I would like to give particular praise to the organizers of the childrens' programming track. Instead of just "day care" or "babysitting" they approached it like any other part of the convention activities: "what are some things we can do that children will enjoy?" At least some of the things they came up with could very well have been part of the general con schedule.
I also think the con committee made a very good decision when they chose to have 90-minute time slots for panels and events instead of the more typical hour length. In a large hotel spread through two buildings, with a confusing interior layout, the extra time meant that one could have a solid hour of discussion, a question period afterward, and plenty of time to get to the next event. The convention also had a very dedicated corps of volunteers going from room to room to let panelists know when it was time to shut up and get out. The result of all this was that things stayed on schedule all five days.
Of course, the most interesting part of the convention was the part I haven't really reported on: the after-hours parties. Reading about a party that someone else went to is rather dull, so I deliberately neglected that part. I do say that the London 2014 contingent had the best party room by far. It was always hopping, and rivaled the mighty private publisher-sponsored events. If the convention in London is anything like the swinging times on the top floor of the Hyatt, 2014 is going to be a memorable WorldCon.
The biggest problem with the convention was one which the organizers had absolutely no control over: the area of downtown Chicago directly around the Hyatt is mostly business offices, which means that all the associated shops and eateries shut down for the Labor Day weekend. I don't know if there's a cure for that, since having WorldCon over Labor Day is a pretty fixed tradition, and I would hate to see the convention abandon downtown for the suburbs.
To sum up: a great convention. Thanks to the Con Committee and all the volunteers who made it happen!
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