Possibly surprising absolutely nobody, the last full weekend in March is once again the planned dates for the Midwest Gaming Classic 2012! That means the show will take place March 24 & 25 with certain festivities beginning Friday night, March 23.
Why March? Well, for one thing it is cold outside! Seriously, since video games is obviously something that lends itself well to a nice temperature-controlled room, the March dates have made sense in the past since there is less likelihood the show will interfere with outdoor activities like sports, concerts or the dreaded wonderful wedding date. Seriously, one wedding could throw a major monkey wrench into MGC planning if the wedding was for a friend of the close-knit MGC organizers.
The other big reason for why the MGC switched from June dates to March is because it is incredibly difficult to book an entire hotel or convention center during the spring and summer months when so many other conventions – and especially weddings – take place. In fact, the 2008 MGC moved to the March dates because we simply couldn’t get the entire Olympia Resort due to weddings. Every weekend had literally been booked with one wedding or another. After packing the entire convention center in 2007, going backwards and shrinking the show to maintain our June dates just wasn’t an option.
Beyond troubles booking space, simple economics also contributed to the move. The high rates for booking convention space are often at their lowest in the late winter and early spring months. Similarly, advertising rates also decrease during the same period, meaning our limited advertising budget could be spread further in March than say June.
Although no set of dates are perfect for everyone, the show did continue its upward trend in attendance from its inaugural show in 2001 to its first March dates in 2008, a trend that continues even now through the latest show in 2011. These dates will continue for the foreseeable future: the Midwest Gaming Classic has dates booked through 2016 thanks to your continued support!