Momocon 2010 Review
What comes to mind when you see the following: pink, blue, neon green and purple? If you attended Momocon, “the largest free admission fan convention in North America”, then those colours are just a handful of the many that make up the world of Anime.
Momocon 2010 was held this past weekend at Georgia Tech in Atlanta GA. As a first time attendee, all I knew about the convention was that it was free, it was local to me, and it was an Anime convention. So, two out of three were correct. While the convention was heavily Anime, there were other genres and interests represented. Steampunk, for one, had quite a presence. All Momocon activities were held in and around two buildings, the Instructional Center and the Student Center. These buildings were joined by series of sidewalks. Artists and authors had tables setup along the main sidewalk.
Registration for the convention was held in both buildings. On Saturday, the line was already queuing in the Instructional Center when I arrived at about 830am, even though the convention did not open its doors till 10am. Because I had a fan table, I bypassed registration completely. But, I still got to experience it since my table was placed adjacent to the registration line in the Instructional Center. And, as they say, location, location, location. The line was fast and furious till about 130pm on Saturday and the costumes were colourful and creative. About 2pm, I abandoned my table to see what else was happening in and around the con.
Saturday was the perfect day for outside activities. The attendees were taking advantage of that too by shopping, hanging out, and picture taking. The Student Center appeared to be the hub as the Dealer’s rooms, musical events; Anime music videos and food were all located there. There was a line to get into the Dealer’s room which I am sure was due to the Fire Marshall. The wait was about 15 minutes. The Dealer’s rooms were set up a bit differently than I had experienced. There was a main room and then about 6 smaller rooms with more dealers. These smaller rooms were cramped and had little ventilation. They were hot; and, I am afraid smelly. The main room, though, was comfortable and easy to wander through. The items for sale tended to lean heavily on the Anime.
Shopping does work up an appetite, and it was now time for food. The University’s food court was open in the Student Center and there was a wide variety to choose from. Once full, I headed off for some musical entertainment in the theatre. After the show, it was about time for the costume contest to begin. The contest was being held outside in the amphitheatre. This was going to be a great photo op. And, it was. However, after waiting an hour for the contest to start, I left. I did get loads of photos while I waited. The costumes ranged from many, many Anime all the way to, of course, Star Wars. One thing about Anime costuming, is the props. They are elaborate and huge. Another, are the colours. I do believe they are one if not the most colourful genre in costuming.
The last thing on Saturday’s agenda after checking on my table was the movie. Unfortunately, this was another case like the costume contest. I waited 30 minutes for the movie only to be told it was cancelled. More communication would have been good. So I left. I wandered around some more. Chatted with some friends and took more photos. I then headed home.
Sunday was the complete opposite of Saturday. It was cold, rainy and dreary. I made it to the con and setup my table. The convention started again at 10am and slowly the fans appeared. The registration line was pretty much non-existent. But, even with the weather, the panels had good attendance and the party atmosphere was still in the air. About 5pm, I said goodbye to Momocon until next year. And, yes, I will comeback to Momocon for several reasons, even though there were some negatives to this con. The main reason is the people. It all started with the Momocon crew and went on to the fans. And while communication and timeliness could be improved on, no convention is perfect. I had fun! Enough said.
Traci Tant is the co-founder of GirlsOfTheCon.com, a website dedicated to convention girls and bringing the creativity and Inspirational fashion and design of the sci fi, fantasy, gothic, steampunk, horror, and alternative cultures and genres to the eyes of the often over critical mainstream. Contact Traci at GirlsOfTheCon.com