historygamer | 15 Jul 2018 8:26 p.m. PST |
First off a big thank you to all the staff/volunteers who made for a convention work. Just some quick thoughts post con: 1. The AC was awesome while I was there (Saturday morning to late afternoon) in both the hotel area and dealer hall. Only place it was weak was in the lobby outside the Distlefink. 2. Speaking of Distlefink area, why were so many games jammed into the lobby outside of the ballroom? Kind of ridiculous for those trying to play games there. It was warm and jammed. Not good. 3. Food was sub-par, but I get it. Place under construction, temporary staff, etc. Lack of seating by the food area in the dealer hall was an oversight though. Please put something in there for the next couple of cons at the Host. 4. Got there around 10am Saturday, waiting in line about 20 minutes since I didn't pre-reg. Wasn't sure I could even go till Friday. So didn't mind as my bad. The staff was great and quick as could be. 5. A good number of nice looking games there Saturday. 6. Anecdotal rumors (the best!) intel – pre-reg was highest in years. More than usual cancelled games (whatever usual is). 7. Some concerns overheard about the future home of Hcon – Load in and out at the Lancaster Convention Center is concerning for GMs and flea marketeers (haven't seen it myself, but this from someone who has). Attached hotel room rate is only good for one year, after that…. No other hotels or food nearby (can't verify either, again this from those that visited the facility). Facility is nice, but…. (see above). Still, I hope to go. 8. What has happened to the old HMGS painting competition? Lots of nicely painted items in the display case, but when did HMGS painting competition move to compete with the MFCA show (individual figures, vignettes, models, etc.) or a GW con? I saw few military miniature units. Shame as I miss the old competition as I found it both inspiring and a must-see event. Not anymore, at least for me and my friends. 9. Hit both flea markets but did not buy a thing. All my spending money went to dealers. Lighting, while improved, was still low. I do like the more open area though for walking through the set up. 10. I am not a tournament player, but every time I walked through there it seemed like a lot of empty tables. Not saying they weren't well attended, but it also did not seem like they needed the entire Lampeter room either. Again, I was only there from 1000 to 1600 Saturday. Considering the construction challenges at the Host, a job well done by staff. On to Fall In!!!!! :-) |
TSD101 | 15 Jul 2018 10:06 p.m. PST |
11. Pray that allowing people to preregister for 2 games per day ends here. It was a mistake. My friend and I ran 3 games that were sold out in preregistration. The tally? 3/8 showed up for one game, 3/6 on another, and 6/8 on a Friday evening game. Every person who preregisters and later cannot attend now does double damage. |
Rev Zoom | 15 Jul 2018 10:30 p.m. PST |
The food was horendous. I wouldn't feed what they served to maggots. And the prices went up from Thursday to Saturday on a daily basis. Attendance was down in my estimation from F'burg. And, there were a lot of empty gaming tables in D'fink, especially on Saturday. Dealer area was about the same as F'burg. Just my impressions. |
martin goddard | 16 Jul 2018 1:19 a.m. PST |
Thank you for the report. I am looking forward to seeing one of those picture reviews that are often done. As an aside is it too early to enquire where historicon is in 2019? Thanks for the report. |
robert piepenbrink | 16 Jul 2018 3:59 a.m. PST |
Martin--Historicon 2019 will be in the Lancaster Convention Center in downtown Lancaster. |
Chris Palmer | 16 Jul 2018 4:03 a.m. PST |
I agree with TSD101; the preregistration system needs to be seriously revamped, or scrapped altogether. My game's 6 spots (Saturday evening) were sold out during pre-registration, and I only had 2 ticketed players show up. Other than that, add my voice to those who had a great time, and was very pleased to see the helpful friendly folks everywhere. And all the signage was great too. The dealer's hall is really starting to look great inside. On Friday, the place seemed overcrowded with attendees, and it made it feel like the Historicons of old as far as the energy and excitement goes; on Saturday it seemed the crowd had dropped significantly. . |
corzin | 16 Jul 2018 4:29 a.m. PST |
1)for check in, i probably spent more time looking for my qr code than the rest of the process combined. I think it went really well. 2)a lot of sold out and cancelled games. I not sure The "2 pre reg games" was the only culprit. Needs to be checked out. 3) i think the overall look of the games has risen…but i don't think there was as many new "SUPERWOW I need to play the next session of this game" games, especially thursday/early friday. 4)i personally can block out all the construction, but there was a lot of it and it doesn't seem to be going as fast as i expected. 5) AC was working fine in Distlefink. sometimes the back rooms with no circulation can get bad and i didn't play in any games there to really know how it went. 6)my friend got arrested for bringing in a personal cooler…(OK just checking if you are still reading) 7) |
Condottiere | 16 Jul 2018 4:35 a.m. PST |
1. The AC was awesome while I was there (Saturday morning to late afternoon) in both the hotel area and dealer hall. Only place it was weak was in the lobby outside the Distlefink. The air conditioning was non existent in the Heritage Room Saturday afternoon. It was sweltering in the room and difficult to concentrate on the excellent Battle of Arsuf game run by Dave Waxtel and his son Andrew. 2. Speaking of Distlefink area,… There was a pervasive oder of urine and ammonia in the left side of the Distlefink all day Saturday. Maybe a bathroom issue? 3. Food was sub-par,… Disgusting is more like it. Better food at a convenience store. Poor venue aside, dealers hall was a vast improvement. I agree that there should have been more seating near the food service, but the layout and the air conditioning were an improvement. I saw many excellent games. Too bad so many seemed to have been canceled. |
Pizzagrenadier | 16 Jul 2018 5:58 a.m. PST |
It's 2018 and the food stands are still cash only. Come on. Even the vendors in the dealer hall are almost all taking cards at this point. |
syracusepops | 16 Jul 2018 6:04 a.m. PST |
I thought the ability to preregister for two games was a great improvement. While not everyone at the 6 games I preregistered for showed up, all the games were full. In my experience this was not any different than in previous years. Most participants had tickets while others were walk ups. Same as in the past Being able to register for games in advance allowed me to get into more games of my liking. Curious as to why people blame the two ticket system for more preregistered people not showing up when that has always been the case. |
TheKing30 | 16 Jul 2018 6:06 a.m. PST |
I agree with TSD101; the preregistration system needs to be seriously revamped, or scrapped altogether. My game's 6 spots (Saturday evening) were sold out during pre-registration, and I only had 2 ticketed players show up. I think pre-registration for games needs to be re-thought. I saw the same thing with an AWI game. I walked up and I was in – even though it was "booked". Actually, if I hadn't of shown up there might not have been enough to play! |
historygamer | 16 Jul 2018 6:10 a.m. PST |
There are often complaints from GMs about the no-shows. Not sure if the changes have increased that or simply made the problems more visible. Honestly, I think it is a waste of staff time to even run pre-reg. This is a major portion of convention operations that needs to be re-examined as it is not consistently operating as hoped for. Note that we never are told the number of cancelled games either. You'd think with all those cancelled games players would be wandering around looking for something. Me thinks they register too many games and are too afraid of offending people. Sorry to hear the AC was off in the one room. I must have missed that room. Overall, it was a vast improvement. I agree about the speed of construction. I heard that some of the people who got bounced from room reservations was due to the fact that the new rooms didn't pass inspection. Not sure if that is true or not, but the overall construction seems to be far slower than what one would expect, and they haven't even gotten to most of the rooms we use yet. How long and how bad will that be when they do? " I agree that there should have been more seating near the food service" – How about any, for a start. LOL "There was a pervasive odor of urine and ammonia in the left side of the Distlefink all day Saturday. Maybe a bathroom issue? " – Now that you mention it, I did catch that smell too. No bathrooms nearby, except perhaps overhead in the old lobby area. Since HMGS is tied to the Host for the next two cons, it is likely to be more of the same. That said, I made the trip to Hcon which I hadn't in years. There were a lot more of my old group that also went too. It will be interesting to hear the numbers, but any time a con moves it creates uncertainty and can impact attendance. I am very anxious to hear from someone about the ingress and egress for GMs and flea marketeers at the Lancaster Convention facility for next year. That was one of the major downfalls for the BCC. Overall, glad I went, spent money, had a great time. If I had known my weekend schedule ahead of time I would have registered and perhaps stayed longer. |
95th Division | 16 Jul 2018 6:42 a.m. PST |
TheKing30: "I think pre-registration for games needs to be re-thought. I saw the same thing with an AWI game. I walked up and I was in – even though it was "booked". Actually, if I hadn't of shown up there might not have been enough to play!" Was that the Race Across Carolina game? That was my game and though it was filled, only one showed up. I was thankful that 3 more folks joined in after spending an 11/2 hours setting up. Fortunately, I believe it was still a good game and I want to thank the participants. Overall, a very good convention with some great looking games and a well-stocked Dealers Hall. |
TheKing30 | 16 Jul 2018 6:50 a.m. PST |
Was that the Race Across Carolina game? That was my game and though it was filled, only one showed up. I was thankful that 3 more folks joined in after spending an 11/2 hours setting up. Fortunately, I believe it was still a good game and I want to thank the participants. I think it was – it used the Too Fat Lardies rules? If that's the game – it was really allot of fun. I wanted to learn those rules – Sharpe Practice – and the game really helped me understand them. Plus – the game itself was beautiful! I'm shocked – but happy – that the original players didn't show up. Maybe it was the starting time – the game ran into lunch time?? |
ScottWashburn | 16 Jul 2018 7:05 a.m. PST |
The AC was off in one of the rooms? Wow, wish I'd known that, I would have gone there to warm up! Several of the rooms were downright frigid if you stayed there long. Next year I'm bringing a sweatshirt! |
Condottiere | 16 Jul 2018 7:19 a.m. PST |
I would have gone there to warm up! You would have only needed two minutes in the Heritage room before sweat started to trickle down. We even contacted hotel staff. No response for over an hour. Oh well, nothing is perfect. |
historygamer | 16 Jul 2018 7:29 a.m. PST |
Nice looking game, 95th. :-) |
BCantwell | 16 Jul 2018 7:34 a.m. PST |
I also liked the 2 pre-reg games as it allowed me to run three games and still get in a number of games I wanted to play. Stanbding in line for tickets can definitely screw over GMs since if your game is going off when the ticket line opens up, you are just out of luck. Aty 2 of my 3 games, most of the players were ticketed players. I was able to fill the others with walk-ups. Our final game only had a single ticketed player, but it was a Stuyrday evening start and in my experience this is always a time slot with a lot of no-shows from pre-registeted (close to dinner time, late-cpon fatigue, etc). That said, we filled the game and everyone had a blast. |
vonLoudon | 16 Jul 2018 7:41 a.m. PST |
My main concern with the new place is the loading dock. If you don't use, it and there are restrictions, you will have to schlep items either from your room, where you schlepped it when you got the room or from a parking garage located not very close to the venue. The information posted on this already indicates there will be some problems. It reminds me of the Baltimore Convention Center mini-con problems with loading/unloading as it did a previous poster on this thread. |
mgluteus | 16 Jul 2018 8:17 a.m. PST |
First I think that 'sub-par' food would have been an improvement. I was saddened at what the host had become. I had attended every Historicon there since the first one. I would have taken the original poor A/C and lighting over what it has become. It was obvious that they were trying to make up for the meager HMGS discount on rooms by the pricing of snack and shitty meals – I actually got sick after my first breakfast there. After that it was across the street on these very old legs! There was absolutely no advertisement of the golf cart shuttle service to the dealer area that I could see and at 83 it was tough row to hoe. I only managed to get there once. My room had a broken leaky refrigerator hidden behind a door and dirty dishes in one of the drawers! I would never attend that place again because of the management of the hotel is no wargamer friendly! |
Ploogak | 16 Jul 2018 8:22 a.m. PST |
von, what information posted are you referring to and what problems do you see them indicating. If there are specific concerns I can address them. If they've just grown out of rumor or reports of what the facility was like 15 years ago I'd like to be able to address those rumors as well. We're going to work hard to make 2019 a great show but I don't want people worrying about things between now and then. With 2018 out of the way we'll be starting in right away preparing for 2019. More specific information will be shared with you as we have it. You are all always welcome to message me directly at director@historicon.org Thanks to everyone who made it to Historicon 2018. We're glad you were able to attend and look forward to seeing you all in 2019. Joby |
wrgmr1 | 16 Jul 2018 8:24 a.m. PST |
The HMGS northwest convention Enfilade this year changed from a sign up in a line up for games to an open concept. Each game table has a small traffic cone for gamesmaster use to idicate if the game is full or not. There is pre-registration where the game could be full prior to game time, however there can be no shows. The two games my friend and I put on were full from pre-registration. If the cone is on the table the game is full, if it is not, there is space. The cone is removed after a small period when games start. It was very simple and worked well. Gamers went to a game they would like to play to see if there was space. Many gamesmasters will accommodate an extra gamer, so everyone wins. If the game is full, the gamer can look for tables with no cones, easily done, and find another game to play. |
surdu2005 | 16 Jul 2018 8:27 a.m. PST |
Beatles Is Elvis comparable? |
TRUgamer | 16 Jul 2018 8:28 a.m. PST |
vonLoudon, I have had the opportunity to see the facility… it's flat out terrific There are 4 locations to unload your things at the LCC. -Front entry (where you check in). No stairs -Side street entrance (enough room for 8+ cars) No stairs -Garage (connected by a short walking bridge) No stairs -Rear loading docks/doors. No stairs Also, there are so many rooms in the convention center that we can have multiple secured storage locations throughout the facility. WIDE hallways throughout the facility. Plenty of carts and elevators to get to and from hotel rooms and roll right into all of the gaming areas. Did I say no stairs? (Unless you have a burning desire to lug your things up and down stairs… its not necessary!) The hotel and facility are immaculate. Someone earlier in this thread said no other nearby hotels… this is incorrect. There is also a new hotel tower opening in the spring. Multiple parking locations as well within a 2 block distance (farthest). There are numerous eateries and shopping within easy walking distance. There is a college campus right nearby and some have visited the area at night and husbands and wives have responded very positively regarding the environment. Free in and out parking for hotel guests. Otherwise $7 USD/day. Not bad at all. Hope this helps. TRU PS. I had a great convention this year… thanks to everyone who helped make this convention happen. |
historygamer | 16 Jul 2018 8:32 a.m. PST |
Joby: Congrats and thanks for all your hard work at Hcon. I think everyone greatly appreciates your efforts and those of the staff. Could you explain how GMs are going to get their stuff in and out of Lancaster Convention Center? Where do they park while they do that? Is there short term parking? Is long term parking close by? A loading/unloading area? Can they leave stuff and will there be someone to watch it? Etc. Apologies for not taking the time to go over and look at the new facility. Thanks again. :-) |
ScottWashburn | 16 Jul 2018 8:47 a.m. PST |
Actually I did have one thought about the new venue: will we be sharing it with anyone else? Walking around the place it seemed like there was a LOT more space than at the Host. Will HMGS be renting all of it? Or will there be other groups there at the same time? Not a big deal, but I fondly remember sharing the Host with a cat convention many years ago :) |
mgdavey | 16 Jul 2018 9:01 a.m. PST |
As an attendee I was also frustrated with the registration system. The pre-reg signup on the web is very counter-intuitive (IMO) and at the convention, 80% of the games seemed to be closed out by 8:30 am Saturday. Twice I wound up grabbing tickets for games that turned out to be cancelled. It's even more frustrating to hear that many games actually had open seats in spite of being sold out. Also, I understand the Host had some infrastructure issues that lead to space constraints, but the food situation this year was astonishingly horrible. |
7th Va Cavalry | 16 Jul 2018 9:01 a.m. PST |
I just go to shop so I can't comment on the games, but I do like to check them out. Beautiful terrain with so much time put into them, and yes some of the rooms were quite tropical to say the least. Food? Well I did check it out for something quick but once looking it over and eavesdropping on those who did make the purchase I chose to wait till I was heading home for a bite. My only true complaint would have to be the lighting in the flea market area. Remembering how Cold Wars was I remembered to bring my flashlight which proved quite useful. I even received offers for purchase from both buyers and sellers alike. But seriously, there are some areas you cannot see at all due to poor lighting. I guess that is why it appeared to me at least that the flea market has seemed to drop considerably in terms of sellers. On a positive note, none of the above swayed me from leaving both paper and plastic skid marks at the dealer hall. |
Skeets | 16 Jul 2018 9:13 a.m. PST |
Something is wrong with game preregistration. I was asked to participate in a 5 player game to replace one no-show. As the game was about to start two players showed up with two tickets for the game and I was asked to give up my spot. As far a the site is concerned there were a lot of improvements since my last attendance at the Host but there is a lot of improvement still to do. |
historygamer | 16 Jul 2018 9:18 a.m. PST |
I'm not a construction guy (though I played one once in a movie), but it would appear to me, based on my last visit to the Host – at the rate they are going it will take a year to finish the place. |
Dervel | 16 Jul 2018 9:22 a.m. PST |
AC was fine. Actually too cold on Wednesday evening in the Distlefink. Cannot speak about rooms, I don't stay there. I was told that many were updated by friends that did. Lighting was a challenge in many areas, believe it or not the showroom was better than Cold Wars for lights. Still dark though. The badge process was the best I have ever seen at any HMGS event based on the lack of long lines and problems. My experience, once I turned up the brightness on my phone, I got my badge in seconds from the automated scanner. The game registration process suffers from the same problem it always has, many games are full, ticket holders and pr-regs don't show. I had 50% turnout for pre-regs, but filled every session with standbys. This process really needs addressing. It also seemed like there were a lot of game cancellations on the boards Saturday, one of my friends had at least two games cancelled of the ones she pre-registered for. This is a tough nut to crack, at other conventions where they use a pay per game version it works better, but I think the outcry from our attendees would be the "whining heard round the world" if anything like that was tried at one of the HMGS conventions. The food was in my opinion not-an option on site this year, even worse than previous years. I found out the food service and kitchens had been closed, but they opened and staffed it only for the convention. Everyone I know that tried it, only did it once and complaints where many. Not to mention the prices for food were like the cinema prices for popcorn and a drink. |
Rev Zoom | 16 Jul 2018 9:35 a.m. PST |
Regarding the food service: on Thursday and Friday they took credit cards for the food; Saturday was cash only. The food they had out was cold and disgusting – any complaints was met with – literally – take it or leave it. I tried one meal of a hamburger patty and spit it out after the first bite. Totally disgusting. Bathrooms – the bathroom near D'fink had one stall on Thursday (and remained so thru Friday) that was smeared with feces on the toilet and stall walls. The stench was horrific. I stayed at Rodeway Inn (excellent! Thank you, Rodeway) but my buddies who stayed at the Host had no wifi, no hanges, no towels, no nothing. And when they compalined after not getting anything (oh, and no room cleaning) by Friday evening were told by the desk manager that they could come to the desk and be given a refund and go somewhere else. I agree about attendance looking up on Friday and way off on Saturday. Many empty tables in D'fink on Saturday. Only one of my games was cancelled – but found out five minutes before it was supposed to start. Other games I played in were good. |
LBJ1956 | 16 Jul 2018 9:49 a.m. PST |
Went up Friday afternoon and Saturday to buy and sell. Can't talk about registration for games 'cause I didn't play. We got to the Host right around 0900 Sat morning (the official opening time for sellers) for our Flea Market session. We'd been told they might open a "little" early if possible. When I checked in was told that tables were on a first come first served basis and most tables were already claimed by 0915. I've sold 6-7 times over the last few years and always had an assigned table at check in. The lighting was horrible but the elevator seemed to work just fine for my son who brought the heavy items up while I checked in. Mainly sold unpainted figs to thin the herd but the dim lighting must have been a problem for those selling painted items. That's my only real complaint about the Con itself. Glad to see pre-reg has entered the 21st century, Quick and easy. Food onsite was absolutely dreadful. Overpriced warm sodas, cold, slimy pretzels, and for God's sake, how do you screw up hotdogs? Except for the floor in the dealer area the "tennis barn" looks like it did at Fall In. A nice, unfinished, building at the bottom of a gravel quarry Nice hike up and down the hill. Maybe someone's telling us all to work out more. The golf carts were for Host guests only. Anyway, thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to put on the show. I know you probably get more "ah s&%ts" than "atta boys" but your efforts are appreciated. Thanks to the dealers who show up every year with new "shiney". Special thanks to whoever sponsored the free, lifesaving, beer Sat afternoon (MBA?). |
95th Division | 16 Jul 2018 9:54 a.m. PST |
I think it was – it used the Too Fat Lardies rules? If that's the game – it was really allot of fun. I wanted to learn those rules – Sharpe Practice – and the game really helped me understand them. Plus – the game itself was beautiful! I'm shocked – but happy – that the original players didn't show up. Maybe it was the starting time – the game ran into lunch time? Yep, it was a Sharp Practice game. Thank you for the comments and I'm glad you enjoyed the game. |
95th Division | 16 Jul 2018 9:57 a.m. PST |
Nice looking game, 95th. :-) Thank you – I appreciate the comment. |
DeRuyter | 16 Jul 2018 10:07 a.m. PST |
Food: Terrible. Friday went over to the brew pub for lunch which was worth it. AC: So cold in Dfk that I came back with long sleeves and pants on Friday! But I did notice the smaller rooms were warmer. Registration – Excellent. Scanned QR code and got through in seconds, although this was Thursday. I really don't know why anyone knowing they are going ahead of time does not pre-reg. Games: I had 4/6 players show for my Friday 10 am game but there were others there to fill the slots. Host construction is proceeding at a glacial pace. From CW to Hcon they should have easily finished the parking lot at the vendor hall, but it appeared hardly touched. Doesn't bode well for the Host. I can't imagine what other events they draw with the bad food service… I have heard great things about the downtown location, but what I do know is the food will actually be eatable and you can go offsite to eat and not lose your parking spot!! |
civildisobedience | 16 Jul 2018 10:11 a.m. PST |
The construction was obviously a pain, and the food was a pretty miserable effort. However, there is no doubt the new owners are pouring a LOT of money into the place, and while the speed of the work is a bit frustrating, it looks like when things are done, the Host will be a good spot for conventions…assuming things like the food are the result of mid-construction operating difficulties and not what they think is acceptable in the long term. I agree with others that the prereg system is a problem. As a longtime GM, I can say I'm far less interested in putting on events, because half the tickets are grabbed months in advance by people who never show. Either charge a moderate fee for tickets like Origins does, or eliminate prereg entirely. At least is someone picks up a ticket on the day of the game, they're more likely to show. This problem has only gotten worse, and the two game a day signup has exacerbated it further. This is not a problem of HMGS's making, but it's one they're going to have to deal with. Lastly…the new reg worked well. Now, if they can just manage more than one computer next time, we'll be golden. |
Duncan Adams | 16 Jul 2018 10:14 a.m. PST |
Regarding two game prereg and no shows: Based on my own experience, observations of other GMs in the club and what I've read on line, the no-show rate seems to be in the neighborhood of 50%. That is the same rate as I have been seeing over the years. My conclusion, base on a sample size of one convention, is that the two game policy didn't make it worse. It didn't make it better either. Ducan |
Neal Smith | 16 Jul 2018 10:27 a.m. PST |
I had typed up a more complete response earlier, but somehow it got eaten… :D I have to say there is something really wrong with the online game registration. I didn't get in any of the games I had asked for. The ones I did get pre-reg'd for, my wife (non-paying spouse), was ALSO signed up for the same game. Did this happen a lot? Maybe a reason for the "no-shows"? Anyway, did have a good time even though I ended up not playing much and doing mostly watching of games. Met up with friends and made a few new ones. Drank a LOT of beer… The crowd did seem lighter than I was led to believe would be showing up. Seemed like the same number of people, compared to FB, but just in a more confined space at the Host. DFink Lobby – Didn't need to put all of those games out there. There was plenty of room not being utilized in other rooms. Also, why do they need 15-20 feet of table when they only use 10 feet or so? That could save space right there… I'm impressed with all of the work the Host has been doing. I think it's going to be a really nice facility when finished. @historygamer – I think it will take even longer to finish the work! :) I didn't stay at the Host, so didn't have to worry about parking. I just walked up the hill from the Country Inn & Suites. I did think the Host staff was much better, the bartender wasn't complaining about incompetence as much and there seemed to be plenty of staff available. Won't be going downtown. I'm just NOT an early adopter… Won't be going to Valley Forge. |
Brian98 | 16 Jul 2018 10:33 a.m. PST |
Regarding Historicon 2019 at the Lancaster Convention Center, here are some comments on a few of the questions and statements above. 1. The hotel room rate at the attached Marriott hotel does not increase after the first year. The rate is fixed at $145 USD per night (plus tax) with free parking for 2019, 2020, and 2021. As a comparison, the Host offered increasing rates of $149 USD, $159 USD, and $169 USD over the same period. 2. We will not be sharing the space with anyone. We have contracted for the entire facility. 3. There is another hotel only two blocks away. I have secured a room block there as well if the Marriott sells out. 4. I understand the loading/unloading concerns for GMs since it is a new facility that we are not used to. I gave four site visits of the LCC over the past weekend, three of which were listed in the PEL. They had a piano convention going on, so we were able to see the LCC in action. We toured all of the loading areas, vendor hall, flea market, tournament and gaming spaces. The key here is communication. Joby gave a power point presentation at the membership meeting on Friday night. He and his team will be doing a lot more of that over the next year. For now, I think Joby, his staff, and all the volunteers did a great job considering what they had to work with. They deserve a nice rest. Then we'll get back to work. Hope this information helps. John Spiess Treasurer HMGS, Inc. |
cepammi | 16 Jul 2018 10:44 a.m. PST |
Went for coffee Friday morning at the Host, and the price was $2.00 USD a cup. Went again on Saturday morning and the price was $3.00 USD a cup. Still had a great time and met up with many old friends. |
Neal Smith | 16 Jul 2018 10:52 a.m. PST |
John, as I understand it, the Marriott only has 300 rooms, right? How many people come to HCon? Many more come with families than the other cons, so not as many gamers/room. At the Host, there are a lot of other hotels nearby. Parking is free. Is the other hotel's block a large one? People staying "off-site" for this one will have to drive in to downtown everyday, pay for parking, and compete with the downtown workforce for spaces (Wed/Thurs/Fri). Just something I'm worried about and maybe I'm wrong. Is there data, that looks at how many people might have to find "off-site" space? Thanks! |
WarWizard | 16 Jul 2018 10:59 a.m. PST |
John thanks for that very informative update. If I'm not jumping the gun how soon can we reserve a room for Historicon 2019? |
TSD101 | 16 Jul 2018 11:50 a.m. PST |
3. There is another hotel only two blocks away. I have secured a room block there as well if the Marriott sells out. What is the minimum number of nights you can book for to reserve a room? We tend to go up early Thursday morning and head home late Saturday evening. Will they accept 2 night stays? |
Brian98 | 16 Jul 2018 11:58 a.m. PST |
First let me say that no venue is perfect and each one will have challenges that we need to address. I would love to be able to report that there is free unlimited parking for everyone. I have given presentations on parking in downtown Lancaster at our past three conventions. I know lots of people are busy or could not attend, so here are a few more brief points… 1. The parking garages in downtown Lancaster are run by the Lancaster Parking Authority. There are about 5 garages within easy walking distance (a few blocks), and a total of 9 that we can use with over 4,000 total spaces. The data provided shows an average weekday fill rate of about 50-60% from the regular downtown business crowd. The attached Penn Square garage has 756 spaces alone and we will be given priority parking there. As a comparison, the Host had about 800 parking spaces available this past weekend. 2. As I mentioned above, our attendees staying at the Marriot will have free parking. Attendees staying elsewhere will receive daily parking vouchers for a reduced rate of $7 USD per day at any garage or lot in the city. We tried to get them to go lower, but $7 USD per day was as low as they would go. These prices are in our contract and not available to the general public so please do not go by the higher prices listed on their website. 3. The attached Marriott currently has slightly over 300 rooms and the new tower will add another 100. The nearby Hotel Lancaster has about 100 rooms of which I was able to reserve 40 for our group since its our first booking. I expect they will give us more going forward. As a comparison, the Host had about 250 rooms available to us this past weekend. 4. I will test the room block reservation system (both phone and on-line) on August 1st. We will send out a notification shorty thereafter that the room blocks are open for business. Once again, communication is key and I'm sure Joby will be sharing a lot more over the coming year than my brief snippets here. Hope this helps and best regards, John Spiess Treasurer HMGS, Inc. |
T34forU | 16 Jul 2018 12:16 p.m. PST |
Uh…free beer? And golf carts only for Host guests? That's all news to me. What was truly frustrating, was the posted signs everywhere that said "no personal coolers." Was that a pathetic attempt at making us buy the bar's beer? That'll never happen. So, that just meant a few extra walks out to the car for refills. All in all, it was another great con at the Host. My kids had fun at their first con too. |
BTCTerrainman | 16 Jul 2018 12:26 p.m. PST |
From what I have heard at different times since Fall In, the "parking lot" at the dealer hall that several have referred to is being transformed into a patio and "garden" area for their wedding facility. From what I understand the parking lot will be below the old tennis barn and has not been started yet (wondering if they plan to connect it to the entrance road that serves the outlets?). Perhaps Joby or John can confirm this? If this is the case, access for the vendors to the hall will only get more difficult for our next two shows there. This building will not work long term for out needs as it will not be designed to accommodate a show like ours and we have outgrown it. Good to see the show moving. |
robert piepenbrink | 16 Jul 2018 12:33 p.m. PST |
I have to agree about the lack of urgency in the Host's remodel. I've done a little, years ago. You allow extra time for unanticipated difficulties--but you also put on extra people or work long shifts to keep schedules. No sign of that. And it takes serious lack of planning to have the restaurant non-functional three conventions running.(I can't believe some of you guys ate there. I had the chicken caesar salad one night, which was fine as far as it went--but the Host was pretty clearly fulfilling a contractual obligation rather than trying to feed its guests.) The location and facilities of a remodeled Host could be very useful to HMGS, but I could not recommend signing a contract past the present Cold Wars 2019 until we actually see some performance. I think we've already seen enough promises. That said, everyone keep in mind that next year downtown will be chaos. First years never run smoothly. And all the reasons we left Valley Forge are still there. There are no perfect venues, but we can still have a good convention. |
Retiarius9 | 16 Jul 2018 12:47 p.m. PST |
"You boys shut right up, no need wasting your breath with long winded arguments about this, that or the other, you squawking like a bunch of old hens…." Lt ??? |
dapeters | 16 Jul 2018 1:35 p.m. PST |
I thought the host was pretty cold temperature wise. Lighting was not improved in the show room and was kind of bad in the dealer hall. Also did the dealer hall get smaller? So folks are preregistering, paying and not showing up for games? What I learned is if there a game for which you can not get a ticket then just go to it and asked I got into all the games, that I wanted and the Hobby u events as well, so what's the problem? |