kallman | 17 Jul 2014 7:25 a.m. PST |
Arrived yesterday afternoon in Fredericksburg. Weather is wonderful and already got in a game of Fireball Forward last night. I am about to head over to see the games going on and get in line for the opening of the Dealer's area. Picking up my badge and swag at pre-registration was a breeze and the con staff are great. There have been a ton of accommodations to address the floors and noise in the main ballroom area. They have put carpet down on the floor and cloth screens to break up noise and section areas for the various games and tournaments. Of course plenty of choices for food and the prices are reasonable. We will see how all these things pan out as things begin to ramp up heading into the weekend. It is good to see so many people I know and appears there are a lot. Of new faces as well. I run my first game at 2 pm today and will try to get some photos up later if I can. Game on! Kim |
45thdiv | 17 Jul 2014 9:35 a.m. PST |
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shaneypops | 17 Jul 2014 9:59 a.m. PST |
Sitting on a plane in Los Angeles with a two hour delay to get there :( |
kallman | 17 Jul 2014 4:02 p.m. PST |
Dealer's area is fantastic lots of games going on and ran my first game which I won an award. So far so good and wish I had more money. Dead tired already. |
45thdiv | 17 Jul 2014 4:07 p.m. PST |
Congratulations on the award. Very cool. :-) |
clifblkskull | 17 Jul 2014 9:13 p.m. PST |
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kallman | 18 Jul 2014 4:09 p.m. PST |
Pics sadly will have to wait till I get back home. |
Bad Painter | 18 Jul 2014 7:44 p.m. PST |
The show didn't seem as crowded as in past years. Some vendors agreed with my observations, but are hoping for a big crowd on Saturday.. Some games like Baltimore 1814 and Arklow 1798 leered visually impressive, as were a few others I've forgotten the names of, but overall a so-so show. At 5pm on Friday, the parking lot wS 1/3 full, at best, and the dealer hall was quiet also. |
Gonsalvo | 20 Jul 2014 5:52 p.m. PST |
A freind of mione made a similar comment about the parking lot on Friday, but whennI went out mid afternoon to move my car to facilitate loading up figures etyc from a game, there were no empty spaces that I could find anywhere near the building… The additon of the carpet (new this year) helped immensely with the noise level, as well as the endurance of the fet. Definitely a good move! The partitions were used last year as well, and did help somewhat then, but the addition of the carpet made a much bigger difference. |
Tumbleweed | 20 Jul 2014 8:37 p.m. PST |
I thought the event was well-attended. Every time I needed a parking space on Thursday, Friday and Saturday I had to drive through five or six lanes before finding a space. |
MLCaras | 20 Jul 2014 8:48 p.m. PST |
They also used different chairs, not the flimsy plastic seated ones of the past. I used the head more than once and found them clean with plenty of toilet paper and paper towels. Maybe I was lucky or maybe they're (Fredericksburg Convention Ctr) listening! You couldn't ask for better weather! Fully 20 degrees cooler than last year (low 80's during the day, and almost open the windows cooler at night). Not sure how they did that but the Convention Director should make sure that's in the contract NEXT year! |
Bad Painter | 21 Jul 2014 5:27 a.m. PST |
I admit that I've never been a fan of the current H-Con location, but was impressed at how things were organized this year. A lot of improvements were introduced this year, including the carpet and, IMHO, the shuttle to off site locations. Unfortunately, some of the attendees have yet to figure out how to properly use indoor plumbing, so I found the restrooms to be as messy as any of our other sites within a short time of the show opening each day. We took advantage of the free shuttle to the Historic downtown area every evening and had dinner in some of the nice places along William Street, following the recommendations of the two women staffing the Fredericksburg info table in the lobby. Cab fares are based on a zone system, with the fare from downtown back to the convention site hotels only $9.50 USD. so we weren't tied to the shuttle schedule when we wanted to call it a night. Even with a tip, splitting it 3 ways was less than just about anything you could buy at the show. Traffic along the dreaded I-95 corridor wasn't bad in either direction, so getting to and from the show wasn't a problem this year. All in all, I enjoyed myself and am already planning for H-Con 2015. |
Bosco05 | 21 Jul 2014 5:32 a.m. PST |
I also had a great time at the show and appreciated the facility improvements – especially the carpet. Have the dates for HCON 2015 been set? |
Mirosav | 21 Jul 2014 6:28 a.m. PST |
Liked the carpet, the new chairs and it seemed cleaner overall. Good improvements over last year. The cooler weather certainly helped. Stayed at the Hampton next door this year and it was much better than staying off-site. |
bwanabill | 21 Jul 2014 6:42 a.m. PST |
The Hampton Inn was taking reservations for next year on Sunday morning as people were checking out. According to their reservation request form the dates for HISTORICON 2015 are July 16th through the 19th. I figure they must know something. |
kayjay | 21 Jul 2014 8:01 a.m. PST |
Yes, the dates for HCON 2015 are Thurs July 16th thru Sunday July 19th. That's off the contract with the Expo center. I'll see if I can get them posted on the site when volunteer staff get home unpacked etc. |