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MFF 2022 Report
3 years ago
I hadn't even realized we've gone to four MFFs in a row now! It's the one big con I get to go to each year (at least so far), so they're always memorable experiences.
Funny how MFF is so exciting when the drive there is so boring! Just billboards, Cracker Barrels and churches to see. Well I did like seeing the marijuana dispensaries along the way.
Clearly a huge chunk of people get in the con Thursday, it took me two hours to get through the covid vaxx check line, but a friend told me when he went down to reg Friday morning it was practically empty. Thursdays are always spent wandering around and refamiliarizing myself with the con layout. I think this year I've finally got my mental map of the convention center space down. Objectively the largest furry convention in the world...doesn't use a lot of it. Some folks want the con to move but I doubt we'll ever outgrow the Donald Stephens Convention Center. The hotel room situation on the other hand, now THAT is a shitshow.
This was the first year I did the 'meet up with people I've only talked to online' thing. I used to scoff at that but I get it! For some of us it's not easy finding people we're on the same wavelength with. If we find a friend that just happens to live across the country, so be it. These friends are from Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington state. In another life where it wasn't such a pain in the ass for me to get vacation time maybe I'd go to these places.
I for one like the chaos of MFF, because I'm not bored. I liked sometimes just walking around and seeing what cute suits I stumbled across. Saw more than a few of the fandom's 'popufurs' but didn't feel the urge to get photos or anything. Unfortunately didn't get to say hi to all the locals I know, but with 13,000 attendees I had a good excuse.
Didn't attend as many panels as I wanted to but I did do well at karaoke. I wasn't nearly as nervous doing that as I was last year. I thank my therapists and my consistent work on my own self-confidence.
Got Shiny Sponsor again and enjoyed the Shiny Sponsor reception like always. If you don't know, that's a meal served inside Ventanas, a restaurant at the very top of the Hyatt that has huge open windows and rotates so you can see the Chicago skyline. You can totally see downtown from there! But most importantly, they served sushi. :P The Hyatt's breakfast buffet is delicious and I took advantage of that every morning except Saturday (that's Sponsor Brunch day). Not cheap though at about $25/person. The dinner buffet is EXTREMELY mediocre.
Went to the Dealer's Den a couple times and got a few prints. I'm kind of running out of space in the house to be getting a bunch of merchandise anymore. Barely got to browse Artists' Alley as there was actually a long line to enter the space. I'm not sure if the new Fursuit Corner was a success...they seemed pretty isolated in that little room.
Didn't Gopher (volunteer) like I thought I would either, but I did help security a bit Sunday night as the con was closing. Got worried for the suiters outside the front of the Hyatt, they were dangerously close to the cars picking up/dropping off people.
This is the second year we've stayed to Monday and the first I decided to explore before we left Monday afternoon. Sucks going from seeing hundreds of colorful animals to everyone congregating dragging their luggage. It looked so...normal ;_; The drive home was uneventful, getting everything out of the car a little more of an adventure. I actually haven't suffered from much PCD. Thursday night through Monday morning is enough time for me to look forward to getting back home. And we've got a dog and cat waiting for us!
So I'd give my MFF 2022 experience a 12/10! I love my one time of the year wear I willingly throw myself into the chaos. <3
Funny how MFF is so exciting when the drive there is so boring! Just billboards, Cracker Barrels and churches to see. Well I did like seeing the marijuana dispensaries along the way.
Clearly a huge chunk of people get in the con Thursday, it took me two hours to get through the covid vaxx check line, but a friend told me when he went down to reg Friday morning it was practically empty. Thursdays are always spent wandering around and refamiliarizing myself with the con layout. I think this year I've finally got my mental map of the convention center space down. Objectively the largest furry convention in the world...doesn't use a lot of it. Some folks want the con to move but I doubt we'll ever outgrow the Donald Stephens Convention Center. The hotel room situation on the other hand, now THAT is a shitshow.
This was the first year I did the 'meet up with people I've only talked to online' thing. I used to scoff at that but I get it! For some of us it's not easy finding people we're on the same wavelength with. If we find a friend that just happens to live across the country, so be it. These friends are from Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington state. In another life where it wasn't such a pain in the ass for me to get vacation time maybe I'd go to these places.
I for one like the chaos of MFF, because I'm not bored. I liked sometimes just walking around and seeing what cute suits I stumbled across. Saw more than a few of the fandom's 'popufurs' but didn't feel the urge to get photos or anything. Unfortunately didn't get to say hi to all the locals I know, but with 13,000 attendees I had a good excuse.
Didn't attend as many panels as I wanted to but I did do well at karaoke. I wasn't nearly as nervous doing that as I was last year. I thank my therapists and my consistent work on my own self-confidence.
Got Shiny Sponsor again and enjoyed the Shiny Sponsor reception like always. If you don't know, that's a meal served inside Ventanas, a restaurant at the very top of the Hyatt that has huge open windows and rotates so you can see the Chicago skyline. You can totally see downtown from there! But most importantly, they served sushi. :P The Hyatt's breakfast buffet is delicious and I took advantage of that every morning except Saturday (that's Sponsor Brunch day). Not cheap though at about $25/person. The dinner buffet is EXTREMELY mediocre.
Went to the Dealer's Den a couple times and got a few prints. I'm kind of running out of space in the house to be getting a bunch of merchandise anymore. Barely got to browse Artists' Alley as there was actually a long line to enter the space. I'm not sure if the new Fursuit Corner was a success...they seemed pretty isolated in that little room.
Didn't Gopher (volunteer) like I thought I would either, but I did help security a bit Sunday night as the con was closing. Got worried for the suiters outside the front of the Hyatt, they were dangerously close to the cars picking up/dropping off people.
This is the second year we've stayed to Monday and the first I decided to explore before we left Monday afternoon. Sucks going from seeing hundreds of colorful animals to everyone congregating dragging their luggage. It looked so...normal ;_; The drive home was uneventful, getting everything out of the car a little more of an adventure. I actually haven't suffered from much PCD. Thursday night through Monday morning is enough time for me to look forward to getting back home. And we've got a dog and cat waiting for us!
So I'd give my MFF 2022 experience a 12/10! I love my one time of the year wear I willingly throw myself into the chaos. <3
Obsydian
~obsydian
Glad you had fun! <3
RMWX
~rmwx
I would say that they really need to expand and update their practices for such a large group. They had a fifty percent jump in attendees, but didn't expand the facilities, dealers den, or any other practices and had worse crowd control. Still a fun experience, but sometimes I miss the days of like 3k peeps. 2021 was a throw back to a small group and I had a blast last year, and still a great time this year. Glad you had fun. And hopefully no con crud!
Tyla Cooke
~tigercougar
OP
Thanks for your thoughts. No con crud, I did get a flu shot before I attended so perhaps that helped. Well, they did say at closing ceremonies that furcons in general have one-third fewer staff than before 2020 so it's no surprise that crowd control and such wasn't the best. Maybe there's legal or financial wrangling the con would have to do to take up more of the convention center, I dunno.
RMWX
~rmwx
Yeah, MFF does have an issue recruiting people sadly.
