In a few short hours I will be tossing my stuff in the care and Missy and I will be heading up to Charlotte NC to spend the next three days gaming ! Were on our way to MACE Run by my friends Ron McClung And Jeff Smith.  A few years back when Storm-Con was in its planning stages I met these guys. It is easy to sit down and have great conversations with Ron as we have a lot in common both as lovers of Games and both Convention Organizers.  And Jeff is just an all around good guy and supper easy to talk to. The first time I drove up to MACE a year ago I was looking to head up and represent my Con and get some good gaming in. This time a year later I am eager to get up and see more of my Old/New Friends.

Every step of the way they have been great fellow convention organizers and friends.  They have always offered us advice and been great sounding boards for us with our con. When we talk con talk about MACE I see things that they do and how our convention might be able to do things or handle situations like theirs down the road. It’s good to see the steps that MACE has taken over the years and the insights as to how they were handled. At this stage MACE is more than twice the size of Storm-Con and has been around as a convention for 14 years! They have a lot to learn from and offer.  But never have they claimed that their way was the only way or the best way to do things.  In turn we both have grown learning from one and other. To the Benefit of both of our conventions.

And then there is the friends ! Oh as a convention organizer I have learned a lot in my short time.  One of the first things I have learned is all of your friends come to your convention but you are going to be way to busy to talk to 90% of them ! Talking and catching up with all your convention buds is done at OTHER conventions ! Because at your own con, you are far to busy to spend as much time as you would really like catching up with everyone.  This is my chance to take a more than a few moments and catch up with some of  my friends like Clint and Jodi Black or Robert Burke. Friends I have made that I don’t know if I had not started working as a convention Organizer I would ever have had the pleasure of meeting or becoming friends with.

And then there is the Games ! News Flash for any of you not in the know. If you decide to run your own convention. Don’t think you’re going to get to play three days of straight gaming.  It often works out that the games  you get to play as a convention organizer will be the ones that you will be running for your con goers. Now this for me is a ton of fun and the highlight of the con for me every year at Storm-Con. But when your done with your game at your own convention you get to run around and make sure everything is running smoothly still after the game is over. This weekend for me will be all about Gaming and Fun. Spending time with friends and making more.  And I get to run a few games on top of all of that.  It’s going to be a good weekend ! Let the Games Begin !