"Hcon 18: Last Stand of the Lancaster Host?" Topic

I copied and pasted my H'con 2018 report from my AAR (a PDF) here. No photos, just the text about games I umpired and played in, observations, and other items of interest. The full PDF ran to 23 pages, so I split it up depending on the topic. This is my impression of the Host. --RL

Musings About The Host

The trip on Wednesday afternoon to the mighty, mighty Lancaster Host -- as in it's taking a mighty, mighty long time to renovate the place -- proved uneventful. Check in was a breeze and my room was a fully renovated one, which was a welcome change from my Cold Wars 'classic' room -- as in the carpets and beds hadn't been changed since the Kennedy Administration. Nope, my room looked modern, the plumbing worked, and the A/C worked. Room rate was $139 USD, plus taxes.

The hole in the ground next to the dealer area (what used to be the Golf Pro Shop and a parking lot) remains a hole in the ground. The Host's original front entrance (where steps were) remains a hole in the ground. The ballrooms remain in their Kennedy Administration glory and the Flea Market (theater) remains a darkened cave despite alleged lighting improvements, which might mean they changed the 25-watt bulbs for 40-watt bulbs.

Parking probably proved challenging given all the equipment and storage containers parked all over the place. For our own efforts, we parked on Wednesday and didn't move the car.

The air conditioning worked well in the entire complex, helped by relatively modest temperatures. Let me also praise the new tables that replaced the splintered specials of yore (these tables were also at Cold Wars).

The Food

Ugh. And I'm being kind. No pig roast. No brisket. No fried chicken. Not even deli sandwiches. Nope, just hot dogs and hamburgers and noodles in marinara sauce. After Wednesday and Thursday night of that, ahem, stuff, we walked to fast food, which was the height of haute cuisine for the convention.

As for the glorious buffet breakfast, it's the same overpriced, tasteless stuff (except for the bacon -- the one anomaly in the buffet) as always, just with worse service.

The coffee, bad at Cold Wars, is so bitter, I brought a Mr. Coffee and brewed my own. The waitress said Host coffee was "a sister brew to Starbucks." I retorted, "It's the ugly stepsister who shouldn't be at the ball."

The biggest tragedy: the bar still doesn't have any taps. The hotel put up signs banning personal coolers in public areas. HMGS didn't have to call the constable, or at least I didn't hear about it.

I guess we were also lucky, for the icemaker near our room actually worked. I heard around the con other of the fancy machines did not.

Future HMGS East Shows

FYI: Fall In 2018 and Cold Wars 2019 are at the Host, but Historicon 2019 is at the Marriott in downtown Lancaster and Fall In 2019 is at Valley Forge.

I think technically the Host's Last Stand is Cold Wars 2019, actually. And I think the Biggest Tragedy Award goes to putting the Flea market in the Black Hole of Lancaster--at midnight.

We'll see. I couldn't recommend anything further there in its present condition, but the building design and location are so good for our purposes that I hope the BOD doesn't write them off until Fall In, or maybe even Cold Wars. We can get expensive restaurants within walking distance a lot of places, but if we wind up having trouble unloading games or flea market merchandise, it's going to be a very bad trade-off.

You actually are being kind about the food. I ate "dinner" at the restaurant Thursday night and I think my chicken had been prepared sometime in the late 18th/early 19th century and then kept under a hot lamp for the intervening period. My brother ordered a hamburger, cold & stale bun, and French fries, which they had "run out of" so they substituted instant mashed potatoes and something which purported to be gravy. Thankfully there was plentiful beer to aid in digesting the "food."

I still can't believe people fell for that food line. Even the Arby's was better, and it's not a good Arby's. The Host really was serving a "limited menu" sit-down dinner, and not a bad one. It was a stealth restaurant, though: they did almost nothing to point out to people that they were still in the business.

And one of the cooks took me on a tour of the kitchen. There was quite literally nothing there but bare walls. EVERYTHING eaten at the Host that weekend was prepared off site and then warmed up--especially the soft drinks. The cook swore blind he'd seen the new equipment, it was in town and in six weeks they'd be good. I told him I'd heard that one once or twice already, but since I already have reservations for Fall In and Cold Wars, I'm going to find out first-hand regardless.

Myself, I think the Host can remember how to prepare food faster than the con directors can get me a three or four hour horse and musket wargame in the evenings. And trust me, if the games and dealer's hall don't improve, eventually NO facility will make it worth the trip. But we'll see.

I've never eaten at the Host. I find it hard to believe anyone would. Great space to run games however.

As for forgetting the Host, I don't think the BOD is forgetting the Host I think the Host is planning on pricing itself out of contention.

When it comes to The Host, I already used the phrase "The Last Historicon" (with credit to "Star Wars" and "The Last Jedi") in another post.

After Fall In 2018 and Cold Wars 2019, HMGS might be done with The Host for good.

We'll see.

After these gloomy reports, but not unanticipated from previous events and my own cancellation of Historicon I may not be at a con until sometime in 2020. I will probably check out the Hampton/Williamsburg cons. I still see problems with the new site but time will tell and I will check out the reports as they come in. In my mind conventions were to be a time of fun and relaxation with friends and not an ordeal. I don't want anyone to be put off by what I think either. But certain parameters will have to be met before I spend any more money at a convention. I will still be a dues paying HMGs member however.

I have never eaten anything other than a hot dog, and that was several years ago, at The Host. I always eat off site.

Back in the late 80s or early 90s I was at a convention at The Host and I swear the chicken was still clucking. It was literally a piece of raw chicken on the plate.

It might be the same chicken that Lascaris had this time. Maybe it finally finished cooking…

"I have never eaten anything other than a hot dog, and that was several years ago, at The Host. I always eat off site."

I think they were serving hot dogs at Historicon that were left over from that batch.

I had the tuna salad sandwich all three days in the dealer hall; I'm still upright, so it was ok.

I eat breakfast at my hotel or at IHOP, I ate dinner at the Texas Road House, Olive Garden, Rudy Tuesdays and a nice little pub Doug from BTC took me to, the location of which we'll keep to ourselves………………..

Problem solved.

And the Host is being turned into a Wedding/Banquet facility, it's no longer a convention center……….not that it every really was one.

I'd be shocked if we are there beyond Cold Wars 2019 (if that)……………….

Its kinda sad that the Host seems to refuse to better itself.

I also had a very raw piece of chicken. I said "I'm not eating this."

It was bought back to me and I was told "The red is "sauce".

Really.

A number of very useful posts from Russ, thanks.

Ok. I have never been to Historicon or any other convention. I am actually thinking of going for the first time next year.

What I cannot understand is why HMGS simply doesn't move the convention to another site if the host location is so inadequate for the needs? If the site cannot accommodate the convention any longer in a manner necessary for a successful event, move it.

Change is good and often times necessary for the success not only of a convention, but for the growth and evolution of the group sponsoring and organizing the event.

ccmatty – very simple answer is money. There are very few facilities that can handle the requirements of an HMGS con for the money we are willing to pay to attend.

I actually heard people saying "Can we go back to Fredericksburg?" The Host is NOT a convention hotel, it's a golf resort with a comedy club that also handles weddings and banquets. At least the air conditioning work the whole weekend. Didn't try the food, so I can't comment on that.

Dynaman, there are more issues than just cost. People keep suggesting venues that would be just fine except for the fact that their exhibit halls are unionized (remember, that's what killed Baltimore). All of our dealers are small businesses. They can't really afford to pay two union guys a four-hour minimum to sit and watch them set up their booths, and another four-hour minimum (at time-and-a-half) to watch them tear down.

Union fees come under "money we are willing to pay"

With close to $400,000 USD cash in hand perhaps someone needs to look at the "money we are willing to pay" and find/engage a decent venue.

It would be a better use of funds than "redesigning the HMGS Logo".

Why would anyone risk their health to the food at the Host when there's plenty of delivery options a phone call away?

"What I cannot understand is why HMGS simply doesn't move the convention to another site if the host location is so inadequate for the needs? If the site cannot accommodate the convention any longer in a manner necessary for a successful event, move it."

They are moving it; to the Lancaster Convention Center in downtown Lancaster for 2019.

Fall In 2018 is being held there, as is Cold Wars 2019(for now; I'd be shocked if it's held there), Fall In is moving to Valley Forge in 2019.

The board is not just sitting on their hands allowing The Host to jerk us around, they are moving two of the three conventions out of there in 2019.

For the new owners to do virtually nothing with the dealer hall parking situation since Cold Wars tells me they either are using one worker to do the renovations or they simply don't give a

I'll go with the latter.

Imagine the disaster trying to unload/load/park during a snowstorm or with snow on the ground at Cold Wars 2019.

Hopefully we won't find out what a shitshow that would be.

Thank Christ.

Still don't get the attraction for Valley Forge no one I every talked to liked it there? I know its closer for the North group but the area is very congested.

I am hoping because it is so early but the Casino Tower, at Valley Forge, is showing $500.00 USD a night for a room on the weekend of Fall In 2019. It lets you act as if you are booking it. Other hotels usually don't allow you to get that far if it is too far in advance for the registration system.

The Radisson is cheaper, I think $170 USD, but has bad reviews online due to various issues.

Even with a cheaper hotel price, which I imagine will be posted either later this year or early next, I don't know if I will do that one. The area was a mess with traffic when Historicon was there and from what people are saying online there is a lot more security issues out there now.

We have been through this a million times. Unfortunately there are not many places that meet the space requirements of what we have utilized, nor the accommodations we have grown to expect over the past 25 years. Things will have to change for the shows to continue.

Our options are rather limited since venues that meet the space requirements are few and/or cost much more than we are accustomed to. To try and stay in venues that are similar to what we are used to (but smaller) will require us to give something up. What will that be? Non historical games and related? Tournaments? Flea Market? Vendors (least likely since vendors pay approximately 40% of the show costs)?

In the end costs will need to go up and our options are limited. How do we change our shows to still meet the main needs/requirements and fit into venues that match our desires?

Otherwise folks will have to drive more, pay more for entry, deal with parking decks and downtown situations, or pay more for rooms.

Not an easy decision. I am confident that the BOD is considering everything and doing their best to keep our shows alive. I do not envy their situation and appreciate their work.