FoBAB 2018

Hoping to be there for my 5th year in a row!

 

Tried to google but failed to find an answer...what's the new venue?

 

Ah, gotcha. I was excited at the prospect!

An open air venue would end my fart jokes, but knowing weather in Chicago that's a pipe dream...

 

I got the e-mail from ImBIBE a few days ago. If you want to join ImBIBE and get early entry you have to do so by August 28th.

November is just over 3 months away, that means FoBAB is going to be here soon!! Save the date, November 16th and 17th, 2018

If you haven't purchased a 2018 membership yet, don't delay. Your 2017 membership will not be valid for the 2018 FoBAB ticket presale.

The 2018 ImBIBE membership must be purchased by Tuesday 8/28/2018 to be eligible for the 2018 FoBAB ImBIBE member presale.

2018 FoBAB presale information will be going out at the end of the month and we don't want you to miss out on this opportunity.

 

I thought there were some additional Imbibe benefits besides just FOBAB early entry. But, looking at their website, I didn’t really see anything. $50 for an extra hour seems awfully steep...maybe this is why I haven’t done it in the past, but I thought there was some other benefit as well.

 

They send a tshirt? I signed up last year thinking there were more benefits too. They never sent a shirt. Then they had my email wrong so I missed out on the member tickets for FoBAB. When I emailed about it, they didn't seem to care. Definitely not worth the money.

 

Even the extra hour felt worth it the last 2 years. BA Karma, Medianoche, multiple Calble Car pours etc. That $50 gives you the 12 beers you have to try/tick and makes the remaining 4 hours a more relaxing/fun experience.

The most interesting thing to me is the move off Vet’s Day weekend. Now Fobab and Prop Day May be on the same weekend which is a major drawback to most of us

 

So it's a week later this year, so it will be the same date as Prop Day unless GI doesn't do it the weekend before Black Friday? Yikes, neckbeard conundrums...

 

Same days as Revolution's Deth's Star, Cafe Deth and Deth by Currants release.

 

Aren't they moving Prop Day to Black Friday to take the biggest hoarders out of the equation?

 

They only thing they need to do its figure out how to get people in faster. You shouldn't have to wait outside for over an hour to get into an event ontime.

 

I’m not down with paying $50 for for an hour. The event itself is expensive enough as it is. That’s why I did the session a couple years ago that didn’t have the VIP session. Of course, I’m not sure if I care to pay the high price they increased to last year anyway.

 

I totally understand that viewpoint. For me, it’s the best hour of the whole beer year. But yeah it’s not inexpensive as a whole day

 

Don’t quote me on it, but I believe the location will remain unchanged for another year. There was some rumors about moving it to the McCormick Place, but that turned out to be a massive headache.

I don’t know the details of the relationship, but the UIC Forum is owned by a state school and the McCormick Place is mostly controlled by the city. Maybe the price difference was insurmountable? Either way, it looks like we are stuck at the Forum for now...

Despite the high ticket prices, FOBAB doesn’t really make money. It’s a huge PITA to pull off, with millions of moving parts and thousands of expenses.

I know it’s brought up every year, but volunteering is always a good time. Work a session/drink a session, drink while you work and eat free pizza! Worse ways to spend an afternoon.

See you all there, folks! For all it’s flaws, it continues to be one of the greatest beer festivals in the country.

 

Is UIC required to have union labor for every little thing? I know McCormick Place has issues because they have so many union labor rules it's almost at the point that you can't go to the bathroom by yourself without paying a union member to hold your junk for you at the urinal...

 

That might be part of it. I’ve been to many events at the Forum (it’s pretty much the ICBG’s go-to spot) and the rules have always seemed very lax. Sometimes they even have what appears to be students working fests. I assume work/study? I could ask some alums I know, as they may have better insight.

I know part of the problem is that because the McCormick Place is so desirable, events basically enter into bidding wars with each other over weekends. I don’t think the FOBAB organizers were ready for that situation.

If you look at the progression of its location, it has grown with size. First at Rock Bottom, then the art center, then the Forum. Similar events usually like C2E2 and the auto show usually make the McCormick place the final location. Since it is *checks google* holy shit, the largest convention center in NORTH AMERICA!

The FOBAB organizers are in a tough spot. They can basically only grow to a sports stadium or the McCormick Place at this point. I don’t really think outdoors is a great option considering the weather. It ain’t a summer festival...

 

i've never understood people that will gladly stand in line for 5 hours to buy one 16.9 oz bottle of beer without ever factoring in the "time=money" equation, yet when told they have to spend $50 to try multiple 2 oz pours of ridiculous beers that will never last the hour, they draw a line in the sand.

 

Your point is definitely valid. If you are paying $80 for a beer fest and then have to pay another $50, that turns people off. Also, getting friends to agree to $130 and buy a membership by a certain date is unlikely.