VCF Midwest is the last VCF of the year for me and typically is a great time to start thinking of and planning winter projects. I have some mixed feelings. On one hand, it's the largest VCF. On the other, it's the LARGEST VCF. VCFMW grew this year use what I believe is the entire convention show floor of the Schaumburg Convention Center. What I find amazing is that even after spending two full days there, I see things in other attendees photos or videos that I did not catch. It seems like the first few hours are the most hectic, but also when the booths are the most stocked and resourced. Exhibitors will walk the floor themselves and take breaks, items for sale can quickly get snagged, and some equipment being demo'd may be taken down or hidden when the exhibitor steps away.
My approach has been to scan the entire show floor right in the first 20 or so minutes and then do a second pass. After that I step out to process the stimulant overload. I pretty much do that in cycles for the rest of the weekend slowing down each time to observe more and more of the exhibits. Some of the deepest conversations are close to closing time on Sunday, which I know must be taxing for exhibitors. I can only imagine what my social battery would be at after running a booth for two days. The bar was raised this year when a replica of the Steve Jobs garage was erected and you could replicate the original Steve Jobs Apple I workbench photo.
Going to the other VCF events this year helped me hone in on interesting systems. That made it easier to find interesting exhibits to spend more time with at VCFMW -- I already knew what I was looking at and could appreciate it more.
It's a weekend full of traditions that we've added to over the years. Special call out to the Village Tavern in Schaumburg and their World's Best Chicken Tenders. When I first moved out on my own, I lived in Schaumburg and this place would be a weekly visit.
For example, I spent time playing a tank battle game on a Sharp X68000. I first learned about the X6800 at VCFPNW). I also picked up a PowerBook 2400c which I first saw at VCFSoCal). Same with the Pippin - there were 3 on display at VCFMW including a modified one with a BlueSCSI and a custom image that includes a menu-based system with the entire Pippin game library.
I have noticed a steady increase in the quality of the talks over the years. Generally at any given event there are maybe a few talks that catch my eye. It seemed like at any given time over the weekend there was a talk going on that seemed worth attending or catching later on their YouTube Channel. I came home with some nice stickers and a PowerBook 2400c. It was a good weekend.
