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Anime Weekend Atlanta 2024: Is it the South's Next Best Convention?
A few notes before we begin, yes, this happened on my birthday weekend, and also there was a college football game that took place that same Saturday. Neither of these things will matter in my review.
I've heard nothing but good things about Anime Weekend Atlanta. I had made a list of the 10 conventions I've been wanting to go to and this was on the list. So when the time arrived for me to go to Anime Weekend Atlanta, I took it. Was it the right thing to do?
Right out of the gate, I'm going to address the major complaint that honestly doesn't matter:
"This isn't the same layout at Momocon."
1, they're two different conventions, and 2, I never went to Momocon so it doesn't matter on both accounts. Each convention is different, and as I have said before, you don't compete against another convention, you comment against the red ink on your balance sheets. So I'm going to FAIRLY disregard that kind of comparison for this review.
Right out of the gate, it was fairly easy to find everything as every single sign clearly labeled what each room was and where it was located. You knew what room 105A was, you knew what 210C was, and so on. And most of these signs were at least 6 feet tall next to the door. Their size did sometimes get in the way, but at least you knew where you would go. However, another sign was posted nearby showing the schedule for the day. It did clutter things a bit but getting lost was hard.
The location was at the Georgia World Congress Center near Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. This isn't exactly in the area of Dragon*Con but it's really close and very easy to get to, as the MARTA station is 2 blocks away from the convention. It was so easy I could get to it from my AirBNB within 20 minutes on one bus line. That being said, it would have the same problem as Dragon*Con does: Sporting events. If this happened during a Falcon's game, traffic would be a nightmare. So I would hope that whatever happens next year doesn't bog down people trying to get in and out, but it is something to keep in mind. This makes the on-site cost of $85 seem high, BUT when you consider it's a 4-day convention, it's actually pretty reasonable. Just keep in mind parking is an upcharge, and you're going to have to go pretty far off-site to get a meal at a decent price, even with food trucks available.
The guest list was stacked. It has been a very long time since I've seen Luci Christan anywhere, and no matter what I say having Johny Young Bosch is a treat for both Power Ranger and anime fans. I know Tiffany Grant goes pretty much anywhere, but I'm glad she's still around after 20+ years. That sounds pretty good, until you see that there wasn't much dedicated time for actual conversations. Conventions are doing this as well lately, having guests sit at a table only to sign autographs and take pictures. Now, I'm not faulting the guests for needing to get paid, but it also means that your chances of actually talking to them without paying and arm and a leg now of days is low. I get it, but it also puts many people both on a budget and like myself, more interested in talking to guests than just signatures feel kind of slighted. So, eh?
Outside of guests, the events as a whole were amazing. If you had an interest, there was something for you. And we're not just talking styling cosplay wigs, we're talking everything from trading Pokemon cards, to doing yoga, as well as many dance parties for both K-Pop and J-Pop idols. Even if I wrote down more stuff that was on the side, the biggest draw was a Hololive concert. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Hololive but I get it. I also THINK that they had something to do with Dokibird there, but I can't quite remember. I however, cannot add them to a guest spot because they didn't do anything as guests, since they only had that one concert. But I can include them as part of events, so that's why it goes here.
Gaming however cannot be denied, mostly. If you wanted to play any tabletop game on Earth, there's a good chance it was at Anime Weekend Atlanta. D&D, check. Werewolf, check. We Didn't Playtest This Game At All, check. Boss Monster, check. King of Toyko, check. You get the idea. There was a massive area for VR games, as well as a solid selection of racing games and dance games, although I did find the pads for the DDR machine to be hit or miss.
The problem is when you get to consoles... and this is a problem with a lot of conventions lately. Did anyone see something other than Tekken, DBZ Fighters, or Smash Bros. there? I get it, latest and greatest, but not one Street Fighter 2 (not Third Strike or SF6, the old SF2), or CoD game going on. You couldn't put out one Switch pre-loaded with classic games or something? Also, for as much space as the gaming area could have had still, there was no LARPing at all. I know some conventions won't take the risk, which is fair, but for someone from Texas where LARP is life, it's a huge hole missing from the game room that still could have filled up at least 20 arcade units in that area.
As for getting into the rooms themselves, it's pretty much a random chance of getting into the convention areas or not. Sometimes people were watching the doors, sometimes there weren't, and sometimes the hired security didn't even both to look or were looking at their phones (and yes, I did say paid security, not safety volunteers for those who keep saying that safety volunteers aren't needed). And even half the time, there weren't anyone at a door at all. On Friday night, a massive crowd of people were in line for a panel and there was no one, hired security or safety volunteers, monitoring the line until about 10 minutes before the panel started. I am going to say this again, and conventions better listen before something disastrous happens: DO NOT IGNORE YOUR NEED FOR A DEDICATED SAFETY TEAM!!!!
Which now brings me to the note of the convention, and why there can be a major problem going forward: As much as I personally like the administrative staff of Anime Weekend Atlanta, forcing every first-year volunteer to be floaters (or in convention terms, we call them Winged Monkeys) is one of the worst ideas you could potentially have. If it felt like there were major holes in spots on the convention floor, it could have come down to that. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with almost wherever and whatever, and Dylan rocks it as volunteer coordinator, but most volunteers for a convention are either specialists in an area already, such as myself or are pretty skilled enough to know what to sign up for. At least it wasn't totally random like Fan Expo does (just as a note to self, I HATE doing registration and for some reason, conventions LOVE the idea of trying to sick me there... I'll walk out if that happens just so you know.) There were clear and obvious holes in areas where there shouldn't have been. In general, it was fine, but you can tell the best people weren't in their best areas.
To that, overall Anime Weekend Atlanta was pretty good to great. It isn't Dragon*Con great, but it's far better than most conventions I've been to, despite some issues. Safety needs way more people, and the forced first-year volunteer aspect has got to go away. But the events are there, the gaming is solid if not great, and for 4 days under $100 was a steal. There's talk of bringing it back to October after next year, which I honestly wouldn't do. If I have to pick between Dragon*Con or Oni-con and anything else, yeah safe to say you'd lose out.
Now, as for me going back for 2025... it's not a matter of me liking things or not. I'm hoping to have a job this coming year that I can actually make money on. So I can't commit to anything at all long-term for any convention other than maybe Dragon*Con. So if you ask me "personally" I can't say yes. If I suggest you go, well maybe.
Organization: Easy to find things even with a 3-floor layout. There was some empty space that could have been filled. A -
Admistration: The staff in general were great, but new volunteers being thrown into roles they may not be good for hurts and it shows. B -
Location: If there was a huge football game going on, it would have sucked. However, the timing was lucky, so I can't fault this year for that. Still easy to get to, but not to eat at. B +
Pricing: If you can keep the cost this low, I'd be happy to walk in the door and look around. A +
Events: One word, Hololive. Even if it costs a bit more, YES! A +
Guests: Although I enjoyed talking to them, it felt like the convention stuck them behind the worst paywall possible. B -
Gaming: If there was a LARP area, this would have been an A at least. However, there wasn't. And way too much Smash Bros. Spam. B -
Safety: Half the time they did their job well, the other half you could have walked into a panel room with no one to tell you no. C -
Overall Rating:
Anime Weekend Atlanta is a fun time to be sure, but there's things that need to be fixed. First-year volunteers need to not be forced to be floaters and the safety group needs a desperate retool. However, the price is way more than right, the gaming is great so long as you don't stick around consoles, the guest list is pretty big, and if they can have a group like Hololive again, their events will stay on top. However, I don't find it right or fair to compare things to Momocon. And pushing it back to October will mean mixing too close to Dragon*Con. December to February feels like the right time, as long as you don't clash with the Super Bowl. Honestly, there's things that need to be fixed, but at least this year, it worked out. Not amazing, but still pretty good.
FINAL GRADE: B
A few notes before we begin, yes, this happened on my birthday weekend, and also there was a college football game that took place that same Saturday. Neither of these things will matter in my review.
I've heard nothing but good things about Anime Weekend Atlanta. I had made a list of the 10 conventions I've been wanting to go to and this was on the list. So when the time arrived for me to go to Anime Weekend Atlanta, I took it. Was it the right thing to do?
Right out of the gate, I'm going to address the major complaint that honestly doesn't matter:
"This isn't the same layout at Momocon."
1, they're two different conventions, and 2, I never went to Momocon so it doesn't matter on both accounts. Each convention is different, and as I have said before, you don't compete against another convention, you comment against the red ink on your balance sheets. So I'm going to FAIRLY disregard that kind of comparison for this review.
Right out of the gate, it was fairly easy to find everything as every single sign clearly labeled what each room was and where it was located. You knew what room 105A was, you knew what 210C was, and so on. And most of these signs were at least 6 feet tall next to the door. Their size did sometimes get in the way, but at least you knew where you would go. However, another sign was posted nearby showing the schedule for the day. It did clutter things a bit but getting lost was hard.
The location was at the Georgia World Congress Center near Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. This isn't exactly in the area of Dragon*Con but it's really close and very easy to get to, as the MARTA station is 2 blocks away from the convention. It was so easy I could get to it from my AirBNB within 20 minutes on one bus line. That being said, it would have the same problem as Dragon*Con does: Sporting events. If this happened during a Falcon's game, traffic would be a nightmare. So I would hope that whatever happens next year doesn't bog down people trying to get in and out, but it is something to keep in mind. This makes the on-site cost of $85 seem high, BUT when you consider it's a 4-day convention, it's actually pretty reasonable. Just keep in mind parking is an upcharge, and you're going to have to go pretty far off-site to get a meal at a decent price, even with food trucks available.
The guest list was stacked. It has been a very long time since I've seen Luci Christan anywhere, and no matter what I say having Johny Young Bosch is a treat for both Power Ranger and anime fans. I know Tiffany Grant goes pretty much anywhere, but I'm glad she's still around after 20+ years. That sounds pretty good, until you see that there wasn't much dedicated time for actual conversations. Conventions are doing this as well lately, having guests sit at a table only to sign autographs and take pictures. Now, I'm not faulting the guests for needing to get paid, but it also means that your chances of actually talking to them without paying and arm and a leg now of days is low. I get it, but it also puts many people both on a budget and like myself, more interested in talking to guests than just signatures feel kind of slighted. So, eh?
Outside of guests, the events as a whole were amazing. If you had an interest, there was something for you. And we're not just talking styling cosplay wigs, we're talking everything from trading Pokemon cards, to doing yoga, as well as many dance parties for both K-Pop and J-Pop idols. Even if I wrote down more stuff that was on the side, the biggest draw was a Hololive concert. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Hololive but I get it. I also THINK that they had something to do with Dokibird there, but I can't quite remember. I however, cannot add them to a guest spot because they didn't do anything as guests, since they only had that one concert. But I can include them as part of events, so that's why it goes here.
Gaming however cannot be denied, mostly. If you wanted to play any tabletop game on Earth, there's a good chance it was at Anime Weekend Atlanta. D&D, check. Werewolf, check. We Didn't Playtest This Game At All, check. Boss Monster, check. King of Toyko, check. You get the idea. There was a massive area for VR games, as well as a solid selection of racing games and dance games, although I did find the pads for the DDR machine to be hit or miss.
The problem is when you get to consoles... and this is a problem with a lot of conventions lately. Did anyone see something other than Tekken, DBZ Fighters, or Smash Bros. there? I get it, latest and greatest, but not one Street Fighter 2 (not Third Strike or SF6, the old SF2), or CoD game going on. You couldn't put out one Switch pre-loaded with classic games or something? Also, for as much space as the gaming area could have had still, there was no LARPing at all. I know some conventions won't take the risk, which is fair, but for someone from Texas where LARP is life, it's a huge hole missing from the game room that still could have filled up at least 20 arcade units in that area.
As for getting into the rooms themselves, it's pretty much a random chance of getting into the convention areas or not. Sometimes people were watching the doors, sometimes there weren't, and sometimes the hired security didn't even both to look or were looking at their phones (and yes, I did say paid security, not safety volunteers for those who keep saying that safety volunteers aren't needed). And even half the time, there weren't anyone at a door at all. On Friday night, a massive crowd of people were in line for a panel and there was no one, hired security or safety volunteers, monitoring the line until about 10 minutes before the panel started. I am going to say this again, and conventions better listen before something disastrous happens: DO NOT IGNORE YOUR NEED FOR A DEDICATED SAFETY TEAM!!!!
Which now brings me to the note of the convention, and why there can be a major problem going forward: As much as I personally like the administrative staff of Anime Weekend Atlanta, forcing every first-year volunteer to be floaters (or in convention terms, we call them Winged Monkeys) is one of the worst ideas you could potentially have. If it felt like there were major holes in spots on the convention floor, it could have come down to that. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with almost wherever and whatever, and Dylan rocks it as volunteer coordinator, but most volunteers for a convention are either specialists in an area already, such as myself or are pretty skilled enough to know what to sign up for. At least it wasn't totally random like Fan Expo does (just as a note to self, I HATE doing registration and for some reason, conventions LOVE the idea of trying to sick me there... I'll walk out if that happens just so you know.) There were clear and obvious holes in areas where there shouldn't have been. In general, it was fine, but you can tell the best people weren't in their best areas.
To that, overall Anime Weekend Atlanta was pretty good to great. It isn't Dragon*Con great, but it's far better than most conventions I've been to, despite some issues. Safety needs way more people, and the forced first-year volunteer aspect has got to go away. But the events are there, the gaming is solid if not great, and for 4 days under $100 was a steal. There's talk of bringing it back to October after next year, which I honestly wouldn't do. If I have to pick between Dragon*Con or Oni-con and anything else, yeah safe to say you'd lose out.
Now, as for me going back for 2025... it's not a matter of me liking things or not. I'm hoping to have a job this coming year that I can actually make money on. So I can't commit to anything at all long-term for any convention other than maybe Dragon*Con. So if you ask me "personally" I can't say yes. If I suggest you go, well maybe.
Organization: Easy to find things even with a 3-floor layout. There was some empty space that could have been filled. A -
Admistration: The staff in general were great, but new volunteers being thrown into roles they may not be good for hurts and it shows. B -
Location: If there was a huge football game going on, it would have sucked. However, the timing was lucky, so I can't fault this year for that. Still easy to get to, but not to eat at. B +
Pricing: If you can keep the cost this low, I'd be happy to walk in the door and look around. A +
Events: One word, Hololive. Even if it costs a bit more, YES! A +
Guests: Although I enjoyed talking to them, it felt like the convention stuck them behind the worst paywall possible. B -
Gaming: If there was a LARP area, this would have been an A at least. However, there wasn't. And way too much Smash Bros. Spam. B -
Safety: Half the time they did their job well, the other half you could have walked into a panel room with no one to tell you no. C -
Overall Rating:
Anime Weekend Atlanta is a fun time to be sure, but there's things that need to be fixed. First-year volunteers need to not be forced to be floaters and the safety group needs a desperate retool. However, the price is way more than right, the gaming is great so long as you don't stick around consoles, the guest list is pretty big, and if they can have a group like Hololive again, their events will stay on top. However, I don't find it right or fair to compare things to Momocon. And pushing it back to October will mean mixing too close to Dragon*Con. December to February feels like the right time, as long as you don't clash with the Super Bowl. Honestly, there's things that need to be fixed, but at least this year, it worked out. Not amazing, but still pretty good.
FINAL GRADE: B