Yes a lot of the big games at Historicon were run by goofballs. Late starts, let more people play than were signed up, and other “gamemaster” antics diminshed the enjoyment of more than one game for me. I still enjoyed myself though and hope to repeat next summer.
Steve needed more help at A&AM station. Cobalt at least helped a good bit with managing the younger players at various periods through the days. WOTC should seek volunteers on this forum to help run games.
I would suggest that WOTC also set up a mini-tournament at Historicon next year where folks would play at leats three games with different gamers. Maybe on Thursday or Friday, and then run demos on Saturday and Sunday.