move out of the midwest.
</mean>
no but seriously, they don't skip over the mid-west just because, they skip over it because there is no concentrated population large enough to make it worthwhile for their current level of popularity (which still is classified as obscure considering we're a niche-within-a-niche). i can see them maybe going to Texas one day because of the number of large cities in close proximity, which was the same benefit of going to New England (though imo Somerset was not the best choice).
then again, it all depends on the experience they had between Anime Expo, Sakura-Con and AnimeNEXT. perhaps they would prefer to be a returning guest with one or more of these places because it has worked out so far. perhaps they are testing the waters with different areas of the country and so may continue to do so. perhaps they are unhappy with their experiences and so will seek out somewhere else to make their appearances.
perhaps they have a totally new idea in store. i just can never say for sure when it comes to Up-Front.