MomoCon 2024

MomoCon 2024 was an unforgettable experience that was second to none that we’ve experienced so far. This event had it all, from electrifying live performances and late-night activities to a sprawling exhibitor hall and one-of-a-kind panels. Whether you're into cosplay, gaming, or just looking for an immersive con experience, MomoCon 2024 exceeded our expectations at every turn.

General Overview

MomoCon was held at The Georgia World Congress Center and the Omni Hotel Atlanta two wonderful venues to host a convention. These are huge spaces that allowed for MomoCon to be well-spaced and accommodate a ton of different activities. The venue was fairly accessible with options such as automatic doors and elevators that could fit about 4 people. There were chairs and rows dedicated to disabled individuals and the staff was willing to provide additional accommodations upon request.

The diversity at this convention was so wonderful to see. There was representation from many communities in panels, main events, on the con floor, in the guest, and everywhere in between. Access to panels about inclusivity and diversity were easily accessible and well incorporated into the schedule and I felt like so many people were represented and showcased in every area.

If it wasn’t mentioned before, let it be said here that the venues for MomoCon 2024 were humongous and quite

the space to cross. Navigation between levels, the vendor hall, and activities located in the Omni hotel were rather confusing to decipher by just looking at the map. As mentioned before, the staff was extremely kind and helped a ton with getting around and locating things, but it was rather easy to get turned around or stuck in an area with a plethora of attendees. Also, there was a lack of visible signage around the venue which made it difficult to decide at a glance where to go. The convention map was pretty transparent if you could read it properly, but honestly, the best way to figure out where to go is to spend the first hour or so of your time when you get in or even during pre-registration walking the convention space to orient yourself.

Lastly, regarding navigation, there were large spaces of the convention that got blocked off due to another event happening in the venue making it especially difficult to make it to the exhibitor hall. While the venue never really felt crowded or too compact the sheer number of people being milled around from spaces being blocked off or being rerouted was a bit frustrating especially if you trying to get somewhere promptly. In the future, we’d love to see large signs and even printed-out maps displayed as another way to help attendees navigate the con.

MomoCon had so many activities it was hard to keep up with! They had the traditional fan fair of events
such as panels, meeting guests, the vendor hall, and the artist alley, but there was so much more to enjoy beyond that. The team had a blast at the MomoCon x Punk Black event which featured live performances from some amazing rock talents and AMV (anime music video) visuals playing in the background. The crowd was electric and the performances felt one of a kind. In the same vain of performances, BabyBeard, a three-member Japanese idol group that was formed by Ladybeard, also known as Richard Magarey an Australian stunt actor and a professional wrestler, was a showstopping, must-see, musicale spectacle that combined Japanese idol music with the highflying fun of a wrestling match. Wrestling in general had a huge presence at Momocon with a ring set up right in the vendor hall. There you could experience extremely talented indie wrestlers put on captivating performances for the crowd or anyone around.

There was a great balance of panels available from teaching you new skills or crafts or educating you and giving you 101s for subjects you may be interested in. We had the pleasure of capturing Colorful Pixels: BIPOC in Games and Anime hosted by Nerdy Bear Studios, and Being POC in Creative Spaces hosted by Voice actors AJ Beckles and Anairis Quinones, which covered the journey and challenges of  BIPOC creatives in the entertainment nerd industry. Their panels provided a wealth of knowledge and covered various topics integral to creating equity and inclusivity for individuals working in entertainment. Additionally, we enjoyed panels such as Karaoke, AMV Jukebox, East Blue Kahoot, and Jellyfish Jammin’: Spongebob Trivia.

Panels and concerts weren't the only things you could get into, there were a ton of social deduction games
(games in which players attempt to uncover each other's hidden role or team allegiance) such as Werewolf, there was a huge and expansive arcade hall open 24hrs during the event, foam sword fighting, game tournaments, TTRPG game sessions and so much more. The team spent quite a bit of time going the the various meet-ups and fan photoshoots which was a special treat seeing so many people from your favorite fandom dressed to the 10s!

When it came to night-time activities, there were a handful of options that shifted from night to night. If you stayed on the Georgia World Center Campus, you could mix and mingle with folks in the Omni courtyard, hit up the arcade and grab some late-night boba from the food court, attend some late-night panels, or just vibe in the empty liminal space grabbing some cool photos in the photo spaces when no one’s around. If you venture off campus, you could enjoy the downtown ATL nightlife or attend one of the afterparties hosted. Friday night, LAN Party hosted an afterparty and Saturday Night Trap Sushi hosted at a different location. These events were hosted separately but in conjunction with the convention so they had an additional price to attend.

Regarding the afterparties, different team members attended different events with half the team attending LAN Party on Friday and the other half attending Trap Sushi on Saturday. Friday with LAN Party was a decent club experience that featured several popular performers and social media personalities such as Keats and the Mako Girls. The venue was pretty standard and offered drinks at the bar and a spacious dance floor. I think LAN Party put on a pretty decent show but it would've been cool to see more dancing or activities like a costume contest or a dance competition, but that of course is extra and doesn’t take away from the event itself. As for Trap Sushi, the event was rather hectic and strained and left a lot to be desired. There were far too many people with not enough accommodations to suit the number of folks in attendance and unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong, did. This critique shouldn’t be used as the end all be all regarding Trap Sushi, they do seem to host other events that fair far better. However, regarding their MomoCon afterparty, I hope if they host it again next year they provide a better experience.

When it comes to food, there were several places to grab something to eat. The team stayed at a nearby hotel

that was pretty close to a few restaurants as well as within walking distance to the venue so we tried a few

different options when looking to eat. At the convention, in the Omni hotel, there was a spot on the 2nd floor

that had pizza, wings, fries, and tenders for under $10. The little cafe behind it had salads and other food

options, but those weren’t very bang for your buck, but offered free water and ice if you just wanted to fill up

your water bottle. 

In the convention center, you could go to the vendor hall which had food carts, which carried typical convention

at the typical inflated convention food price. The options weren't too horrendous though, and depending on the

cart you went to, you could come out spending 15 bucks and get something pretty filling. There was also a food

court in the lobby with a bar if you were looking for something a bit different to much on. The food there was

closer to a full-service dining experience.

If you ventured off-venue, your options are as wide as you’re willing to travel. If you headed to downtown ATL, which was about a 5-minute walk from the venue, you could enjoy a handful of restaurants at reasonable price points. However, if you wanted to eat a meal and you don’t want to travel, it probably would be best to order a meal and have it delivered to wherever you were staying. Additionally, MomoCon provided a food guide in its area guide on its website which could help in deciding what’s for dinner. 

Scheduling was done fairly well by the convention. There were quite a few panels that we wanted to attend at the same time that happened to be in similar genres so I would have preferred to see some separation in time frame there, but it’s also a large undertaking managing and scheduling guests' schedules, the panels themselves, and anything else happening during the event, so there is some grace to be had. What can be said, is that you can tell that the scheduling team tried to provide an experience for so many different kinds of guests, having a wide variety of topics and activities available during reasonable time for attendees to enjoy.

MomoCon had affordable pricing for what was included in the base ticket. For a weekend 4-day pass you’d

be spending $80, although after tax it would come out to about $90. Single-day tickets fluctuated with Thursday

coming in at $50 before tax and peaking at $65 before tax on Saturday. However, this information is based on

tier 2 ticket prices, as the prices increased the closer you got to the convention, so if you are planning your

2025 trip to MomoCon, the sooner you can grab your tickets the better, as the final tier for tickets right before

the convention was around $120 after taxes.

As far as staff and safety were concerned, as mentioned in the section regarding staff, MomoCon came prepared

to ensure that its guests were as safe as possible. There was a medical staff room as well as med staff walking

around. Convention and venue staff were available pretty much anywhere you could see and during the

duration of the team stay we only observed one or two incidents that were handled promptly and fairly well

considering the circumstances.

Everyone was extremely polite and helpful when chatting and working with convention staff. The Media staff

were especially kind and took good care of the entire BN’K team. Staff was stationed conveniently throughout

the convention and different kinds of staff were available such as general staff, security staff, and even medical staff.

The staff was well organized and worked together to mitigate issues such as crowd control and confusion

about the convention map, although navigation was a challenge with such a large venue. The staff was communicative

and transparent when necessary and was willing to go above and beyond to assist you when you needed it.

When it comes to getting involved with Momocon, the con makes it very easy. The application process for press and media and content creation was simple and straight forward and we received updates from the staff handling our application promptly. The communication from the staff was always kind and informative and overall they were very transparent and open with us about their expectations as well as what we could do based on what we applied to do. Specific to our press and media experience, MomoCon easily is a cut of the rest. We had access to a media room with accommodations which made the process of gathering footage and organizing ourselves so much easier without having to constantly go back to our hotel to sort through things. Also, the media room staff were so kind, it made for a very positive and even collaborative environment which was pleasant given the chaos that is covering an event as large as MomoCon.

If you were looking for a place to stay during the event, you have your pick of hotels and Airbnb, but it’s all contingent on your particular needs and budget. If you stayed in any hotel in Downtown ATL, you’re most likely crashing at a Hilton or a Marriot. You could also stay at the host hotel which is the Omni. The wonderful thing about MomoCon is that they list all of the hotels in the immediate area with their prices on their websites. Moreover, if you stayed at a hotel in Downtown ATL there was a shuttle that could take you back and forth, but the key is catching the shuttle as the times it ran from the hotels were pretty inconsistent. We were told every 15 minutes, but we waited almost 30 minutes at one point and opted to just hoof it to the venue. We opted to use the shuttle as a way to get back to the hotel versus as an option to get to the venue.

In regards to booking a hotel stay, the most cost-effective option would probably be Aloft Downtown Atlanta, Holiday Inn, or Hilton Atlanta, however, definitely shop around and see what deals work best for you. Also, if you did want to stay at the Omni Hotel, the nightly price isn't too egregious so don’t rule them out if you’re on a budget.

Parking is going to be your biggest obstacle during MomoCon and it’s dependent on where you stay. We would not recommend you drive in Downtown ATL, so if you’re traveling from out of town, use ride-share or public transit. If you must use your vehicle to get around, be sure to check your hotel parking prices. Parking at the Omni wouldn’t be a terrible option if you're in a pinch, but it is valet-only parking and it’s pricey as opposed to some of the local hotel parking prices which are between $35 and $55.

The best advice we can provide is to try not to bring your car and use rideshare if you can, and if you are bringing your car, keep it parked for the weekend and use rideshare or public transit.

Final Overview

MomoCon had so many amazing moments during our time there that it’s hard to say what we enjoyed

most but here are some of the team highlights:

Some of our favorite events included Late Night Karaoke where everyone was getting involved and showcasing their talents. The panels Gundam for Everyone, LARP 101, and Classic Black Anime Characters were well run and you could tell the hosts were passionate about the subject at hand. The MomoCon Scavenger Hunt was fun even though no one on the team finished it. We vibed out at the Sunday Night Rave where we were getting down on the dance floor. The DJs turned up, for sure. Meeting our favorite cosplayers at cosplayer Booths was so nice and the comic book path next to the artist alley was so nice to see as a few of us on the team are big comic book heads. We can’t forget about fan photoshoots, where so many folks got together dressed up as their favorite characters and took lots of photos.

The con had a top-tier atmosphere. The vibes were immaculate and nearly every interaction we had was positive and memorable. The diversity at this event was glorious to see and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. All in all, it was a fantastic time.

We also wanted to highlight the MomoCon mobile app which was a big help in organizing our experience.

The mobile app was well optimized with push notifications, informing attendees of cancelations, and

documenting everything available for you to do during the event. The app also contained a wealth of

knowledge about things happening around the venue, policies, and any other information you needed

to access. It’s one of the most useful convention apps we’ve used.

While we had an absolute blast at MomoCon 2024, we wanted to take some time to go over all of the areas of opportunity that we identified that MomoCon could improve upon for their 2025 showcase. As mentioned previously, we’d love to see more signage around the convention hall to help with navigation including large standing maps so that you when attendees can have a point of reference to refer to in more than one place. We also would've liked to see a quiet room or quiet area for guests who get overstimulated.

Additionally, while there was quite a bit of seating available, if possible, it would've been nice to see additional seating near high-traffic areas where there wasn’t enough space to sit along the wall. We saw on a few occasions people get tripped up or trampled over in the smaller walkways.

MomoCon 2024 was a showcase unlike any other. You can tell the staff is dedicated to creating a safe and comfortable

atmosphere for its attendees as well as attempting to cover a wide range of activities and events for attendees to engage in.

It has certainly set the standard for a lot of other events regarding what we look for in events. The event also has the

advantage of being located in a pretty popular city and running during a holiday where the whole time is popping off

with activity which adds to the overall positive energy of the event.

Needless to say, this was a phenomenal convention experience for the team and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Which begs the question: should you attend? Overwhelming yes. We rate this event 9/10 which is probably the highest we’ve rated a convention to date, but MomoCon certainly deserves its rating.