Is it common for pinsiders to wear their pinside ID at shows. I’d love to say hi to a few people if I see them at shows and also get chatted up by people who might recognize me by pinside ID only.
I could also understand the downside to this... I’d hate to be downvoted in person.

Last year Game Exchange had them at a Pinside pre-party at the local Millers pub. Not many of us showed up, so guessing that is not happening this year.

Edit: Game Exchange just started a thread on it - see the link a few posts down
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You mean you can't tell him to go to Hell?

It’s a very introverted crowd for sure. I recognized a few people from a local league I’ve played in at MGC last year and I got terrified stares from them. It was weird and quickly got uncomfortable so I just said see you at league next time and continued on my way.

Maybe, it’s just me? Maybe, I’m creepy or smell bad or something.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/midwest-gaming-classic-mgc-pinside-badge-and-lanyard-thread

anyone who needs to get rid of a Friday preview ticket, please PM me. Looking for one so I can bring my son along.

edit: my fault I heard something different on the news last night. so I guess you can get off through the tunnel, but can't get back on to 43 North.

Thanks for the link, great idea

Jeremy

Off topic, but last weekend we had a "Stressing the Dam in Hell Party" with 10 pinball machines, neons, jukebox, and lots of other game room games and things that use power. Sometimes we are on a power grid supplied by the Dam in Hell, MI for our power. Last party, we got switched to the main grid the following day, then got an email from the power company 4 days later saying that our smart meter showed an abnormal increase in power. They might be watching my Facebook now, because they switched our power grid the day before the party this time. Conspiracy theorists might be on to something. This weekend there will be very little power as we will be at MGC. I'm expecting another email ...

Mgc 4 Life.

You get funny looks checking out when you buy a metric ton of sharpies and pool noodles. Just in case anyone else ever has to do that, be warned.

IMG_20190408_124055 (resized).jpg

Good thing you have all that cargo space

A few years ago I bought a sheet of glass from Terry at PBL at the show without preordering. Maybe he will bring a few spares this year as well.

He's not bringing inventory, he's just attending the show. He did have a table a few years at the Sheraton, but not in recent years.

Doc Oc continues to grow! FEED THE BEAST

You can't stop it, you can only hope to contain it!!

Marco said I can get in between 7:00-8:00pm Thursday night if I want to unbox and setup my own game. I wrote back saying I was under the impression we could get in to do it Friday.

I can do either day. Just wish I had the info on when. I was expecting to have gotten that information by now. :/

I was under the impression that Marco sets up all the games this year???? Figured it was due to a few unfortunate events of people breaking glass and other crap last year?

Last year I am pretty sure we did unboxings all on Thursday night. If you were not there on Thursday then they unboxed for you. They have lots to get set up so likely can’t wait till fri

If revealing new BK on Saturday, will it be available on Friday? Will any of the new pins be there Friday?
Just checking since I’ve seen comments in other threads on seeing it Friday, but don’t see how that would make sense.

I haven’t been to MGC in 6 yrs and this is the first time participating in this offer. Not sure what is standard but this is what is on the website.

E1397FE2-6AA2-4931-890C-A0A92E164629 (resized).jpeg

Marco should be sending out details. They thought they had.

And yes, if you aren't there to open before the show, they will. The point of a show game is to have it for the show to show it to more perspective buyers. It more or less doesn't become "yours" until 5pm on Sunday.

If anyone is cancelling out for Friday / Saturday -- Looking for a hotel room for those two nights at the event

Thanks -- Please PM

Anyone know if any vendors will have shakers compatible with stern spike on hand for sale at the show?

Definitely check with Marco (or kurt from hemisphere since he is the "local partner" that Marco is working with.

call around to each of the partner hotels.

They all have rooms left, just no the show block it appears.

I have a buddy that just got a room yesterday by calling.

Marco email went out now with details.

I will have a couple of them.

--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com

Duh, late night and lack of sleep. Go with rob for sure.

Thanks. I might snag one when I get my colordmd from you then.

Where's the best economy parking on Saturday ?

In case you didn't pre-register, these are the details that went out to those that did...

*******************************************
The 2019 Midwest Gaming Classic is rapidly approaching. We continue to work hard to make the show a great experience for everyone.

For those that weren't able to join us last year, this is a reminder that last year the show MOVED from the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield to the Wisconsin Center convention facility in downtown Milwaukee. For those that attended last year, the arcade hall and console museum was in Hall C and the vendor hall was Hall D. This year, the arcade and museum have once again expanded in size and will occupy Hall B AND Hall C. This has presented some challenges for our power grid and dictated needing to expand the system (Doc Oc) again this year. The vendors are in Hall A. There is a wedding show that is using Hall D this year. I've attached a graphic showing the dock and exhibit hall of the Wisconsin Center. Please note the orientation of the picture.

There is a bunch of details below. Let me know if you have further questions and we'll see later this week!
Keith
*******************************************

Setup hours are Friday April 12th from 10am-10pm. The dock will re-open from 8am-9:30am on Saturday morning if you aren't able to setup on Friday. If you need to setup Saturday morning, please plan to be there no later than 9am as the hall opens to the public at 10.

If you're not able to setup during these times, there is an opportunity to drop off your game on Thursday night but we would need to know that in advance. Please email me if this is something you need to do so we can plan for you.

BRINGING YOUR GAME(S)
Following these step-by-step instructions to bring a game or games to the show!

1. Upon arrival at the Wisconsin Center, you (the game bringer) will sign your vehicle in at the dock gate and be directed to the gameroom hall ramp.
2. Once parked near the gameroom hall ramp, unload your game with MGC arcade hall personnel in specified “set up” location. To ensure a fast moving drop off procedure, you will not be setting up your game at this time. Instead, we will give you a “set up” pass to return to set it up after you park your car.
3. Move your car from the loading dock, park it and come back to the gameroom with your set up pass from the usual, “guest” side of the show. Note: If you expect to have a trailer, please email us at [email protected] so we can help ensure it has a place to go at the show. Trailers may be directed to off site parking.
4. Set up your game where the MGC arcade hall personnel directs you too.
5. Register your game to get your “welcome” packet including machine rewards, and enjoy the show! If setting up Friday, we would suggest looking into either visiting Tom Taylor’s Open House or taking part in our Friday Night Preview events. Note, due to their extremely limited nature, neither of these are part of our regular rewards.

Game removal times are expected to be Saturday, April 13th from 7pm-8pm or Sunday from 3:30pm-11pm. Game removal at other times may be accommodated by the Wisconsin Center by paying a $50 “dock fee” to get the personnel open docks at that time. This is per-vehicle fee.

1. Pack up your machine and move it our “prepped for removal” area in the back of the game hall.
2. MGC move out staff will give you a gameroom pick up pass. You will need this pass to return to the loading dock, so please keep it with you.
3. Retrieve your vehicle and come to the Wisconsin Center loading dock with your pass to get access.
4. MGC move out staff will check for a pass and direct you up the load out ramp. At the top of the ramp, MGC move out staff will further direct you where to go.
5. Once you are parked, you may get your machine and start to load it. MGC move out staff will check your ownership information, and is available to help you load your machine into your vehicle if you wish! Additionally, we will have hand trucks available to help move games.
6. Once loaded, drive down the exit ramp and leave the Wisconsin Center knowing that awesome you and your awesome game(s) brought happiness to more than 10,000 gamers for the weekend… WOW!

********************************************

* Power: Unless specifically instructed to do so by arcade hall staff, ONLY use power from the Doc Oc power system. Plugging directly into the convention center power will cost the show additional money that is not planned or budgeted for. If you have any questions regarding this policy, find someone from the arcade hall staff.

* Carry-in policy: Unfortunately, the Wisconsin center does not allow food or beverages to be carried in. This includes the after party. The convention center will have concessions available for purchase including beer and a cash bar. For the after party, the show will be providng food and purchasing a certain amount of beer. The exact details are still being worked out, but it will likely be allocated by each game getting a number of drink tickets.

* After-party: The after-party will work similarly to previous years. When the show closes at 8pm on Saturday evening, we will ask everyone to leave the hall while we prepare for the after-party. At approximately 8:45 or 9, we will allow re-entry to those with after-party passes. The after-party will close at 3am.

* Games: All full-size pinball, arcade and caberet style games will qualify for benefits including weekend admission, show cash, and after-party tickets. Cocktail games (including red tentss) will be allowed but will NOT qualify for any benefits of any kind. We will continue to evaluate the possibilities of allowing cocktail machines in future years as we gain a better understanding of the venue. Bar top games will not be allowed (except for vendors who may have them in their booths) as we don't believe we have a way to display them this year.

* VIG: Reminder, the Friday night VIG even is not part of the free weekend admission. Once again this year, a small portion of the arcade hall will be open for those with VIG tickets. But, as in previous years, the majority of the hall will be open for setup only.

* Early removal fee: As in previous years, there will be an early removal fee for games that are sold and leave the show floor prior to 11am on Saturday morning. Basically, once you setup your game in the hall, you cannot take your game out of service nor remove it from the hall prior to 11am on Saturday unless you pay a $100 penalty. The MGC does not charge a sales commission on games sold during the show nor do we intend to change that. Also, please note that this fee does NOT include any fees that might be imposed to open the dock during off-hours ($50 per vehicle fee - see additional setup info below).

* Grounding and game safety: Once again this year, we will be checking for safety ground connections on all games. If a machine was designed to have a grounded lug on the power cord connected to the metal on the game, that must be intact and functional. If that is not the case, you're machine will not be allowed on the floor of the arcade hall. We will try to have cords and personnel available to assist you with repairs if necessary for a fee, but we cannot guarantee availability. So, please check your power cords for ground connections as you shop and prepare your games for the show.

A really good article on game safety was written by Matthew Sell of the Seattle collectors group. There's a ton of good information there and I encourage you to read it. I've attached a copy of the file here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yol59fn7nryuqa1/Arcade%20Game%20Electrical%20Safety%C2%A0.docx?dl=0
WisconsinCenterMap (resized).jpg

It has to do with who has had cancelations and who hasn't, unless it's upgraded rooms. I know the Hilton is back to 100% sold out as of this morning. They had a couple yesterday.

Pinball Life is vending at PATZ, FYI. I think they may deliver pre-orders there too.

Not going to goof around with this weather, I'm driving out tomorrow. Will spend an extra night eating crappy food in Wisconsin Dells.

Smart move - looks like weather will be nasty out your direction. Getting ahead of it makes lots of sense. Have a good trip.

Or go a little farther to Madison. Madison Pinball has a few killer pinball locations.

Not even a contest IMHO. All locations in Madison are super great and this is coming from someone who has no vested interest in them. I/O arcade visit a month or two ago revealed a great collection with awesome pins, though very few food options (no kitchen). Blue Moon Arcade and Grill has a great collection of 5-6 pins I think and some of the best burgers and beer I've ever had. The list of locations is too long to list here (by me at least).

When we stayed in the Dells, I don't think I could find a single pin, but that may have changed. And the food was all chain with nothing of quality like Mad-town has.

Definitely have to consider Madison for next year. Went with the dells again because it’s about the time I start to fatigue from the drive.

May stay in Madison on Sunday night though.

I love my city! On Wisconsin!

Madison is only about 40 minutes more! Next year Much better food and Much better pinball!

If you decide you have to play pinball while you are in the Dells..... Moosejaw has/had Spiderman VE, the Hobbit, and Star Wars Pro as of last November. They have a huge gameroom downstairs, but just the three pins. Their food is pretty decent too.

thanks

thanks
They do serve chips/cheese, awesome pretzel balls/cheese, and have an actual pizza oven to make up some decent frozen pizza. Even better is that you have dank coffee shop, eldorado grill, or bandung thai food on the same block

Not as good as Blue Moon Burgers for sure, as not much can beat those (but I/O is double the pins in quantity and variety )

Bringing the family this year, everyone is super excited! Due to the impending storm we are leaving earlier than expected as well. Gotta beat that storm. We may end up staying in Madison otw. Are any or all of these fine establishments fam friendly?

Www.madisonpinball.com for full list of games and locations.

Assuming you will be on eastside near interstate, pooleys and alt brew are both family friendly and close.

Thanks, I'll check out the site. The wife and I went to alt brew last year on the way to mgc, had a good time.

Is there a floor map on the website that shows who and what is located where? I couldn’t find one.

https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/event-map/

None with vendor locations though?

We generally don't specifically label where certain vendors will be, as we have so many of them and it is really tough to map out. In general, the pinball ones are in the arcade room (The spot on the map is sort of off, they are in the center more).

Thanks Dan.

Okay - that's really good to know. We're heading to Schaumburg Thursday night to be at Level 257 to play some pinball on the way and get a head start. (Anyone else going to be in the area?) If it's bad weather or roads on Friday morning, we'll just head straight to the Tom's charity shindig. Otherwise, we might try to fit in a side detour to Pinball Life somewhere around there if I remember right.

Can't wait for MGC. Brand new pinball machines to play with other fun stuff to do.