I counted 4 up and 4 back in my 4th year so I'm probably 4 off.

Thanks for the reminder man. I effed up and forgot to buy a transponder at the Jewel drugstore 50 ft from PL. I guess you can use those in multiple states, which makes it a $40 no brainer. Goddamnit. Next year!
Next year I will forget again let's face it.

To be fair, it may be 100-150 feet Nice seeing you at the show!

Andrew

You too Billy Joel and all the other dudes I met with 2 first names.
Seriously, always fun hangin with you Andrew. Great seeing you again!

So JJP #4 was the only new announcement at expo this year?

Stern announced that we should drink more beer when we play pinball... though I missed that talk, as I was out drinking I think!!

https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2017/audio/stern-pinball-pinball-expo-2017.mp3

I'm doing it wrong.
Pinball and beer COSTS me more money

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Equals less money for me. Damn equations.

It's definitely worth it. That $40 goes into your account to pay tolls, and you can set to autorenew when it's depleted. I think there's a $10 deposit... But you get 50% off all tolls.

Had a fun time at Expo. Attendance seemed less, but the show itself wasn't bad. It does seem to be more of a Thursday/Friday show than all weekend. Vendors were already packing up early Saturday evening. The best part about the show is seeing fellow pinball enthusiast. Had lots of fun hanging out with them Heard some interesting opinions on POTC and Houdini. I think Eric Meunier knocked one out of the park. Just hope the game will have something to go for for novice players. As ball times appear to be very short I wonder why add a ton of depth to a game if you're hardly ever going to get there? Played Houdini too, but found it too much stop and go for my taste. That can however be fixed with code, so look forward to seeing that game progress.

Sorry to see Pinball Inc. won't be there next year.

I am hoping to make it one of these years. While perhaps not what it one was, it would be so cool to meet the people behind the designs.

Chris

I guess I missed something. Why won't Pinball Inc. be back next year?

Posted on FB that they're going to replace Expo with TPF in their show schedule.

https://www.facebook.com/PinballInc/posts/1496787990413859

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Talk about the chickens coming home to roost now. It's past the tipping point it seems.

I doubt it. Expo survived the change from an industry show to more of a hobby/collector show.

Give it time. And Mike is always the one to hold out the olive branch. Look how many times Mike tried to get Gene from Illinois Pin Ball back. And their differences went deeper than Expo.

And with the continuing growth of pinball. Expo will be there.

LTG : )

I was told there is a decent chance of a competing show next year. If that happens, then I think expo is genuinely in trouble.

If it happens. They will beat each other up and a good chance they both die.

I've seen it happen with competing businesses.

LTG : (

not if it's particularly one-sided

Agree - hope that doesn't happen - nobody will win.

I know the people behind the possibility of an alternate show, and they have the know how and support of many people that if anyone can make it happen, they can.

Its not being done to technically compete against expo, just that expo is degrading and Mike has not been able to do what it takes to keep up with the changing times that are needed for expo to ne what it should be. There are other shows like pinburgh and TPF that have gained steam and putting expo out of business. So if someone steps up and makes a great show, in the area that one needs to be (Chicago) then I'm for it. Ive been going to expo for about 15+ years, and still will if it continues. But I will also support someone trying to make a better show

The one sided one will be bleeding the most money. Giving the other a better chance at survival.

And I can't wait to see the flame fest here when this splits attendees and even friends. This could really hurt pinball as a whole.

LTG : (

Maybe Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine will resurrect the "Illinois Pinball Show" at the (how ironic) Ramada at the Pal-Waukee/Chicago Executive Airport.

Is this the convention center show run by Rob Berk, or is this something else? That had a terrible turnout last year, yet one complaint I hear a lot from people flying in is that it cost them $50 to uber up to wheeling from the airport and then you're sort of stuck there. The stevenson convention center is very scalable, I'm guessing reasonably priced based on the type of shows hosted there, and literally a block away from the train that can take you all the way downtown so you're not necessarily stuck at a show if you didn't rent a car. There's also tons of restaurants and indoor skydiving a block away.

Rob's show was a bust, I do not think that will return in any flavor.

As for the comment about splitting attendees and such. I think that is a moot point. I know myself, even if there are two shows, in close proximity, that I would attend both because of being only a few hours drive. I think that a split in attendees has already happened with the growth of TPF and ReplayFx, Many people are already making decisions, should I go to TPF or Expo, and with the decline of expo, its making the choice easy for them.

No responses, I'll take that as a good sign. I could never tolerate the stress levels he must endure to pull off that show.

A modest proposal: An AI controlled drone with facial recognition could be employed to track how long someone is at each game, and whether anyone is waiting to play. As pundits are worried about AI "taking over" using advanced intelligence someday, surely it is possible to make these drones smart enough to discern whether a game is multiplayer and that anyone waiting is simply waiting their turn. If an infringement is taking place, the drone could deploy a banner with chasing lights that reads "GAME HOG!" or somesuch. If this embarrassment fails to make the violator modify his behavior, it could escalate the countermeasures, perhaps with a bright spotlight in the player's face to render him unable to see well enough to play. A player could keep playing in defiance of that however, probably not well but just in spite, so at this point the drone would have no option but to render the perpetrator unable to continue with a paralyzing dart. When the miscreant awakens to find other players standing above and around him playing the game, it is hoped he will realize the error of his ways and meekly inquire as to whether he can join the current player in the next game, but please, allow him get some paper towels to mop this up in the meantime.

This topic was raised in more than a few conversations among some of the attendees this year.

Quoted from Pinball Inc's Facebook post:

"We only do 2 out of town shows a year, we've decided that going forward the Texas Pinball Festival will replace the Chicago Expo. The people who organize the vendors at the TPF are very accommodating to and appreciative of their vendors. Most important they treat their vendors with respect. We hope to see many of you at that show next March."

Well if that isn't a damning statement towards Expo, I don't know what is.

You guys looking for another fun show to attend should check out SFGE in Atlanta. It's got way more than just pinball too. It's arcades, console games, table top games, gaming movies, seminars, competitions, indie games, etc...

The crew that run it are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and the venue is absolutely amazing.

One of my favorite things about SFGE is the 24 hour table gaming area. When the gameroom closes late, we have made it a habit of going over to the tabletop gaming area to chill and sit down for a bit.

The area is run by a gaming store. Combined with games that attendees bring, they have hundreds of games. They run a library type system where you can check out any game you want and go play it with your friends, FOR FREE. Always wanted to try a certain board game? They have it.

After standing all day and walking around, it's nice to grab some beers and sit around a table playing board games for the last few hours of the night.

It's really a fun show and I can't imagine many shows being better than it.

There were well over 300 games there in 2017

Union costs would kill it. Unless you want $100 per person, per day tickets.

Did Gene ever go back?

Never

it could also realy help pinball as a whole

I would have to think the Schaumburg area would be the prime place for a rival "Expo" or even Arlington Park Racetrack would rock.

I'd love to attend a pinball show at that massive new convention center 20 minutes from my house. Almost 150k square feet, but probably costs a zillion bucks.

Here's the way I look at it:

My wife isn't the biggest fan of my hobby. At times I would say she downright hates it. But Expo weekend is MY weekend. I went three times this year, twice with myself and once with my son. Had a blast all three times (that Special Force got a LOT of play from me!) All of that being said, there is no way in Hell my wife is letting me get on a plane to go to another pinball show (MGC maybe, but I'm always busy that weekend and they don't have the same hours as Expo, so I never go unfortunately). Since I have never once walked away from Expo saying, "That was awful. I'm never going back", I plan on going every year.

Not likely. A new, competing show could take years to grow and evolve. TPF didn't happen over night.

A new show isn't likely to get the majority of the manufacturers there, a Stern tour, all the old heads for seminars or autograph session. More likely end up with something like Pinball Life's party over an extra day.

Check with Gabe and Pintastic, how much money they lost the first year.

In 33 years, nothing has popped up to give Expo a run for it's money. With the possible exception of Gene's show which didn't even make the map. Shows come and go, yet Expo remains.

It's one thing to sit around having a beer. And complain about Expo. And how many could do better. But when you attempt it. You are in for a lot of hard work, way more expenses than you thought. Less people that will help as compared to how many offered to help. And even if you run the perfect show, you'll find people bitching about it and the organizers too.

LTG

I put on a small show back in August and I can attest that it is an incredible amount of work, even at that size. There are a lot of details you need to work out, a lot of things you have to prepare, and a lot of people you have to talk to in order to make things happen. You need to be 110% committed to doing it and be willing to sacrifice nights and weekends for months. You'll probably have half the games people said they would bring and a quarter of the people who said they would be able to help out.

But, when it all comes together and everything runs reasonably smooth, it's like magic.

Taking on something the size of expo--I can't see someone pulling that off out of the blue. It would be a massive undertaking and would cost tens of thousands of dollars at minimum. And directly competing with an existing show in the same area around the same time, like LTG said, would fracture the base of participants and attendees, causing both shows to suffer since they each depend upon a full base.

That said, if someone *really* wants to start a show--start small, do it in an area that doesn't already have one (where people are eager to participate in a show), and have it at a time of year where it doesn't compete against other shows or other major events in the area.

The bottom line is that something at the scale of expo is such a massive undertaking. It's much easier to shift over to another favored show that's already been established, which is what we're all seeing happen right now.

That was more true in the past because they had a built-in advantage of location... Chicago was the center of the universe and there wasn't enough critical mass anywhere else. That's an advantage, but Expo has seemed to use that as a crutch.

Vendors are not limited to Chicago... the biggest aren't even local. So they travel..
Stern Tour? We have the internet now... not nearly as lucrative
Industry people? Given the right circumstances.. they will travel too.
Collection of games? Expo has been surpassed, and at many locations
Major reveals? They can happen at other shows and have been...
Newer things like homebrew or start-up parts? They are happening elsewhere too

Expo is riding on inertia... while the elements that used to be unique are no longer. I doubt Expo will go away anytime soon, but it won't be the 'must be at event' it was in years prior. Product launches, travel, vendors, speakers, etc are all outside Expo's death grip and have been for awhile. Expo could shrink dramatically. I don't think the stronghold on appearances will hold up. Other shows will be able to invest to bring people in.

I do apologize for not being clearer.

When I wrote nothing has popped up to give Expo a run for it's money. I meant in the Chicago area, where the subject of a competing show was brought up, at the same time.

I wasn't referring to other shows or parts of the world.

LTG : )

Saw him a few times going around. Seemed fine to me as long as you got out often way of his scooter.

More ppl go to reply than expo.

I think if pbl expanded to a full show it would do great.

Honestly right now, I'd say the calendar is probably a bigger blocker for a competing show than Expo's presence. The scene is big enough (IMO) to support more than one show a year in the area... the problem is so much of the calendar is already busy with competing events. I think Expo's built in advantages are a thing of the past... and that's why vendors and individuals are able to switch to alternate shows and not see it as that huge of a loss.

He had a booth at Expo.

This is so sad to hear and read.

note -- "other artists and vendors"

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Thats awful

You gotta be kidding me. Wow. Why? Why in the fuck would you steal from an artist? Sickening.

Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't there at least one vendor every year that makes a claim of something walking off? Not sure to this magnitude but still. It's no wonder vendors stay in that room around the clock.

Damn that sucks.

Some people are really shitty.

She could ship you in a refrigerator box.