Month: August 2022

With many thanks to all who provided feedback on our recent CoCoFEST! and Grant Leighty for working tirelessly on initial 2023 CoCoFEST! planning; Grant and I, on behalf of the GCCC board of directors, are pleased to confirm the location and date for the 2023 31st Annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! The event will be held, as previously noted, on April 22nd and 23rd, 2023 at the Holiday Inn & Suites Carol Stream. Grant and I apologize for the delay in confirming the dates, though it was necessary since we will be hosting at a new venue.

Though many event logistics details will continue unchanged (Friday evening vendor/exhibit setup, event start/end times, etc.), we’ll share more details as we continue to plan out the event over the next 4 months. For those wondering, the venue has an on-site restaurant and we are planning to continue our on-site Saturday evening catered meal. As with previous shows, there will be a block of King and DOuble Queen rooms for $119/night available for purchase withing the 140 total hotel rooms available.

The recent global situation as well as inflationary pressures have increased venue pricing in general, and our 2023 event costs as well. As such, we’d appreciate hearing from past attendees, presenters, exhibitors, and vendors on creative ways to fund the 2023 event.

Outsiders may sniff that spending time in a group such as ours is a waste of time, but beyond the community and technical aspects of belonging to this organization, I am so thankful for the opportunity to plan events like this. It has given me a new appreciation for both the costs needed to successfully hold such an event, how venue operators financially view such functions, and the sheer amount of planning necessary prior to the event date.

Of course, the event does not thrive without vendors, exhibitors, presenters, and attendees. We have 8 months until the 2023 show, so I will make the initial call for new and revised exhibits, interesting presentations, and interesting and economical products.