After hosting the Midwest Gaming Classic the last two years, the MGC has announced that it will once again return to the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel in 2012. The hotel features more convention space than nearly every other hotel in the area as well as offering a great location for those arriving by either ground or air.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first stint that the Midwest Gaming Classic has had in the Sheraton. Back in 2004, the MGC was able to book the Wisconsin rooms where the museum now resides as well as the Moorland rooms in the basement where the Community Hall now resides. This left the entire center of the Sheraton closed off to the MGC where the arcade hall and vendor areas now reside, presenting a major challenge to the show’s organizers to ensure the show didn’t feel too disjointed!
The 2004 MGC was notable for many things including special guest Billy Mitchell setting the public world record for Donkey Kong with Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day officiating – a fact that was interestingly omitted from the King of Kong movie filming at this time that painted Billy Mitchell as someone that never played in public events.
Unfortunately, the show also had large last minute costs overruns which forced the MGC organizers to miss a show in 2005. This is the first and only time the MGC has skipped a year since its founding in 2001.
After a long run beginning in 2006 at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, it had been assumed by many that the MGC would continue there. However, growing space needs meant that a larger venue was required and the management at the Sheraton presented the most compelling case. The staff there has been incredibly accommodating for us, even going so far as to allow us to use their bar area for guest speakers, holding table top gaming in the front lobby, and even suggesting the “MGC-dots” lining the hallways to help guests navigate the many different MGC events.
We look forward to seeing you again at the Sheraton in 2012, where I’m sure we’ll figure out even more ways of fitting in all things gaming!