Have a great collection you want to show off? If so, the Midwest Gaming Classic '07 (June 9-10, 2007) is looking for more collectors to help make this year's event our best since the convention's inception in 2001. Every year the Midwest Gaming Classic has set out to have a vast collection of systems on display and sometimes playable in our "museum" area, from decades-old Atari 2600 & Pong machines, to the more uncommon systems like a Super A'Can & PC-FX, to even the more contemporary Xbox 360's & Wii's. In the past the museum has been put together by a few collectors including myself that specialize on a wide variety of gaming consoles, but this year it is our hope to have more collectors collaborate by focusing on specific consoles, publishers/developers, or hardware manufacturers like Nintendo, Sega, and NEC, thereby producing a more complete museum. So for example, while I personally have something like a Virtual Boy and a few games that I can bring as part of the show, another collector that has focused more of their attention on the Virtual Boy could potentially have things like an in-store display unit, marketing materials, and some of the more uncommon games that I might not have, or simply have no room for in my vehicle. By including more collectors with their individual preferences into the show, it is our hope that we can create something truly remarkable this year. If you've never heard of the Midwest Gaming Classic, it is an annual video game convention held in the Olympia Resort & Conference Center between the Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL areas. During the last two events, the convention has attracted more than 1,200 people on average, improving attendance every year since its inception in 2001. The convention is a place where people can play, buy, and sell a variety of different video game-related items including consoles, pinball machines, and stand-up arcades. For more information, you can view the convention's website at www.midwestgamingclassic.com. If you’re a collector interested in showing at the event, here’s a little more information about the museum area itself: <> Once you contact me and we agree to have you as part of the museum team, you will be given a portion of our allotted space to create a booth in the museum, as well as free admittance. If you’re interested in staying at the resort during the convention, hotel rooms are $94 a night (the same discounted rate I also pay.) <> The convention is a very safe spot to show off your stuff. Since the convention’s inception in 2001, we’ve virtually never had a problem with any sort of theft, and the attendees have generally kept very good care of the items that are playable. <> Despite this exceptionally good track record, we continue to remain proactive by having security present, as well as creating additional theft deterrent devices for this year’s show. Rooms are locked every night. If you're interested in showing at the event, you may contact me at mwgc_museum@yahoo.com and I can go over any further details. Thank you for your interest! - J.D. Norman Midwest Gaming Classic Co-Organizer
Considering a lot of what is found in most collections on this board is of the "grey" legal status, showcasing could spell potential trouble. I need not remind you of what happens if you even publically "display or otherwise use" a perfectly legitimate copy of a software, without authorization from the copyright holders - let alone legendary material! That said, this idea put forth sounds like a blast for visitors. where is this held?
Wisconsin...mmmmm cheese. Don't worry. I'll be in charge of storage for the items while booths are setup:evil:
It is between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL. I myself reside just south of Chicago, so it's about a 3+ hour drive for me and my cohorts. As for "items of arguable legitimate status", we've had things like a copy of the Fantasy Star Soldier US-beta at the show in years past as well as other somewhat grey-items, but typically, yes, they would need to be cleared. On the other hand, feedback from publishers/developers has been nothing but positive in the past. Last year a few even threw in games to be given away as prizes, and some even gave us games to be demoed on the systems at the show. Hmmm... :rambo: Later.
Too bad I didn't know about this a few years ago when I lived in that area, I would have loved to go, as a visitor.
