Chicago Event Schedule
WILD AND WINDY 7
May 8, 9, and 10, 2025
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY EVENTS
4PM: HOTEL CHECK-IN
5PM-6PM: VENDOR SETUP (EVENT STAFF WILL BRING LANYARDS AND REGISTRATION PACKETS TO VENDORS THAT ARE SELLING DURING EARLY REGISTRATION)
6PM-8PM: ATTENDEE / AUTHOR EARLY REGISTRATION (DAMARIS: LASALLE BALLROOM). Pickup your event totes and lanyards.
6PM-10PM: THESE VENDOR SHOPS OPEN (TBA)
8PM-9PM: ANNOTATION KIT AND BOOK JOURNALING DEMONSTRATION by Midnight Design Co. In the Amphitheater.
9PM-10PM: FRIENDSHIP BRACELET TRADING AND NEW ATTENDEE ORIENTATION by Shabby from Book Bistro Blog. In the Amphitheater.
6PM-10PM: AUTHOR SET-UP GRAND BALLROOM & LAKESHORE (Pickup lanyards and totes at the registration desk.)
FRIDAY EVENTS
FRIDAY DAYTIME
SIGNING SESSION 1
8AM-10AM: AUTHOR ADDITIONAL SET-UP TIME
8AM-10AM: ATTENDEES CAN PICKUP PREORDERED PREPURCHASED ITEMS FROM VENDORS WHO ARE OFFERING THIS OPTION.
9AM: VIPS (GOLD) CAN REGISTER in front of the doors to the Grand Ballroom and line up in the breezeway beside this ballroom.
10AM-11AM: EXCLUSIVE VIPs ONLY EARLY ENTRY HOUR to see the authors in the GRAND BALLROOM AND and in the Lakeshore Ballroom.
10-11AM: GA’S (PINK) CAN REGISTER AND LINE-UP in the breezeway beside the Grand Ballroom.
11AM: PINK LEVEL CAN ENTER the Grand Ballroom and/or Lakeshore Ballroom.
2PM: SIGNING SESSION 1 ENDS
FRIDAY NIGHT TIME
5PM-6PM: VENDOR SET UP
6PM-10PM: VENDORS SHOPPING. LaSalle Ballroom hallway and Michigan Ballroom hallway. NARRATORS, Photo op. Open to all ticket holders.
6PM-7PM: VIPs ONLY EXCLUSIVE PANEL PROGRAMMING. Dual concurrent locations. Michigan Ballroom and the Amphitheater. VIPs are welcome to choose either panel during this hour. However, keep in mind that if one room reaches capacity, you will have to choose the other one. Panelists and topic TBA. Your VIP lanyard is necessary to enter these panels.
7PM-10PM: PANEL PROGRAMMING FRIDAY SESSION Open to all Ticket Holders. Dual concurrent locations. Michigan Ballroom and the Amphitheater. Panelists and topics TBA. First come first serve for each panel. Panels are 45 minutes long and the room will be cleared between panels. See attendee group for panels that will be live streaming.
7PM-10PM: KAMA SUTRA BINGO (Madison Ballroom) listed as “bingo” on the door. Be warned. It’s totally inappropriate. Paperback prizes.
7PM-10PM: FUN IN THE SUN PARTY (LaSalle Ballroom.) VIP ONLY. Luau theme. Featuring all Author Sponsors. This is an additional opportunity for VIP ticket holders to meet these authors, buy their merchandise and books, and get signatures. If you would like to bring books for our author sponsors, you may bring them and get them signed at this time. However, there will be no author preorder pickups as their tables and preorders will already be set up in the Grand Ballroom. You can also play party games (luau and xxx themed) run by volunteers and win swag pack prizes. There will also be a scavenger hunt with several winners, and a bookish T-shirt contest (prize is a VIP ticket to Wild and Windy 8). There will be a special Fun in the Sun themed gift for each VIP in your tote, and the LaSalle Ballroom will have a Fun in the Sun photobooth with a commemorative frame. Cash bar will be available with the flirty fizz, the Fun in the Sun signature drink.
SATURDAY EVENTS
SATURDAY DAYTIME
SIGNING SESSION 2
9AM: VIPS CAN REGISTER in front of the Grand Ballroom and line up beside it.
10AM-11AM: EXCLUSIVE VIPs ONLY EARLY ENTRY HOUR to see the authors in the GRAND BALLROOM and in the Lakeshore Ballroom.
10-11AM: GA’S PINK LEVEL CAN REGISTER & LINE-UP in the breezeway beside the Grand Ballroom.
11AM: PINK LEVEL CAN ENTER the Grand Ballroom and/or Lakeshore Ballroom.
2PM: SIGNING SESSION TWO ENDS
SATURDAY NIGHT TIME
5-7 PM: Westin and WW Core Volunteer crew prep the Grand Ballroom for the After Dark Pajama Party.
6-8 PM: LET’S TALK ABOUT S-E-X IN SPICY BOOKS AND NARRATORS WILL BE READING SPICY SCENES
Yes, we are going there! No fade to black. Author and or narrator panelists, panel times, and locations TBA. Three locations for spicy panels: LaSalle, Michigan, and Amphitheater. All ticket holders are welcome. Saturday panels are 45 minutes long. Room will be cleared between panels.
8PM-10PM: AFTER DARK PAJAMA PARTY. (Grand Ballroom) ALL AUTHORS AND TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME. DESSERT BAR. CASH BARS with a signature drink, a chocolate martini. Vendors, narrators, and/or authors may be present. DJ. Dance floor. After Dark Photo Booth with a commemorative frame and a photo op backdrop. Last opportunity to mix and mingle for our authors and attendees. Trading station for friendship bracelets, ribbons, stickers, etc. Get all your book friends to sign your My Wild and Windy 7 Journals before you say goodbye.
Sunday
10am-12pm: AFTER EVENT MIXER at The Last Chapter Book Shop (2013 W Roscoe St, Chicago, IL), cupcakes and sparkling wine provided. Attending authors may appear.
Tickets are sold out.
VIP Gold $275 - quantity 500
Your 2-day event ticket includes:
+ Thursday optional early registration, vendor shopping, annotation kit/journaling demonstration, and friendship bracelet/new attendee orientation
+ 2 parties, a Friday Luau party and a Saturday PJ party. Both have a DJ and a photo booth
+ Exclusive early entry hour into the signing sessions with authors on Friday and Saturday for a total of 8 hours over both days.
+ Early hour of exclusive VIP panels on Friday
+ Exclusive VIP Friday swag item
+ Spicy panels on Saturday
+ A tote with a premium swag item and an event autograph journal that will have a gold foil cover.
GA Pink $175 - quantity 500
Your 2-day event ticket includes:
+ Thursday optional early registration, vendor shopping, annotation kit/journaling demonstration, and friendship bracelet/new attendee orientation
+ A Saturday PJ party with a DJ and a photo booth
+ Entry into the signing sessions with authors on Friday and Saturday for a total of 6 hours over both days.
+ Panels on Friday
+ Spicy panels on Saturday
+ A tote with a premium swag item and an event autograph journal that will have a non-gold foil cover.
VIP tickets sold out in 2 minutes in 2024. GA in 10. Just for your reference. There is a maximum of 4 tickets per order. If you get into the buy window, we suggest having a plan to buy for your friends. We hope everyone who wants to come gets a ticket.