Tuesday Talk: MomoCon growth, Grads, Sports Team of the Year, and Ultimate Women

Tuesday Talk rounds up the latest Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) news you might have missed and also points forward to upcoming events on our campus.

MOMOCON KEEPS GROWING

Celebrating its 15th year, MomoCon, the homegrown convention for animation, gaming, comics, and cosplay enthusiasts, drew its biggest crowd to date over the Memorial Day weekend at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).

According to a MomoCon update posted Monday on Facebook, the convention welcomed more than 120,000 guests over its four-day (May 23-26) run at Building A.

Anticipating even more growth, MomoCon announced it is moving to the GWCC’s larger Building B for 2020, which features two more exhibit halls than Building A. The date is set: May 21-24, 2020.

CAPS, GOWNS, TASSELS & MILESTONES

It’s graduation time once more as students officially move on to the next phases of their lives, and the GWCCA campus is again the hub for several high school and college commencement ceremonies.

The festivities kicked off today with Towers High School’s ceremony, the first of 23 such DeKalb County School District graduations scheduled through Sunday (June 2) at the GWCC’s Building C – as detailed in a recent unConventional post authored by the GWCCA’s Guest Services Coordinator Troy Carbo.

In addition to DeKalb County graduations, the GWCC recently hosted Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School commencement and on Saturday (June 1) the Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta will host its graduation ceremony at the Georgia Ballroom in Building C. Last year, you may recall, none other than media mogul Oprah Winfrey showed up to deliver a surprise speech at SCAD-Atlanta’s graduation at the GWCC and receive an honorary degree from the school. The school’s graduation event page promises “special performances and surprises.”

THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS

Fresh off of being named “Sports Team of the Year” at the Sports Business Journal’s 2019 Sports Business Awards last week, the Atlanta United return to action for two matches this week and weekend at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was named “Sports Facility of the Year.” First up, the Five Stripes take on the Minnesota United at 7 p.m. Wednesday (May 29). The home team is back on the home pitch for more action against the Chicago Fire at 6 p.m. Saturday (June 1) at MBS.

More than 700 attendees and 70 exhibitors are expected for Solar Power Southeast 2019 set for Wednesday (May 29) and Thursday (May 30) on the 300 and 400 levels of the GWCC’s Building A. Speakers include MBS General Manager Scott Jenkins, participating in the panel discussion “Solar Means Business: Can Solar and Corporates Harness the 10 GW Opportunity?”.

The Atlanta Ultimate Women’s Expo returns to the GWCC on Saturday (June 1) and Sunday (June 2), a nation-wide touring event that features products, tastings, spa treatments, and a slate of celebrity quest speakers, including Niecy Nash, MC Lyte, and several cast members from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”