9:00 am – We enter the model room and check out this year’s winning selections. Not surprisingly, that huge diorama I highlighted in a previous post won People’s Choice. If you haven’t seen all of this year’s selections, you should definitely go back and check it out. It’s heavy on photos and light on narrative (like this post). There are a lot of medalists, and I confess I don’t know all the categories that they were judged on.

10 am – We finish packing our things into the car and check out of the hotel. We then head down to the Art Gallery (not to be confused with the Display Room or Artist’s Alley). Somehow, I missed seeing this room despite being at the event all weekend. It’s dedicated to fan art submissions and, like the model room, also had selected its winners.

10:15 am – We see there is still a line to get G-FEST merch. Although there’s barely anything left to buy. The vendor room also has a line, though it isn’t quite as ferocious as the day before.

11 am – Although there are more panels scheduled throughout the day, Luke misses his girlfriend, and I miss my cat. He, Danny, and I decide to go home while Alex and his girlfriend, Jadelynn, remain. 

Every year I attend an event; I write myself notes on things that can be improved for next year. Here’s what I wrote down after this year’s G-FEST…

1. Get to G-FEST on a Thursday and never leave once you get there.
2. Get in line and do the Dealer Room on Friday…do NOT go anywhere near that room on Saturday.
3. Bring a cushion for my butt – those Hyatt seats are murder after a while.
4. Always do the breakfast buffet despite the price. Load up and coast until dinner (no lunch); you’ll have stamina, save time, and probably save money by avoiding those “convenient” hotel grab-and-go foods.
5. If you want any official G-FEST merchandise, FOMO is not only real, but also justified. Bite the bullet and stand in line on Friday; it’ll be gone before you know it. In many ways, the same can be said for the vendor room.

We all agreed that despite the lines, this was one of the best G-FEST’s we’ve ever attended. Luke and Alex both said a week later how much they missed being there. As for myself, I would be returning to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in less than two weeks to assist the horror host, Svengoolie, at Flashback Weekend. Which brings us to my next series.

Coming up…Flashback Weekend!

~David