thoughtfulThis is my sixteenth SMOFCon. It certainly was in my personal top five. The only thing that might have improved it would have been a better hospitality suite -- not in the sense of food, as the spread of refreshments were good, but for the physical layout of space. It's not really the Portland folks' fault, but they couldn't really expect to have so many people. We needed more space. It probably would have been better if we could have used both bedrooms instead of having to block off one for food prep and storage. Removing the beds would have made for more floor space, where chairs could have been used. But there is no perfect site, and this hotel isn't that great. (The Chicago SMOFcon of a few years ago was perhaps the best I've ever been to for space arrangement, what with our ability to expand out into the hotel atrium, giving us a very flexible space that never felt either crowded or sparse.)
I was very satisfied with my Worldcon experience this year. Being FGOH of NASFiC was a blast. But as an ongoing personal experience that I look forward to, I think SMOFCon annually tops my list. I guess it means I'm getting insular, but I probably have more fun overall at SMOFCon.