Oooh, good tip. I'm going to get Holly to let all the vendors know, that should be in the info they get from the show. Thanks! The state is pretty tough on conventions, they ask for a lot of paperwork and who each vendor is up front, they always want their taxes and fees.

Eh, we are partly to blame, we normally do our show one weekend earlier, but the venue was booked. But we announced this date about a year ago, I don't know when Southern Fried and Colorado picked theirs. Next year we will be the first weekend in June, so other shows can plan accordingly if they want to avoid doing it the same weekend. No one wants shows to compete for games and speakers, we want all the shows to be successful and fun!

I think with new games that are prototypes, people should expect a few problems like that. Still, people flock to shows to see and play new games, often with the intention of trying them out before buying one once it's under production.

Luckily there will be 400 other games to play if the protos have problems. One of the big selling points of the Northwest show is we have an excellent tech team that repairs games throughout the show, we never have more than a handful of games down. We also don't allow people to pull games from the floor early, which is a major complaint about some other shows. If you show up for just a few hours Sunday afternoon, the game floor will still be packed with 400 working games and all the vendors. Cheers and keep flippin'!

Yes, online tickets just closed so they can build the registration database, but tickets will be available at the door at the same prices for both daily and weekend passes. The show never sells out, although it get pretty packed Saturday afternoons.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT! We have a late edition, Joe Balcer and Jolly from American Pinball will talking at 11am on Saturday about game design, development, how American got a working Houdini prototype done in 4 months time, it's current status, American's future plans and will take questions from the audience. Along with designing Houdini, Joe Balcer was also a pinball designer for The Simpson’s Pinball Party, Apollo 13, South Park, Star Wars Trilogy and Starship Troopers.

Joe Balcer (resized).jpg

It's on it's way!

houdini box (resized).jpg

Doors open at noon on Friday! Yeah, I agree, the first couple hours on Friday are a great time to hit the show, after the initial rush to get in, the hall is actually pretty empty, it's a great time to get a game in on the new stuff like Dialed In, Alien, Houdini, Batman 66 and Aerosmith before the crowds all come.

Are you volunteering your games for this year's show? It's time to start getting them ready. We are once again providing transportation for the folks who need it, and as a reminder, the group really appreciates any games which can be self transported. We have a huge number of games being transported which means that we need everyone's help to make sure we can move the games as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible.

If you are self-transporting, please review the instructions in this message as well - your assistance will keep the machines flowing smoothly into and out the convention center.

On a related note, if anyone can self-transport any of their games home on Sunday, that would make things easier for the transportation folks. If you can self-transport your games (one or all) home on Sunday, please send a message to Patty Okert and I with the name(s) of which machines you can take.

We have a few steps we need folks to follow when preparing machines for pickup.

Game Preparation:
• Pinball games must be broken down, including removing the legs, and securing the head to the cabinet (if possible). Pinballs must be removed from the machine, placed in a Ziploc bag along with leg bolts, backbox bolts, and the keys. The bag must be taped or shrink wrapped to the legs. All 4 legs must be shrink wrapped or taped together, and labeled with the machine and owner name.
• Arcade games must have the keys attached to the game. Many folks close a Ziploc baggie in the coin door and then seal the key in the portion of the baggie that is outside the door. Others have zip-tied the keys to the joystick. Please do NOT leave the keys in the locks.
• We are requesting that all games are wrapped with shrink wrap (wide/heavy plastic wrap available at Costco Home Centers and other locations). Even if you are not worried about the possibility of a minor scuff or scratch, the drivers will be more comfortable if the game is protected and will be able to move games a little quicker.
• On the back of the game, please attach a label with your name and the machine name so that it can easily be identified and returned to you on the correct truck. Blue painters tape or an 8.5" x 11" paper with large writing can work well for labeling your machines.
• Arcade - Place label near the top on the back of the game.
• Pinball - Place label on the underside of the cabinet or near the front of the machine so it is visible when the machine is stood up on it's back.
• Safety check – Please make sure your machine is grounded and nobody can get shocked from playing it (this has been a problem in years past). Refer to some safety tips here: https://docs.google.com/…/1vSuo8vNIjvI_toN3whY_muC8BzpXIRK4… . Note the document refers to arcades, the same info applies to pinballs
• Please have your machine where it is easiest for us to pick up. That means a ground floor room or garage. We may not be able to do the pickup if you have a stairs or a steep incline to deal with. We will not pick up machines from an upstairs location without prior arrangements being made.

Pickup/Dropoff site preparation:
• Please make sure that the pathway from the games to the truck is clear and accessible prior to pickup and delivery.
• The area where the truck will park and load/unload games should be easily accessible - please move vehicles out of the way so the truck can park.
• When the truck arrives, please meet the driver and point out any obstacles such as low tree branches, soft ground, or other things that the driver should avoid.
• Please be prepared to assist with the loading/unloading of your games as much as possible. The drivers are moving dozens of games each and a little help will make their jobs easier.

Proper preparation will speed the loading/unloading of your games and make the stop go as quickly and safely as possible.
We want to be as flexible as possible but with the number of machines being transported, we will not be able to transport machines that are not prepared for pickup. If you cannot prep your machines or have them available in an easy to access location, please let us know so we can find someone to help you get them set up.

Please make yourselves available all day Thursday June 8th for the pickup, and all afternoon/evening Sunday for the return delivery. The driver for your pickup route will contact you to schedule the pickup and deliveries for your machines. Pickups will be made on Thursday with the last routes scheduled such that the trucks can be unloaded by 5 pm. Deliveries back will begin Sunday, June 5th after 4 PM and will go late into the evening so please be patient. There may be a few instances where we pick up your games on Wednesday and return them on Monday, but you will be contacted if you are in one of those categories.

For self-transportation:
• IMPORTANT >>> You may bring your games to the convention center loading dock Thursday, June 8th, between the hours of 8am and 8pm. The fifth floor dock will be available Thursday from 8am-8:00 pm on Thursday, 8am-10am Friday, and all afternoon on Sunday.

*We encourage folks to set up and break down their own machines whenever possible*

• The convention center is located at: 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402
• Driving, parking and transit directions are here: http://www.gtctc.org/attend-overview/directions-parking
• The 5th floor loading dock is located on the west side of the convention center on Market street. If you follow the directions listed in the link provided above, then the entrance to the loading dock area is through a sliding gate that will be on your left (East) side if you are traveling South on Market street towards S 17th Street. If you reach 17th street you have passed the lot and need to circle back around.
• When it comes time to pick up your games on Sunday, please do not bring your vehicle into the loading dock area until AFTER the first group of trucks have been loaded and are out on their route. Plan on starting to load your vehicle no sooner than 4:30 pm. Again, check with a member of the load-out crew to make sure that the area is clear of trucks before you bring your vehicle into the area and start loading. The game show trucks will be working until late at night, and everyone will get done sooner if the trucks receive FIRST PRIORITY for loading and unloading. We thank you greatly for your cooperation during these times and appreciate any help you can provide with preparing other games for transportation home while you are waiting.

These are the default directions, however there are always exceptions or special cases, please let us know what we can do to accommodate any needs. We would like to thank everyone for providing their games, without you we wouldn't have a show! If you have any questions, please contact one of the following folks from the transportation committee:
Toby Udman: [email protected], 425-314-5192
Patty Okert, [email protected], 425-876-0423

Correct. Unless you can shrinkwrap them in a way to the machine that they won't poke other games in transport or come loose. I do a separate shrinkwrapped bundle of legs, balls, keys and bolts, then label it with painter's tape with the game name. I think that's how most people do it now, it took us a few years to get it down to a good system.

Yup, that's how I'd do them. I use a rachet strap with some cardboard so the head won't move at all, then shrink wrap it. But you can get away without the strap if you use enough shrink wrap and get it tight. I can't imagine undoing on the connectors, that's gonna take to long to break down and set up.

These are cut and paste general instructions we've been using for years and I think mainly aimed at people that haven't transported a lot of games before, sounds like you know what you are doing

SWEEEEEET!

Final speaker line up with all our special guests! There will also be DIY tech seminars on Friday and a Pinball Maker series held by Fast Pinball on Thursday!

2017 Speakers for website (resized).jpg

Vendors and booths at this weekend's show:

Another Castle Arcade
Artistry for the Brave
BuzzBuzz Games
Comics for Kids
Fast Pinball
Gambit's Cards and Hobbies
Hills of Comics
Home of the Future
Living Computer Museum
Lock When Lit
Marco Specialties
Nitro Pinball
Pinball Bulbs
Pink Gorilla Games
Red Floor Arcade
Rich Brothers Amusements
Seattle Pinball Museum
Starship Fantasy
Stern Amusements

Byron and I spoke on KISW this week about pinball, arcade games and the Northwest Show! I love getting to plug our hobby to a larger audience. Check it out:
http://www.kisw.com/media/audio-channel/bjgn06-05-17-northwest-pinball-arcade-expo

Those custom Safecracker tokens turned out awesome! We are making 10 year buttons tonight.

The Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show set up starts this Thursday! The two places we still need more volunteers are:

-Thursday morning starting at 7:30am helping unload trucks and moving the games into the hall. It's hard to find enough people to help with unloading the first load, are you available?

-Sunday afternoon from 3pm-6pm, helping break down pins, wrap games, and get the first load or two of trucks out the door.

If everyone can even stick around for just an hour after the show to break down and pack your own games or help with the games going on the first load out, that helps enormously!

I know a lot of you just show up to help with load in and load out, that's what I do, but if you officially sign up, you can also earn volunteer swag: http://games.nwpinballshow.com/Volunteer