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Check this site in May for information about our 49th WeeM!
You had a great time in years past, and this year promises to be more memorable than ever.
Program
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 fourth track includes the tournaments, most of which are included in the list below but there may be more listed here.
Although programs are subject to change, so far this year’s topics and tournaments (tap/click on a topic for details) may include:
- AG 2025 Preview
- Amazing Race - WeeM Style
- Artificial Intelligence Promise & Perils
- Awards & Announcements
- Blind Tasting—or So You Wanna be a Sommelier?
- CAM ExComm Business Meeting
- A Capitol Idea: Visiting Every US State Capitol
- Chair Massage
- Choose a Travelogue (or two, or three, …)
- Clandestine - Strategy Game Preview
- Coffee with the AMC
- Epicurean Experience
- Ferengi as Jewish Representation: Good, Bad or Neither; a Conversation
- Fictional Cocktails II (Contemporary Fiction & Urban Fantasy)
- Financial Crime Protection for Senior Citizens
- Forgiveness Pressure: Why Anger and Resentment are Healing Potions and Forgiveness is the Real Poison.
- Friday Night Dance
- FroMMMage Cheese Swap (bring and share)
- The Garden of Doom
- Gardening for Pollinators
- Gen X Ms SIG Meet and Greet
- Gen Y Meet and Greet
- HalloweeM Pumpkin Paint-A-Palooza
- HELL’s M’s Meeting
- HELL’s M’s Invades the Baltics, or, Where the Heck is Estonia Anyway?
- Human Hungry Hungry Hippos
- Improv Comedy Show: The BlueBs
- ImprovThis: The Three Pillars of Improv
- The Infamous Costume Contest
- The Isle Where Fairies Still Roam
- It's A Wonderful World
- I’ll Turn This Car Around!
- Job Search Like a Pro — Résumés
- Just Because I’m Smart, Do I Have to be Scary?
- The Kids Costume Contest
- Kids Halloween Craft
- Kids Lego® Time
- Logic Problem Tournament
- M-etaphysical SIG Meetup
- Mensa Test
- Metro Chicago Water Systems, Ensuring Healthy and Sustainable Resources
- Near-Death Experiences
- Nerdy Yoga with Jedi Master Mensa
- Otimo! A Week in Southern Portugal
- Parent/Kid Swim Time
- Peace Corps Experiences in Thailand
- Photo Booth
- Poker Tournament
- Pretentious Drinking
- Pub Trivia
- Residential Solar: An Introduction
- Rock and Roll Concert/Sing-Along.
- Saturday Night Dance
- Seeing Another Way
- Self-Sufficient Ms: Carry-in & Seed Swap
- Senior Living Myths Unmasked - Separating Fact From Fiction
- 7 Wonders Tournament
- Singing at the Bedside
- sMartBar
- So Long, Sucker!
- So You Want To Be An Investigator?'
- Sound Bath Meditation
- Spy School
- The State of Shapes; or rather, The Shape of States
- Strategies for Peak Productivity and Effective Personal Branding
- Sushi Go! Battle
- Taoist Tai Chi Demonstration
- Travel to Extreme Latitudes: The North and South Geographic
- Trust Me, I'm a Dyslexia Therapist
- Trust Me, I'm An Event Planner
- Trust Me, I’m a Crisis Behavioral Interventionist
- Turning Your Manuscript Into a Book: Traditional, Small Press, or Self Publishing?
- Wanderverse: Quest for The Golden Clock
- Werewolves of WeeM
- Whisk(e)y Tasting Adventure - Buckle Up!
- Your Climate Solution
The hotel layout for HalloweeM can be found here.
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.
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
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 to earn entries for the Sunday morning gift card drawings held during the Awards & Announcements Presentation. Winners need not be present Sunday for awards of $25 or more. Volunteer for at least 4 hours and receive the coveted WeeM pin.
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.
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
Once again the Photo Booth it will be located in the hallway near Pretentious Drinking. 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 (2024, 2023, 2022, 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 ExComm 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 gift cards — it could be you! Volunteers winning smaller 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 be sure of a seat, preregister.
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.