There's a catch-22 with Expo:

The vendor hall has the best games so that's where guests want to be for the after hours stuff. BUT this requires the vendors (already dog-tired from driving there/setting up) to also stay there late watching their booths. That's why they bug out ASAP on Sunday morning, they're beat.

Expo is long to ensure a higher number of room-nights booked which nets the show a hotel discount for the actual event rental.

Ads on radio, newspaper and TV?

How quaint. Maybe the AARP will bring some rest home people in with a bus.

Expo load in/out sucks. Could be improved greatly if the hotel simply allowed loading to happen anywhere (like MGC at Sheraton)

Compare this to TPF (or new MGC) where everything is loaded through a giant door at floor level at the end of the main hall and it's easy to see why one show shrinks while the others explode.

Also nobody spends money in Chicago. I've been to a lot of shows and it seemed like the Midwest keeps its wallets shut.

I hate when that happens!

That snowstorm sucked.

But the only way to avoid that possibility in Wisconsin is to schedule the show for August