States. Previous MomoCons were spread across several buildings on Georgia Tech’s campus.
MomoCon was happy to welcome over 48,000 attendees for the 2023 event! We are expecting even more for 2024!
Our Family
Usually attendees at MomoCon interacting with but a small segment of the people who gather every year to bring MomoCon to life. This group, plus 1200+ other “siblings”, take pride in bringing you a weekend of fun and excitement each year.
Like many families, ours doesn’t get together as often as we’d like. Some of us have moved away, gotten married/started families, or have followed other pursuits in other directions…, but MomoCon remains our family reunion. We don’t always get along, and sometimes we fight. The kids pull each other’s hair, and the adults get passive-aggressive. We don’t always make it to every meeting or even every convention year.
In an effort to bring our family together more often and to bring events even more events to our community (“the cousins”), we began to branch out from the main convention. Believe it or not, MomoCon has been hosting photoshoots and other community events since 2005! This year we are taking on many more events than usual and touring conventions all over the Southeast. All to promote the convention we love as well as to raise additional operating money as well as for our charity. Thus, MomoCon On Tour was born.
Now, MomoCon, is coming back, May 24-27, 2024. Until then, join Our Family for dances, game days, photoshoots, art contests, screenings and much more throughout the year.