By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Last weekend, I attended MomoCon at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for the second year in a row. Once again, the convention drew thousands of attendees for a celebration of anime, gaming, and pop culture.

MomoCon felt every bit as expansive as it did last year, and I discovered even more activities spread throughout Building A and the attached OMNI Hotel. The layout was thoughtfully designed, with wide walkways and plenty of seating and rest areas. Foot traffic moved smoothly, making the overall experience comfortable despite the convention’s size. I would definitely still classify MomoCon as a large-scale convention. That said, several people I spent time with over the weekend felt attendance seemed lower than in previous years. I do not know this convention community well enough to judge that yet, but I suspect the wider distribution of panels and events may have made the convention feel less crowded than it actually was.

As usual, I spent a good amount of time in the vendor hall and found some great additions to my collection. Fortunately, I managed to stay within my budget as I prepare for Anime Expo in early July.

One of the biggest highlights for me of the weekend was MomoCon’s second Academic Symposium, which was held on Friday and Saturday. The symposium was organized by Dr. Susan Noh, now a faculty member at the University of Georgia, Michael Gray, a doctoral candidate, and myself, a soon-to-be assistant professor of English at my current institution.

The symposium occupied most of my Friday and Saturday, although I also presented through MomoCon’s regular programming and spent some time enjoying the convention itself.

This year was especially meaningful because I worked as a coordinator with Michael under Susan to help bring the symposium to life. Before the convention, I assisted with proposal reviews, scheduling, and other planning tasks. It was a great experience and one I enjoyed thoroughly.

I have previous academic conferencing organization experience from my college years, when I served as student director of a regional convention on my campus for the International English Honor Society. I also contributed to similar organizational work last year for JAMS@AX2025 alongside Billy Tringali (Editor of the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies), and the rest of the team. Supporting anime and manga scholarship is something I genuinely enjoy, and it is rewarding to help foster a community of fans and scholars who share those interests.

The symposium itself was a tremendous success. We received significantly more submissions and attracted a larger audience than we did during the inaugural year, and I am optimistic that it will continue to grow. In fact, that growth will soon become part of my responsibility, as Michael and I will be assuming the director role that Susan has held for the past two years.

We concluded the symposium with a returning presentation, “Entering Anime and Manga Studies,” which Michael, and I once again presented as a lightning talk (Susan also joined in during the Q&A). This year’s discussion benefited from several excellent audience questions, particularly regarding graduate study and pathways within the field.

Overall, the symposium was one of the highlights of my weekend. It was thoughtfully curated, welcoming, and inclusive, bringing together graduate students, undergraduates, instructors, and independent scholars in a supportive environment. It is exactly the kind of space we hope to continue building in the year(s) ahead!

Final Judgments

Venue: 4.5/5 – The venue was well-suited to the convention’s size and scale. There was ample seating, a wide variety of food options, and strong cellular service throughout most of the facility. While my T-Mobile service worked well, several people I spoke with on other carriers experienced connectivity issues. Elevator wait times occasionally created accessibility challenges, particularly for attendees using wheelchairs, and I would still like to see additional water stations. Overall, however, the space was well chosen and effectively organized!

Staff: 5/5 – Polite, professional, and incredibly helpful. The volunteers and technical support staff were especially impressive when our group misplaced an expensive device and were able to help us recover it quickly. Thank you to everyone involved! The Momo Con teams rock!

Organization, Layout & Management: 5/5 – Events were well distributed throughout the venue, and crowd flow remained manageable even during busy periods.

Organization, Media Use: 4.3/5 – The convention strongly encouraged attendees to use the official app, but I found it less helpful than expected due to the number of overlapping schedules and some confusion regarding the map interface. Even so, it was an improvement over last year, which earns it a slight bump in my rating. I am hopeful for continued improvement! (Particularly on the website too!)

Attendance: 5/5 – Excellent turnout and strong community engagement throughout the weekend.

Affordability: 4/5 – Food and beverages were expensive, though that is fairly typical for conventions. Badge prices felt reasonable given the size and scope of the event. I would like to see a slight decrease in the price of water bottles convention-wide considering the lack of water stations.

Overall: 4.5/5 – MomoCon remains an excellent convention experience and a strong choice for first-time attendees interested in large-scale events. For those in the region, it is one of the standout conventions of the year!

^ Oh! Also, I saw many amazing cosplays, but this group was one of my favorites! Check out their awesome Strawberry Shortcake group cosplay!

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