If you want to go to a show that has the best assortment of pins, Expo is no longer the show for you (TPF wins that category by a mile) and hasn’t been for years. Expo is still a top draw for the Stern tour, number of industry insiders and the seminar content (maybe the tournaments, but I don’t follow them much).

A big draw this year will be Stern’s Elvira game and the Saturday night panel with the design team (including Cassandra). That event alone tipped me from maybe to absolutely. And Jersey Jack’s presentation is always popular. If you have to pick one day to go, it’s Saturday.

Sure. But you can see and play new games at your distributor without going to a show. I like to go to shows to see what I usually don’t or can’t. I do appreciate the work vendors do to support the shows. Always thought it was a massive amount of work and sacrifice to sell at a show.

What’s the restaurant situation near the Westin for those without a car? What’s in reasonable walking distance other then the Italian restaurant in the hotel?

You’d never know that from reading anything on Pinside or anywhere else I can find. I think “rise out of the ashes” is a bit extreme - it wasn’t that dead yet - but Expo has a long way to go to get back to its glory days. If Expo was anywhere but Chicago it would have died years ago (and not just because of Mike).

Pretty much the only reason I’m going to Expo this year is because of the Stern tour (haven’t seen the new building), Elvira’s House of Horrors, Cassandra, the Stern and JJP sessions and some of the people I know will be there. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but I have fairly low expectations. Maybe Expo can return to being the “must do” show it once was but that’s a tall order these days when there are now other shows that are less expensive, more convenient and offer more for collectors.