Anime Weekend Atlanta

What Anime Weekend Atlanta does

Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) is a privately held, volunteer-run annual anime and Japanese culture convention held over four days at the Georgia World Congress Center, Building C, in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The organization serves anime, manga, gaming, cosplay, and Japanese pop culture enthusiasts primarily across the Southeast United States, with the next edition scheduled for November 19-22, 2026. Its product is the convention itself, composed of an integrated stack of event features including an itasha (decorated vehicle) display, the most expansive manga library in Georgia, video and tabletop gaming areas, a video art track for amateur music video editors, cosplay competitions and mobile repair, a concert series, an artist alley and exhibit hall, and a V Mura virtual village component.

AWA monetizes through three primary streams: attendee badge/membership sales (single-day or multi-day passes), exhibitor and artist alley booth fees, and in-house ancillary experiences led by the Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe — a timed 60-minute ticketed experience offering desserts, interactive games, and live performances. Ticket distribution runs through the Eventeny platform, and the organization maintains a year-round volunteer crew, a Discord community server, and active social media presence on X, Facebook, and Instagram for community engagement. The convention also offers free or discounted memberships to approved panelists and co-hosts as an incentive for community-submitted programming.

AWA's business model is event-driven and concentrated in a single annual four-day window. The organization has no disclosed ownership structure, no funding rounds, no management team publicly listed, and operates as an independent event organization. Sub-brands include Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe and the Starlight Idol Festival, the latter being part of an expanded idol programming track that includes Solo Stage, Comet Stage, Event Horizon V-Idol Festival, Kaigai Cabaret, and the AMIdol Showcase. The convention positions itself as the largest anime convention in Georgia, with community ecosystem, programming depth, and venue scale as its primary competitive differentiators.

Name

Anime Weekend Atlanta

Legal name

Anime Weekend Atlanta

Website

https://awa-con.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anime Weekend Atlanta is a volunteer-run annual four-day anime and Japanese culture convention held at the Georgia World Congress Center, serving Southeast USA fans with badge sales, exhibitor fees, and in-house experiences like the Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anime Convention Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty, Fashion & Pop-Culture Conventions (MPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Anime convention
• Fan convention events
• Convention ticketing
• Exhibitor marketplace
• Pop culture events

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Attendee Badge/Membership Sales: Convention attendees purchase single-day or multi-day memberships to access the event, with discounted rates for panelists and volunteers.
2. Maid Cafe Ticket Sales: The Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe sells timed session tickets for 60-minute experiences featuring desserts, entertainment, and performances.
3. Exhibitor and Artist Alley Fees: Vendors and artists pay to secure booth space in the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Anime Weekend Atlanta produces an annual four-day anime and Japanese culture convention held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The event sells admission badges to attendees, offers ticketed on-site experiences such as the Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe, and rents booth space to artists and exhibitors. Programming includes guest appearances, panels, itasha display, manga library, video and tabletop gaming, and idol programming.

Product overview

Anime Weekend Atlanta is a four-day anime and Japanese culture convention held annually at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event features a unified convention experience that integrates multiple interconnected offerings: core event features including the Itasha Display, Manga Library, Video Games, Table Top Gaming, Video Art Track, Cosplay activities, Concerts, and Artist Alley. Specialty programming tracks include Idol Programming (with Starlight Idol Festival, Solo Stage, Comet Stage, Event Horizon V-Idol Festival, Kaigai Cabaret, and AMIdol Showcase) and the Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe experience. Additional offerings include the Exhibit Hall with V Mura Virtual Village, Panelist Programming, and Super Happy Fun Sell. The convention also facilitates artist exhibitions, exhibitor participation, and volunteer crew opportunities, serving as a comprehensive hub for anime, manga, gaming, and Japanese pop culture enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe: Maid cafe experience offering desserts, snacks, live entertainment, and interactive games at the convention
• Starlight Idol Festival

Products and services

• Convention Badge / Membership Paid admission pass that grants an individual attendee entry to the four-day Anime Weekend Atlanta convention held at the Georgia World Congress Center, with badge tiers covering different durations of access.
• Kuma Kuma Maid Cafe Ticketed themed dining experience run at the convention where attendees reserve a seat for a curated maid cafe experience with food and themed service.
• Artist Alley Booth Space Rented booth space in the convention's artist alley where independent artists and creators sell original artwork, prints, and handmade goods to attendees.
• Exhibit Hall Booth Space Rented booth space in the convention's exhibit hall where merchants, publishers, and brands sell anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture merchandise to attendees.
• Panelist Programming Application Application-based call for prospective panelists to submit programming proposals for the convention, with selected panelists presenting panels to attendees.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EventenycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 November 2026Third-party ticketing platform used for badge/membership sales, panelist applications, and event registration.
• Georgia World Congress CentercoreOthersPrimary venue for the convention, located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Building C hosts the main convention activities.
• Kuma Kuma Maid CafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-house maid cafe experience offering desserts, live entertainment, and dance performances during the convention.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sakura-Con: Seattle-based anime convention operated by the Anime America organization. Comparable in programming structure (panels, exhibit hall, video programming) and target attendee demographic, though positioned in the Pacific Northwest.
• Anime Boston: Boston-based anime convention run by the same Anime Boston Inc. volunteer community model. Comparable in scale, programming breadth, and event-driven revenue model, and competes for Northeast and national anime attendees.
• Anime NYC: New York-based anime convention with a similar multi-day, badge-driven event model. Closely comparable in programming scope (industry panels, exhibitor hall, voice actor guests) and competes directly for the same attendee demographic.
• Anime Expo: The largest anime convention in North America, held annually in Los Angeles. Directly comparable in core offering (anime, manga, Japanese pop culture, exhibitor hall, voice actor guests) and is the dominant competitive reference point for U.S. anime conventions.
• Anime Central (AnimeChi): Chicago-based anime convention with comparable multi-day format, exhibitor hall, and programming tracks. Mid-tier anime convention comparable to AWA in size, target demographic, and volunteer-driven operation.
• Anime Matsuri: Houston-based anime convention held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Comparable in scope and Southeast/Texas fan base, and competes for the same anime Japanese pop culture attendee.
• Otakon: Major anime convention serving the U.S. East Coast, with comparable multi-day programming, exhibition hall, and guest lineup. Operates at a larger scale than AWA but serves the same anime-fan target audience with a similar event-driven model.

Others

• Crunchyroll: Anime-focused streaming platform and ecosystem player. Not a direct competitor but an industry counterpart that drives anime fan engagement in the U.S. and overlaps with AWA's underlying audience, while also being a potential sponsor and content partner.

Broad incumbents

• Dragon Con: Atlanta-headquartered multi-genre pop culture convention. Operates in the same Atlanta market and overlaps with AWA on anime-adjacent content (cosplay, fandom culture), but is significantly larger and broader in scope across sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming.

Emerging players

• Mizucon: Smaller, growing anime convention in the Dallas area. Comparable in core anime/Japanese culture focus and event-driven model, but at a smaller scale than AWA, representing emerging competition in the regional anime convention market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/awacon
• Facebookfacebook.com/awacon
• Instagraminstagram.com/animeweekendatlantaofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/animeweekendatlanta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Anime Weekend Atlanta