VisionCon Recap

Over the weekend, I ventured down to Missouri for VisionCon. Mainly, I went to finally meet a guy I’d played with online for the first time. Secondly, I went to chow on some BBQ he’d told me about on numerous occasions. The convention was a tertiary reason and mostly a good excuse to visit. Visiting a convention with ulterior motives is just my style.

I prepared games I didn’t run. I didn’t join games I intended to play. In fact, I didn’t play or run anything over the entire weekend. Why? Because I chose not too. I could have taken the opportunity but honestly, I wanted to meet and spend time with the folks I’d heard about for over a year.

VisionCon isn’t a huge event but the folks running it had to bust their butts to pull it off. They are a dedicated bunch. Everyone of the organizers I met was handling multiple tasks at once. They juggled well and for the most part, things ran smoothly. The hiccups were minor and quickly resolved.

I didn’t ask for final stats but my estimate around 1100-1300 people attended. Gamers of all sizes, shapes, and interest. Lots of cool costumes. The featured guest list was broad. I didn’t meet them all but got to chat with Kevin Siembieda (Palladium, Rifts, etc) and Jolly Blackburn (Hackmaster, etc.) over lunch on Saturday.

I bought a VIP ticket just so I could get some of the delicious BBQ they featured for the guests of honor. Honestly, I could have gotten it anyway knowing the cooks and having met them before the convention even opened. The VIP events actually overrode the one game I signed up for in advance. I probably missed a cool game. Timing just didn’t quite work out.

The folks of the Visionary Guild have hospitality nailed. Every time I rounded a corner, one of the people I’d met asked if I need anything. Seriously, I couldn’t walk 100 yards without bumping into someone I’d met even in passing checking to see how I was doing. Great people doing whatever they could to ensure I was happy.

What was truly unexpected as the hotel staff. I’ve spent a lot of weeks on the road for work and have never come across a hotel run as well as the Howard Johnson in Springfield, MO. From the front desk greeting me throughout the weekend, they went above and beyond to make the stay awesome. When is the last time you stayed somewhere and had the house-keeping staff double check you needed anything? Ever? How about the maintenance guy walking by and asking how your stay was? The guy at checkout asking how the experience was for the convention he didn’t even work and asking for feedback? The staff actually care and wanted to make the stay pleasant. The hotel itself is aging but the people made my visit phenomenal. I felt at home.

I’ll definitely be returning next year. I’ll have a different agenda the second time around.