"Historicon 2021 Room Block?" Topic

Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but does anyone know when rooms will be available to book for Historicon 2021?

I ask because I believed it opened up in August 2019 for Historicon 2020.

Don't know, but given current vectors, I wouldn't be surprised to see that you are being overly optimistic for even 2021.

Thresher, I don't think they're allowed to cancel the convention until someone has blocked out vacation time with his family and his boss and reserved a room in the motel. (Also someone has to build a custom board he only has room to set up at the convention, and someone has to fill a full set of crates for the flea market, but those can be other people.)

It all up the Lawyers and Insurance companies, if you will be allowed to have a event.

I hope I'm wrong.

I wonder if the hotels are even open? I also wonder why HMGS keeps picking the weekend after a national holiday too. Conventional wisdom used to hold that as less than an ideal weekend for a con.

Motels are open, historygamer, and it's easy to find a room. I went to the former Waterford Estates Lodge in honor of the SYWA Convention, and it was very nice. No problem parking, no screaming kids in the hallways and no problem getting a seat in the house restaurant.

As for the HMGS formerly known as East, I refuse to speculate. I don't think they want me back anyway.

The 2021 Convention Director hasn't been voted on by the board yet. That meeting is this coming Sunday I believe. Once a Director is chosen the room block will get set up.

historygamer, each year the convention creeps closer to the Holiday. I think when they signed for 3 years they didn't realize it was getting this close. We've been negotiating an extention into 2022 and 2023 and the dates are pushed back 2 weeks starting in 2022 to get HCon back to where it historically has been.

Joby

Joby – Good to hear. Conventional wisdom would hold that the further away from the 4th, the better the chance for greater attendance.

If you're willing to continue, HMGS would be nuts not continue with you as CD.

Best of luck to you. :-)

Conventional wisdom would hold that the further away from the 4th, the better the chance for greater attendance.

It seems that few people remember that Historicon's best attendance years occurred when it was the third or fourth weekend of July. Though other factors have surely been at play, yearly attendance numbers show a clear difference before and after 2010's Valley Forge Historicon July 8th through 11th.

Duncan

One of the most frustrating things about HMGS is how it seems to lose corporate knowledge and lessons learned every few years, thus constantly reinventing the wheel, as it were.

One of the most frustrating things about HMGS is how it seems to lose corporate knowledge and lessons learned every few years, thus constantly reinventing the wheel, as it were.

I would imagine a lot of that has to do with the rotating of board members. They can only serve a certain number of years, correct?

There will be an email going out early this coming week about the room block opening. I'm waiting for a final response from the hotel. They aren't back up to full staff so we're working with someone new on their end to work out the details.

And yes TSD, board members can only serve 6 years but I believe there's a committee made up of the current and past presidents that sometimes meets.

Part of the problem is there's really nothing in writing to be passed on and some of what did exist is obsolete. When I was first chosen to run Hcon there was almost no documentation from previous years that I could draw from (and if I don't get my act together there won't be any to pass on to the next person). Making a serious attempt to address this is something that HMGS would really benefit from.

Joby

Joby – Just means you can't leave!

John

One of the most frustrating things about HMGS is how it seems to lose corporate knowledge and lessons learned every few years, thus constantly reinventing the wheel, as it were.

nor how no one in HMGS owns a calendar app that can show many years into the future?!

Joby:

Years ago, then board president Jay Hadley worked on a set of SOPs for HMGS. I thought at least some of them were done. But, probably like the GM carts purchased many years back, they too have disappeared.

The apparent loss of corporate knowledge aside (which makes no sense as many of the people populating the boards over the past many years have been around for a while), a simple look at a calendar might help when considering scheduling what used to be our largest convention the weekend after one of the most heavily travelled holidays of the year – July 4th. As Duncan pointed out, the highest attendance for Hcon was achieved in late July. A quick look at the attendance history of Hcon would show that attendance started to decline when the location and date were moved to the weekend after the 4th. It has never come back.

Covid aside, I see no reason why they changed the dates other than later July dates might not have been available at some of the new venues. Along that same thought process, Fall In was usually scheduled to make use of the Veteran's Day holiday date. That too seems to have gone by the boards.

It's kind of ironic that a corporation dedicated to promoting the study of history somehow can't seem to remember its own.

Thanks for all your hard work. :-)

The preferred dates for Historicon weren't available. Same with Fall-In. The contract extensions currently being worked on will hopefully remedy that.
There are a lot of moving parts and the process can be very time consuming and frustrating to say the least. The sarcasm really isn't helpful.
Let's hope that conventions in 2021 will get back on track.

Brian:

I appreciate the update, but since HMGS has not provided for a membership forum (it could on Facebook if it wanted to) to ask such questions, members are reduced to posting on here in hopes of an answer. I'm sorry if you feel offended, but it does seem to some of us that HMGS reinvents the wheel every couple of years.

It's a shame that HMGS keeps finding itself spending tens of thousands of dollars on venues that can't provide the preferred dates, and then wonders why attendance has declined over the years.

I realize finding the right venue has been an on-going challenge too. Not that you likely care, but I've never been a fan of the convention facilities. Personally, I feel such facilities lose something that further hurts attendance. No doubt, opinions may vary.

However, I do appreciate all the people that volunteer their time, you included. :-)

Why do I feel it's not important right now?

"HMGS has not provided for a membership forum"

I thought they did? It just not utilizes by anyone. I asked BOD members and other questions and don't hear back.

"Why do I feel it's not important right now?"

Well, it isn't until it is. Then it's too late for any input, changes, etc. My guess/hope is that HCON 2021 is the first we can really hope for as a return to HMGS cons.

I do find it odd that over the years HMGS keeps getting stuck with dates that it really doesn't want. Fall In was supposed to take place in October this year which was obviously not the preferred date. Once FI took place on Halloween weekend. This situation long precedes the present BoD, though the results are often the same.

My own take is that HMGS has painted itself into a corner requiring space that it really doesn't need anymore – space that ends up leading it to convention centers. As I said, I'm not a fan of those. Again, opinions may vary. :-)

There are just too many limiting factors on our end and the number of available facilities is declining. New hotels aren't really being built with event space. Rehabbing older hotels often reduces event space that has them. Convention facilities are becoming the only real option. Enough space is THE essential issue unless we're happy with excluding people. After that all those moving parts have to be prioritized. Dates are one of the things we have flexibility on. A superior facility that has availability within a week or two each way of our preferred date makes the cut, moving Hcon to early September isn't really an option.

Like Brian98 posted, there's a ton of other factors that weigh against each other, hotel availability, attached hotel availability, parking availability, geographic location etc. I know many of you know this and not everyone is going to agree as to how to prioritize. One of our biggest limiting factors is geographic location. Columbus, OH, Indianapolis, IN, Milwaukee, WI all have superior facilities but aren't suitable for us. (I did a site selection tour with GAMA a few years back. Cincinnati, St. Louis, Nashville all have fine facilities also but again aren't geographically compatible.)

After all that there is the cost and even though it seems like we have a lot in the bank. I think we're finding out right now how vulnerable it is. The board will tell you that I'm not shy about speaking up when I think they can improve on a process but, despite what might have been a lack of communication about the process, I think they did a good job with Hcon site selection (I'm not involved in the other cons.)

That said, if anyone thinks they've found a place we should look into as an alternative let us know, post it here if you're not sure who to send it too. I like the LCCC but if someone found a better place I'd like that too. :)

I post this because it's relevant to the direction the conversation is going and not as an excuse for any lack of documentation.

Joby

Well, to bring it back to the OP, the subject was hotel rooms for HCON which are extremely limited when times are good. Or perhaps it really isn't about the hotel rooms so much as the limitations of access and parking at the LCCC for those not staying on site. It is a very nice facility especially "if" you are staying at one of the adjoining hotels – almost mandatory if you are a GM and/or selling stuff in the flea market.

I do respectfully disagree about the space requirements though. By not better managing the gaming areas, HMGS has painted itself into a corner requiring all kinds of space and tables for games that never show up. HMGS also often struggles to fill the vendor area as well. And those are an HMGS problem, not a particular convention CD's problem.

I agree, it's a hard problem. I'm just saying that I don't believe all the space that HMGS thinks it needs is really needed these days. It is also possible that due to all the limitations you listed, that smaller cons now have more flexibility to meet the needs of the hobby as well.

I'm going through some of the same issues with an organization that I run. Sometimes it is hard to step out of the box to re-examine things and consider other options. Perhaps it might be time for HMGS to consider doing that. I know I am.

Still, I fully support HMGS and wish all our cons well.

My own take is that HMGS has painted itself into a corner requiring space that it really doesn't need anymore – space that ends up leading it to convention centers. As I said, I'm not a fan of those. Again, opinions may vary. :-)

Might be time to take a hard look at limiting the overall numbers of available tables and games. This past Cold Wars was a prime example. Even if Covid hadn't been a factor, 50% of those tables wouldn't have been utilized.

The Historicon rooms opened at noon EST on 8/28. Link on the Historicon webpage.

link

Got mine!

Out of any doubles. Is this really the best facility we can do to put on what was once our flagship con?

historygamer, when I came on the choices were the LCCC, the Host, or Valley Forge. This was hands down the best option.

As I said on another thread, if anyone has an option they think should be looked at please share. I'm not asking anyone to do a site visit or anything, just share anyplace that you think addresses the shortcomings of our current facility and I'll look into it and share what I learn with you all.

Like in previous years, there will be rooms at the Holiday Inn a couple blocks away and HMGS will again be covering the cost of parking for people that have to commute from nearby hotels.

Joby

Hi Joby,
Just to clarify a bit, The convention center in Fredericksburg was also available but their contract offer was over $60,000 USD more expensive than the LCC. And that was without the carpet.
Keep up the good work.

This has nothing to do with Joby being a good CD. He is.

But I'm a GM. The LCC is not a good venue unless you are staying at the Marriott, plain and simple. The joke amongst some of the other GMs is that there will be spike in Air, naval and desert games for those dragging in and out scenary, not staying on site. Minimal terrain.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that calling 50 minutes after the room block opens and I can't a double. Ridiculous. I'm not dragging my stuff across the town center of Lancaster to get there. Sorry. I bring a lot of stuff to put on the best game I possibly can.

I can't speak for the numbers, but the Host, for gamemasters hauling stuff in and out, and/or people bring stuff into a flea market, is hands down a million times better than the LCC. Makes me wonder if the two of you ever ran games at an HMGS convention. Sorry. I'm mad that I can't support the organization I've belong to since the late 80s. I did try. Good luck with your con.

The lack of double beds in rooms is getting more prevalent at Wargames cons across the country
This is crazy
1-4 people occupancy but 1 bed
What are we ; The Three Stooges,
Clif

I travel a lot for my job and find that there are more King beds than the double rooms. This holds out with many hotels who are amongst my clients. The location of the hotel and expected guest types are the biggest factor on decisions on double beds vs single beds. I imagine there is not regularly a huge call for double rooms in downtown Lancaster (although I think the new tower was almost all doubles). In any case, I found this article interesting: link

BTC thanks
Clif

You can get three or four guys in a king size bed…just have to layer the covers like a giant lasagna noodle. Ya know…one under, one on top, one under, one on top….

LOL….just kidding….that was a brief flashback to my younger days when we would get 12 guys in a double at the Lancaster Host. Ah, such (foul) memories….!

Yeah, our noble leader would get two adjoining rooms. (He knew and schmoozed everybody at the Host). Usually one to a bed, two if you were really friends and then the bodies piled up on the empty floor sections. It was a common courtesy not to step on anyone in the middle of the night. About as cheap for a berth as you could get. Good times. Good friends.