WONDERFEST 2023

The show was great!
I came home with quite a bit of money in my pocket for a change. Not for lack of stuff to buy, but because I have gotten a bit more selective in my purchases. Now that I am getting my stuff unpacked and put away, I am seeing how much I have. Even with a full room to display it all in, I don't think what I have now will fit. So, adding even more is going to be problematic. Not saying I won't buy more stuff, just that what I buy will really have to grab me.

It was great spending some time with my daughter. Not as much as I had hoped. Especially since we weren't rooming together for the first time. And I only found that out the weekend before, so it was a bit of a surprise.
I did really miss seeing a lot of the normal attendees that couldn't make it this year. I could rattle off a list of names but I would still forget many, so I am not even going to try. Let's just say there were a lot of people missing this year. But, there were also a few who managed to make it that haven't been there in a few years, so there is that. Also, I got to meet and talk with new people. That is always a great thing.
It was also a bummer not having some of the usual vendors at the show.  I felt that other than a couple vendors a lot of the room felt samey-same. I know a lot of people had new stuff, but none of it really hit in my wheel-house so it didn't really resonate and stick in my head.

This year's show was huge. Vendors were really happy. Contest had record entries. The tables in the hallway sold out of food at one point on Saturday. I think we were pretty much at capacity for this venue. At least on Saturday. Sunday seemed like a waste-land in comparison, but I heard from a few vendors who were very happy with their Sunday sales. It always amazes me at the hotels ability to screw things up for their biggest convention. Starting a remodel the week before the show instead of waiting one more week. I heard terrible reviews of the hotel restaurant again. From slow service to horrible portions and quality. As well as poor selection. Having nothing in the rooms still bugs me as well. No paper, pens, room service menu. I don't even know if they still do room service. No list of local attractions. Nothing. Also I never figured out how to reset the clock in the room. I had to keep adding 40 minutes to the time to have an idea what time it actually was.
I wish the show could find a more hospitable venue. Sure it probably wouldn't have a cool area for the Embassy, but something bigger with more options would be awesome.

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