Cobb Fantasy Event to Promote Responsible Alcohol Use at Anime Weekend Atlanta
Lead organizers for one of the country's most popular conventions for anime (a style of animation popular in Japan) are working to ensure that it continues to be a family-friendly event that promotes responsible recreation-- particularly as it pertains to drinking.
The 20th Annual Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) will be celebrated on September 26-28, 2014 at Cobb Galleria Centre and nearby hotels. The convention was founded by local fans interested in accentuating their love for science fiction and comic culture with a particular enthusiasm for anime.
AWA offers many activities for enthusiasts of video gaming, comic collecting, and cosplay, dressing up in fantasy character costumes. Like conventions such as Comic Con (San Diego) and Dragon Con (Atlanta), AWA is facing challenges related to phenomenal growth in size and popularity.
“One of our challenges involves ensuring that our fans understand the best way to enjoy Anime Weekend is through responsible recreation,” said Laura Block, PharmD, AWA senior director. Block has a particular interest in addressing that challenge: in her “secret identity,” she is a pharmacist and a public health graduate student at Emory University.
But Block's interest is vested even deeper. AWA contributes an estimated $4 million in economic impact to Cobb County, and a significant portion of it comes from sales and service of alcoholic beverages. AWA organizers understand that if binge drinking becomes a problem during the convention, it will strain not only limited emergency service resources, but also goodwill between the county and the convention. So as part of her effort to develop a campaign promoting pro-social norms (facts that show the majority of convention goers do behave responsibly), Block reached out to the leading nonprofit organization in Cobb County that focuses on alcohol abuse prevention: The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce (CAT).
“The core of our mission is to reduce underage and youth binge drinking,” said Peter Armstrong, Taskforce executive director. “But we recognize those two issues are exacerbated when an adult makes it easier for underage persons to gain access to alcohol. Since many adults enjoy Anime Weekend with their children, we are pleased that Anime Weekend organizers have requested our help to prevent instances of social hosting.”
Cobb Galleria meeting and hospitality venues are located in an unincorporated area that is under the jurisdiction of a social hosting ordinance passed by Cobb County in 2012. Block and Armstrong believe that enforcement is important in ensuring a convention that reflects alcohol responsibility, but education will play an even greater role.
AWA's pro-social norms campaign will involve posters and panel speakers, with a consistent, fact-driven message about the benefits of being part of the majority of convention goers who use alcohol responsibly. CAT is collaborating with Cobb County School to implement a similar campaign at selected high schools during the 2014-2015 School Year.
Block and Armstrong are already discussing how to cultivate pro-social norm acceptability into Anime Weekend's 21st annual convention in 2015, the year that Block jokingly says AWA will become “old enough to drink.”
“By moving proactively, we're making sure that Anime Weekend will be best remembered for the social, economic, and, beginning this year, the health and wellness benefits it provides every year to Cobb County,” Block said.
