I gotta be honest. I gave this show one more try after last year's debacle. I'm done.

It has nothing on my end to do with Mike, though he may ultimately be what is influencing the other issues. For me it's a combination of:

1. Vendors have dropped significantly. Far less variety than even last year. I like to buy stuff at Expo because it save me shipping at minimum and I usually can find something I may not have been even looking for. No longer.
2. PBL event really isn't incorporated into Expo like it should be. PBL puts on an event (even scaled back this year) for pinballers and makes everyone feel welcome. Contrast that to the Stern party, or as I like to call it, "Gary's Cash Grab". The fact that Expo hasn't partnered with PBL to IMPROVE the overally Expo experience is irritating.
3. Expo is still being promoted as the premier industry event. Let's call it what it is...it's Stern's and, to a lesser extent, PBL's free publicity tour. The pinball industry is not what it was in the 80's but it doesn't seem that the attitude has reflected that. I think the show should be embracing the attendees not the manufacturers.
4. And lastly, I just don't think it is all that well organized. The website is just a reflection of the event. My experience and satisfaction going has steadily dropped in the last three years. You know the old saying..."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

It Expo terrible? Absolutely not. It's just that there are alot of other shows that have caught up with Expo and passed it for an overall better experience. And for those of you that like to quote getting to play and see the latest and newest releases? BM66 was just a display, no playable. Alien was not near complete from a playability standpoint. Houdini was just a playfield on a table. Dialed In was the only game there that was playable but it has been acknowledged that it is only 20% coded. There's nothing here that I'm really missing not being there in person.