Latest News
Qualify for discounted WeeM rates by registering today.
CAM cares about the safety of all attendees: Read our Covid Safeguards before registering.
Book your room(s) today to qualify for the special WeeM rate of $124!
Check out the Excursion to the Illinois Holocaust Museum!
Interested in selling merchandise? Find out how from our vendor flyer.
See All the Rates.
This site will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
Join the WeeM team! Contact our Chair .
Programs
As usual, there will be quite a few different programs available — three tracks so it's impossible to attend them all but, with luck, maybe one you missed in prior years will be offered again. A four track includes the tournaments, most of which are included in the list below but there may be more listed here.
Want to make a presentation to your fellow Mensa members and guests? Or run a tournament? Have some information or a topic you’d like to share or wish to see Mensa members and guests compete? Fill out our Speaker/Tournament Form. We will be accepting form submissions for this HalloweeM through Friday, September 30th. Should you have any questions, contact our Program Chair or our Tourney Chair regarding adding your program or tournament, respectively.
All submissions will be reviewed and approved based upon content and ability to schedule.
It’s still early days, but so far, this year’s topics (tap/click on a topic for details) include:
- Awards & Announcements
- CAM Board Meeting
- Chair Massage
- Christian Ms Meetup
- Elevator versus Cocktail Speech
- Endless Optimism!
- Epicurean Experience
- Exploring Ecuador
- Flatland/Sphereland
- Friday Night Dance w/ DJ Kenya
- HELL’s M’s Meeting
- Human Hungry Hungry Hippos
- The Infamous Costume Contest
- Introduction to Crypto
- The Kids Costume Contest
- Lagniappe Pub Trivia
- LEGO® Improv
- Logic Problem Tournament
- Meet your American Mensa National Board of Directors (AMC)
- Mensa Test
- Photo Booth
- Pretentious Drinking
- Rainbow SIG Meet-and-Greet
- Saturday Night Dance
- 7 Wonders Tournament
- Sexyg Fishbowl
- Sing-Along
- Social Deduction Games: Werewolves of WeeM
- Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament
- Voyager Gold Record
- Welles Does Wells
- Whiskey Tasting
The hotel layout for HalloweeM can be found here.
Last year’s HalloweeM topics (tap/click on a topic for details), some of which may be repeated, included:
- Amazing Race - WeeM Style
- Bird Brains: Flock Psychology
- Breaking the Big Tech Duopoly: How to Run a Smartphone Without Apple or Google
- Clandestine - Strategy Game Playtest
- Cornhole Tournament
- Curative Cocktails of the Past and Present Both Proven and Alleged‡
- Debate without Hate!
- Destination: Heartland History
- Firehouse SIG Meet & Greet
- 5 Love Languages
- Friday Night Movie
- Gen Y Ms SIG Meet & Greet
- Genealogical Gold in the DAR Database
- GenX Meet & Greet
- Gimme a Brake — On My Car, That Is!
- Illinois Railway Museum: Past, Present & Future
- Improv Comedy Show: The BlueBs
- ImprovThis: The Three Pillars of Improv
- Lagniappe Pub Trivia
- M-Available SIG Meet & Greet
- Magic and Demons in Jewish Lore and Law
- Magic: The Gathering Commander (EDH)
- MBTI - Myers Briggs Type Indicator
- Mental Illness and Employment
- Michael Caine Teaches Class Acting in Movies
- Mmm! Chocolate Tasting & Swap
- MythConceptions and More Trick Questions of US History
- Nature's Best 5
- Party on Safari: 16 Ms in East Africa
- The Quantum Calendar and the End of Calendar Reform
- Rare Life Magazine LPs
- Saturday Night Movie
- Scheduled Car Maintenance ~ What / When / Where???
- Science Time with Timmy
- Securing Your Artistic and Intellectual Property: Safe and Secure Photo and Document Storage
- Seeking Spiceland
- Self-Sufficient Ms - Carry-in & Seed Swap
- The Servant Leadership Dynamic between Branch Rickey & Jackie Roosevelt Robinson: How They Changed Baseball and Our Country
- Sir Ernest Shackleton and The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
- sMart Bar: Beer, Mead & Wine Exchange
- Telling Your Story
- This Doesn’t Ad Up — Spectacular Fails in Global Marketing
- To Boldly See What Others Miss
- The Trans-Siberian Railroad for the Independent Traveler
- Truncated Travels: Wandering in the COVID Age
- What's Your Bacon!
- Whimsical M SIG Family Reunion
- Who Died and Left You in Charge? - Succession to the Throne of England
- The Wonderful World of Pun Competitions – A Modest Travelogue
- You’ve Been Lied to about Physics (Because the Truth is Complicated)
Many changes may will occur between now and WeeM but you can expect most of the programs listed above and the traditional ones listed below and, of course, more that haven't been finalized.
Past Programs
Also, you can access our archives (pdf) to view the full program booklets for all past HalloweeMs with the exception of the virtual one in 2020.
HalloweeM Favorites
Thursday
Glass Blowing Excursion
Excursions
There will be excursions for those who arrive early.
Volunteer!
HalloweeM setup starts at ~3 PM at the hotel. As much as we’ve appreciated all the impromptu volunteers in years past,
this year we ask you to sign up in advance
for Hospitality either online or using the on-site sign-up sheet near registration
because, for everyone’s safety, we need to tightly
control the number of people who have access to the food preparation area and food in the serving area.
Sign up before WeeM starts
and earn double and even triple entries
for the Sunday morning cash drawings held during the Awards & Announcements Presentation.
Winners need not be present Sunday for awards of $25 or more.
Programs
Expect the first program to start at
˜6 PM.
Tournaments
The first tournament will begin at
˜6 PM.
Dinner
Gather in the hospitality area and catch up with your friends while enjoying
a great meal including tasty sides at ˜7 PM.
This year will not be buffet-style. Instead people will queue up to pick up their
plated food from servers cafeteria-style. It may be somewhat slower but it will be safer. See the
Westin floor plan to locate the south doors which is
the only entrance to the serving area to pick up your meal.
Friday
Costume Parades
The Friday night costume party is one of the unique events that sets the Chicago
Area Mensa RG apart from all the others. Mensa grown-ups
take dressing up to a new level. Costumes range from fanciful to
funny to elaborate and elegant, but the thing for which Mensans are
best known are the pun and word-play costumes. In all of them,
Mensa-style creativity is obvious. Bring your sense of
humor, and your wits, because our puns will keep you guessing and
giggling all night long. Make sure to consider this year's theme,
ripe for pun-filled humor! Puns, however, are not a requirement.
View our pictures
to see costumes from ’WeeMs past.
The kids costume parade will precede the adult
costumes. As in past years we encourage more adults to attend and support
our youth.
For those of you who
have younger children who might be overwhelmed by hundreds of
strangers, who have children with early bed-times, or who simply want
to avoid having to explain some of the (occasionally suggestive)
puns, this will give kids a chance to dress up and compete for prizes
at their own party. If you signed up for baby-sitting, your kids can then
go to the Kids Room and you can stay for the
adult costume contest.
Dance
Everyone on the dance floor! Requests taken.
Saturday
Pretentious Drinking
Liqueurs. The fancy stuff. Polished, cosmopolitan,
perhaps even a bit
snooty. The stuff you graduate to from beer and wine. You’d like
to know more but, gosh, look at that price. What if that pricey potion
isn’t quite the palate pleaser you expected? Rejoice! As in years
past, you can sample some truly amazing liqueurs, and your
money’s no good here! We will supply a wide range of weird and
wonderful concoctions from around the world. You can determine which
you’d like to own, which should be left on the shelf, and which
you should give to your arch-nemesis as a thoughtful gift. Obviously,
you must be of legal drinking age to join us and show proof at registration.
Snobbish accents and extended pinkies optional.
Photo Booth
The return of the Photo Booth—this year it will be located near
Pretentious Drinking—where you can pose with friends wearing all
sorts of fun and silly props. You’ll be given a copy of your photos
as a keepsake. See some of the prior years’ photos
(2021
,
2019
,
2018
,
2017
,
2015
or
2014)
to get an idea of what to expect.
Werewolf of WeeM Tournament
For those under 21, in addition to the daily Social Deduction games,
we will offer a special Werewolf tournament just for teens and
tweens after the Epicurean Experience.
Epicurean Experience
Unusual food samples and, occasionally, unique beverages.
This event is alcohol free, so anyone not wearing
an “under 21” badge should visit before partaking of Pretentious
Drinking and show us your PD ticket. (You can keep it.)
Please note: we aren’t serving a meal, just samples and sips, so
come for curiosity, not dinner.
Contests
We’ve also had requests
to bring back the Cookie Contest as well as the Scarecrow Decorating Contest from previous years. If
you’re a local member or attendee interested in hosting or helping with either of those or
another contest idea,
please let us know by contacting our
WeeM Chair
or signing up to add it to the program list..
Dance
More dancing and often karaoke!
Sunday
Chicago Area Mensa Board Meeting
CAM members are invited to attend. Submit any GOBS requests no later than Friday
to give the GOBS liaison time to process it during this busy weekend.
Awards & Announcement
Join us in Hospitality to find out who won the various Volunteer raffle cash prizes
— it could be you! Volunteers winning smaller cash amounts ($20 or less) must be present.
Hear about the AG and other upcoming RGs.
Congratulate several well-deserving
members who have been volunteering in our organization upon
whom AML service awards will be bestowed.
And the Hell's M's announce the party animal of this year’s RG.
Amazing Race: WeeM Style Tournament
Join us for the “Amazing Race” for Mensans! Based upon the popular TV reality show,
teams of 2-4 competitors complete a variety of tasks, some cerebral, some lighthearted,
on their way to the final “Pit Stop” and victors’ bragging rights.
Our version is designed for all ages and activity levels, and is sure to be one of the
most memorable things you’ll do this weekend!
Mensa Test
If you haven’t officially joined Mensa, today’s your chance.
Often there are special offers during October. To take advantage of them you must preregister. So make sure you do so before
HalloweeM starts.
HalloweeM Breakdown
Please volunteer to help us pack up. We need people to put all the decorations
away so they can be loaded onto the truck as well as all the kitchen items in Hospitality.
Deadlines
-
Registration - Friday, October 14th is the last day to qualify for the
special early bird discounts.
Discounts for advanced registration
are available through Friday, October 14th.
(Note: Full payment is required by the appropriate deadline to qualify for the discount for which you registered. )
-
Excursion -
Check out our excursions. You’ll be able to sign up soon.
-
Vendor space - Please complete and submit a
Vendor Application by Saturday, October 15th.
If you have any questions after reviewing the Vendor Flyer containing all the details, contact the
WeeM Vendor Liaison .
-
Lodging -
The hotel is offering a WeeM rate of $124 through
Friday, October 7th, subject to availability.
If the hotel block is full, please contact our
WeeM Chair
who will try to expand the block.
Follow WeeM on Social Media

Glass Blowing Excursion
Excursions
There will be excursions for those who arrive early.
Volunteer!
HalloweeM setup starts at ~3 PM at the hotel. As much as we’ve appreciated all the impromptu volunteers in years past, this year we ask you to sign up in advance for Hospitality either online or using the on-site sign-up sheet near registration because, for everyone’s safety, we need to tightly control the number of people who have access to the food preparation area and food in the serving area. Sign up before WeeM starts and earn double and even triple entries for the Sunday morning cash drawings held during the Awards & Announcements Presentation. Winners need not be present Sunday for awards of $25 or more.
Programs
Expect the first program to start at ˜6 PM.
Tournaments
The first tournament will begin at ˜6 PM.
Dinner
Gather in the hospitality area and catch up with your friends while enjoying a great meal including tasty sides at ˜7 PM. This year will not be buffet-style. Instead people will queue up to pick up their plated food from servers cafeteria-style. It may be somewhat slower but it will be safer. See the Westin floor plan to locate the south doors which is the only entrance to the serving area to pick up your meal.
Costume Parades
The Friday night costume party is one of the unique events that sets the Chicago Area Mensa RG apart from all the others. Mensa grown-ups take dressing up to a new level. Costumes range from fanciful to funny to elaborate and elegant, but the thing for which Mensans are best known are the pun and word-play costumes. In all of them, Mensa-style creativity is obvious. Bring your sense of humor, and your wits, because our puns will keep you guessing and giggling all night long. Make sure to consider this year's theme, ripe for pun-filled humor! Puns, however, are not a requirement. View our pictures to see costumes from ’WeeMs past.
The kids costume parade will precede the adult costumes. As in past years we encourage more adults to attend and support our youth. For those of you who have younger children who might be overwhelmed by hundreds of strangers, who have children with early bed-times, or who simply want to avoid having to explain some of the (occasionally suggestive) puns, this will give kids a chance to dress up and compete for prizes at their own party. If you signed up for baby-sitting, your kids can then go to the Kids Room and you can stay for the adult costume contest.
Dance
Everyone on the dance floor! Requests taken.
Pretentious Drinking
Liqueurs. The fancy stuff. Polished, cosmopolitan, perhaps even a bit snooty. The stuff you graduate to from beer and wine. You’d like to know more but, gosh, look at that price. What if that pricey potion isn’t quite the palate pleaser you expected? Rejoice! As in years past, you can sample some truly amazing liqueurs, and your money’s no good here! We will supply a wide range of weird and wonderful concoctions from around the world. You can determine which you’d like to own, which should be left on the shelf, and which you should give to your arch-nemesis as a thoughtful gift. Obviously, you must be of legal drinking age to join us and show proof at registration. Snobbish accents and extended pinkies optional.
Photo Booth
The return of the Photo Booth—this year it will be located near Pretentious Drinking—where you can pose with friends wearing all sorts of fun and silly props. You’ll be given a copy of your photos as a keepsake. See some of the prior years’ photos (2021 , 2019 , 2018 , 2017 , 2015 or 2014) to get an idea of what to expect.
Werewolf of WeeM Tournament
For those under 21, in addition to the daily Social Deduction games, we will offer a special Werewolf tournament just for teens and tweens after the Epicurean Experience.
Epicurean Experience
Unusual food samples and, occasionally, unique beverages.
This event is alcohol free, so anyone not wearing
an “under 21” badge should visit before partaking of Pretentious
Drinking and show us your PD ticket. (You can keep it.)
Please note: we aren’t serving a meal, just samples and sips, so
come for curiosity, not dinner.
Contests
We’ve also had requests to bring back the Cookie Contest as well as the Scarecrow Decorating Contest from previous years. If you’re a local member or attendee interested in hosting or helping with either of those or another contest idea, please let us know by contacting our WeeM Chair or signing up to add it to the program list..
Dance
More dancing and often karaoke!
Chicago Area Mensa Board Meeting
CAM members are invited to attend. Submit any GOBS requests no later than Friday to give the GOBS liaison time to process it during this busy weekend.
Awards & Announcement
Join us in Hospitality to find out who won the various Volunteer raffle cash prizes — it could be you! Volunteers winning smaller cash amounts ($20 or less) must be present. Hear about the AG and other upcoming RGs. Congratulate several well-deserving members who have been volunteering in our organization upon whom AML service awards will be bestowed. And the Hell's M's announce the party animal of this year’s RG.
Amazing Race: WeeM Style Tournament
Join us for the “Amazing Race” for Mensans! Based upon the popular TV reality show, teams of 2-4 competitors complete a variety of tasks, some cerebral, some lighthearted, on their way to the final “Pit Stop” and victors’ bragging rights. Our version is designed for all ages and activity levels, and is sure to be one of the most memorable things you’ll do this weekend!
Mensa Test
If you haven’t officially joined Mensa, today’s your chance. Often there are special offers during October. To take advantage of them you must preregister. So make sure you do so before HalloweeM starts.
HalloweeM Breakdown
Please volunteer to help us pack up. We need people to put all the decorations away so they can be loaded onto the truck as well as all the kitchen items in Hospitality.

- Registration - Friday, October 14th is the last day to qualify for the special early bird discounts. Discounts for advanced registration are available through Friday, October 14th. (Note: Full payment is required by the appropriate deadline to qualify for the discount for which you registered. )
- Excursion - Check out our excursions. You’ll be able to sign up soon.
- Vendor space - Please complete and submit a Vendor Application by Saturday, October 15th. If you have any questions after reviewing the Vendor Flyer containing all the details, contact the WeeM Vendor Liaison .
- Lodging - The hotel is offering a WeeM rate of $124 through Friday, October 7th, subject to availability. If the hotel block is full, please contact our WeeM Chair who will try to expand the block.