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The article on The Burn notes at the end that everything is preliminary, that no permits have been obtained, and no date is set for construction. So I can at least hope that this might turn into a Monroeville situation, where there’s a lot of outcry, and thus alternate plans are created where the convention center remains open.
Three days ago somebody asked on Yak about registering for BFVA26, and Todd replied with: “I’m really trying to avoid a repeat of this year where I obtained a contract 1 week prior to show. Dulles Expo says they’ll get me a contract in Oct/Nov.”
It’s possible that they lied to him, but my guess is that it’s more likely that the person he actually communicates with there was not in the loop on Ikea.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC
Someone brought this up I believe at the LAN ambassador meeting, It was specified that not only is this pricy, but at this specific convention center EVERYTHING is to be loaded into and out of the convention hall via the Halls Union staff, this is specified in said staffs union contract. Meaning All of the MOCs….. I highly doubt this would be popular among some people.
>> Meaning All of the MOCs….. I highly doubt this would be popular among some people.
Yeah that’s alone is a deal breaker. Besides trusting third parties to handle my precious MOCs (hard pass), I’m pretty sure it would amount to a lot of standing in line waiting your turn to load in and out, which is a lot of time wasted when you might not have any to spare.
I also looked around the site and at the venue maps, and as far as I could tell, in order to get the equivalent space to the Dulles Expo, which we were already too big for, we’d have to rent five or six halls in the building, across more than one floor. There’s also no public parking. It was my one complaint about Bricks Cascade in Portland, where it also made loading in and out a huge hassle, and I’ve heard it cited as a reason that BrickFair Alabama ended – the AFOLs came but the public didn’t, because parking is an issue there.
At closing ceremonies at BFVA24, Todd dispelled a rumor (that I had not heard) that he was going to sell BrickFair, saying among other things, he needs the money. And from what I’ve heard, Chantilly is the one that makes all the money. So I have trouble believing that Todd will just let it go. But I don’t know what he’s gonna do. I’m still hoping Ikea gets blocked somehow.
I too am hoping the Ikea gets blocked and the show stays where it is. I have gone around telling everyone that Brickfair Chantilly is the one show each year that I will attend each year and I genuinely mean that. I hope he is able to keep it where it is or at least make something similar to it. I gotta admit though if he is looking for a rebrand or a new location, Oaks convention center might just be the place. Its larger, has ample parking, decent area with a ton of hotels. We shall see though. I will report back if anything about this saga is officially mentioned in Oaks.
A news article was posted in the unofficial Brick Fair Discord that confirmed the worst. The Dulles Expo Center is officially closing after its last booking in December of this year. After that Both the North and South halls will close to begin the Ikea transformation. It appears that we have attended the last Brick Fair Virginia/Chantilly, at least in its most recent/fan favorite form.
Like I said earlier I will report back with anything that is brought up at Brick Fair Oaks. But my guess is it is likely still too soon to tell what will happen
Todd provided an update on the state of Chantilly for 2026. The update is that he is essentially in a holding pattern. He confirmed that the Convention Center is not going to be an option for 2026. Apparently he has been in contact with one of the other displaced tenants who is in contact with a local mall with a rather large vacant department store. Said displaced tenant is looking to enter the convention center game instead of just moving their convention so time will tell. Todd Hinted back to Brickfair Exton (if ya know, ya know) saying he would be willing to go back to an old Sears if that’s what it took for the show to go on.
He was also very adamant that he did not want to skip a year if he didn’t have to, but he would be willing to skip a year if it meant he could keep the usual Weekend in August.
So I think it is one of those things that only time will tell. He said the best thing to do is keep up to date with the Brickfair Site and he will post updates when and where he can.
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