This was my second Momocon and boy was it a doozy! With each new convention I feel just a bit more prepared for the experience and I learn more about what I enjoy as an attendee.
Pro: Location
I absolutely loved the new venue, Building B of the GWCC was so large and and I loved the vertical space that the hall offered. Without the escalators I'm positive it would have been a struggle, but with the escalators it was a breeze to get around.
Accessing Building B is also very easy to access from both the convention's hotels that they work with and the Red Deck which is, to my understanding, the largest parking deck that the location offers.
Con: The heat
I have a few friends who are summer people, some who don't care, but I've recently learned that I don't like the heat. Or rather, I've known for years that I don't like the heat, but rather how much more I prefer the cool weather and how terrible being in cosplay is when it is 85+ degrees Fahrenheit and with no wind. (As a side, if it's windy I prefer it hot, if it's still I prefer it cold, but overall I prefer cold)
I wore my Spider Gwen cosplay on Friday AM for about 2-3 hours and I was sweating through it and was miserable. I didn't even last until 11am when I changed and just hung out in my room after a quick shower. And on Saturday I was only in my Mirko cosplay for about 45 minutes before I changed. More on why I changed later but know that the heat made it miserable and not something I was enjoying.
When I was photographing and in regular garb I was fine and could survive, but the cosplay specifically made it absolutely miserable. So for anyone who isn't a fan of the heat but wants to cosplay at Momocon in future years then be sure to book shoots early and plan to be inside for as much time as you can be.
Also bring water because you will sweat so much. I, unfortunately, can promise that.
Pro: The venue medical staff
The GWCC had the best medical staff I've ever experienced at any convention ever before. I had to use their services twice, once on Friday when I walked into a dirty bush branch when I was looking through my camera's viewfinder instead of where I was walking and got stabbed by said dirty branch and had to get it cleaned out, and second on Saturday when I had a blister on my right foot that was causing pain in every step. They were quick, efficient, and invested in the attendee's well-being.
When I was in on Friday an attendee was there getting their swollen knee taken care of and in taking care of me they also ensured that I drank water and was hydrated, and on Saturday when I arrived they recognized me and remembered the branch-stabbing that had occurred the day before.
They were not judgmental, interested in the convention, and were honestly super fun! I swung by once in cosplay just to say hi because they had asked me to do so and they were hyping me up so much!
If you didn't go to medical at Momocon I'm glad, but you definitely missed out on some fun folks.
Con: No cosplay groups I was a part of
I think that, potentially, as a cosplayer, I've made a decision. I still love cosplaying, but I no longer have to attend conventions to photograph my cosplays. I have friends I book with or trade shoots with in my area for location shoots that I'm often far happier with the final results of. And that with that in mind, perhaps I don't enjoy cosplaying alone at conventions anymore. That isn't to say that I don't enjoy cosplaying at cons at all, Katsucon I loved being Ningguang! And that also isn't to say that I need to be cosplaying from the same source as the group I'm with, at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2021 I was Gwen from Spider Verse and went with my friend IngiBear who was Tsunade from Naruto.
I need to obviously test this theory and I do already have a few group cosplays planned/in the works, but I think that for me comfort at conventions is key. And wigs and cosplays just aren't comfortable. So if we're close mutual or something then pitch me an idea for a con we'll both be at!
Pro: COVID-19 policy enforcement
On Sunday I spoke to an info desk volunteer regarding where I could find a certain artist I wanted to return to and they were able to help me find the artist, but in doing so while we were looking they shared that some of the other artists or vendors that I was looking for may not be at the event any longer as they had to remove a few vendors/artists from the event due to not wearing the mask as per the policy. The vendor/artists had been warned multiple times but had continued to disregard the policy and not wear their mask. As a result, they were removed from Momocon. This statement was backed up by the fact that there were a few tables on Sunday that I recalled as having someone there on Thursday PM/Friday AM but on Sunday they were empty.
The venue's operations/security staff, before you entered the actual con floor, were not letting people down on the escalators unless they were wearing a mask, and if they were not then the staff quickly provided them a mask to wear.
There were signs everywhere instructing attendees and those on the con floor to wear their mask as well as on the website in a clear location so that it could be made clear prior to the convention what the policy and expectations were. And for those unprepared, the convention handed out those masks to ensure that there were no excused for non-compliance.
I personally loved the preparation that Momocon took, as while for the heat the mask felt miserable, I felt much safer at the event knowing that everyone was being held to the same standard of masked up.
Con: The parking communication with Red Deck and pre-registered attendees
I stayed at the Embassy Suites by Centennial Olympic Park which is only a 5 minute walk from the convention venue. However the only parking option there is valet which is $45 per day and as I arrived on Thursday and left Sunday this would have left me with a $180+tax charge just to park my car. I didn't intend on moving it once the entire weekend and so for me $180 was just out of budget.
Instead I went through Momocon's website and purchased a 4-day Thursday-Sunday parking pass for the Red Deck which, as previously discussed, was just off of the convention center. The charge to park there was $65+tax for the entire time which clearly is less that half than what I would have paid at the Embassy. However there was once thing that gave me cause for concern.
On Thursday when I arrived the attendant scanning codes and such informed me that she had been informed just that morning that there was no overnight parking at all, all cars, regardless of their parking status, would be towed at midnight. I clarified that I had my parking pass for 4 days and that I was informed by multiple parties that the parking would allow for overnight for those who had pre-purchased for the appropriate amount of time.
This was obviously a concern of mine as, if I was towed, how would I get my car back and make the 4 hour drive back to Charlotte, NC? And who would be responsible for bringing it back and if it couldn't be done that day where would I sleep? So I immediately went to pick up my badge, went to Con-Ops, and spoke to someone there who was able to contact the manager of the Red Deck, confirm that I was good to park there, and all was well with the world.
Obviously this isn't the parking attendant's job as she was simply trying to help, but the person who had informed her of that needed to have been more clear regarding what the rules were for the Momocon event so that she wasn't causing unintentional and unnecessary panic.
Fear not, on Sunday though my car was right where I had left it without so much as a scratch on it.
Pro: The artist alley
I'm a huge fan of artist alleys. I prefer them to vendor halls so much as I feel that vendors sell almost no unique products and for any product that isn't unique that their products are extremely overpriced. A box of the standard strawberry pocky for $7? You can go to Walmart and buy multiple boxes for that price. Of course there are exceptions to this in vendors that sell items that they themselves make and are unique to them, but those aren't the standard.
But artist alleys can be great in comparison. And the Momocon artist alley was spectacular. I normally spend less than $25 on merch from a con in general, maybe $50 if I buy a few items from a single artist. However at Momocon I spent $80. I've included pictures of what items I purchased, where I got them, and how much they cost. Enjoy my con-haul!
I collect the keychains of characters that I cosplay and this Ningguang was too cute to resist! I purchased it for $15 from Night Owl (@Kit_6395 on Twitter).
My spouse is big into D&D and he has plenty of t-shirts, but this keychain wristlet was way too cute and absolutely his style. It gives his keys a bit more personality than the chapstick he keeps on it as well. I purchased this from Closet Floof (@heroandthefloofs on Instagram) for $5.
I've been re-doing a third bedroom in my house for a few months now, slowly making it into my space. Ignore the cat hair on the couch, but this sushi pillow makes a great accent pillow next to the matcha boba plush I got from Katsucon 2022. I purchased the sushi roll pillow from Stuffed Sushi for $40. Here's the exact link where you can get your own! If you're not partial to salmon though then fear not, they have plenty of other options!
Also for the room I'm redoing, this print from Reyna Rochin will look stunning when in a framed box hanging on the wall. Scratch that, it already looks stunning. For those unaware, I'm an aries and while I put no faith in the astrological signs I do think it's fun. I purchased this print for $20.
All in all Momocon 2022 was a successful convention and I definitely enjoyed it!