Maybe Mike needs to start giving refunds for games present on Sunday and anything taken out before 2 pm (for example) does not get credit. You should get credit for the time your game is there, not all or nothing. We travel 9 hours to Expo and 10 hours to TPF, we often miss most of the first day in travel and getting home at 12 or 1 am is not cool.

We travel 23 hours to TPF, 10 To PAGG, 8 to CAX, 6 to Zapcon - we dont get to take our games home early at any of these...

For those people that need to be to work on Monday - Maybe consider taking another day off?

Do those shows start on Wed? I dont know but Wed-Sun is too long. As a visitor it was for me I can only imagine for a vendor.
Honestly Expo is all about Thurs and Fri and surviving Sat.
I would recommend attendees take a day off and come sooner over vendor taking Monday off.

mike gives the rebate for like 3 days. I've been asked in the past, what days I've brought and pulled the machines.

Wow....you bring games 23 hours to TPF? I think for that one I would just fly in. Seriously though, if the show ran full throttle until 5 on Sunday I would be fine with taking Monday off too, especially when the game room is open all night long. I've been dragging ass this week - could've used a full day of sleep on Monday.

Honestly, I think that is the only thing that could be done to change it. Wednesday had a bunch set up because of the deals that were made, but I have been there in the past and while I didn't mind it at all, when I was there on a Wednesday there were two vendors there and setting up, no one selling anything. I happily walked around talking to people, so it didn't matter to me, but Wednesday is honestly more about getting a nice meal and setting up.

The show then runs nearly non-stop from Thursday to Saturday when the banquet comes. That's a pretty long time.

Sunday, they wish they could still do it, but I don't know of any other show that is five days long, much less four days long. It makes it so that people decide to pack up early. With the news that the big collector's games that were secured for the show got packed up early and the fact that they weren't charging, it sounds like the people running the show agreed.

The problem is if you say the show is over on Saturday night, then the time the banquet starts it will be completely over, or maybe before that for the people who want to leave immediately following the banquet. The time keeps creeping.

There is no great answer, unless there is serious talk about making the show shorter, and I can't imagine that happening. My suggestion is what others say - make Sunday a 'free' day and explain that many things may be missing on Sunday. Make the passes a four day pass with Sunday 'free'.

Forcing vendors to be there or machines to stay will ONLY result in people pulling out. You're already taking off at least three vacation days for Expo if you're just putting up a machine (at least, probably), you can't expect them to take off more for their hobby. Families can and should come first.

The only thing I can think of would be to offer very compelling incentives for people who stay all the way through Sunday afternoon. I'm just not sure that sort of thing is in the budget.

Honestly, I'm not sure why it goes until 4pm. I'm not packing up at midnight on Saturday either; so a good concession might be say noon on Sunday with anyone that shows up after 6am (the end of the wrist band day) gets in free. Maybe the vendors could open up at 8am. That gives 4 hours for people to buy stuff and people to leave earlier. Sunday has always been people packing up, leaving and tournament finals going on.

This is not necessarily the case anymore, there were alot of people there Wed. and they were allowed in to the free play room Wed. evening. and it was pretty crowded.

This is true, not everyone has unlimited vacation time from work so it would be impossible for some. We do this, but we still have to get loaded, and it is not a fun job in the dark, and IIRC the rooms for Expo need to be cleaned out by a certain time on Sun. (not sure about what time) but everything still has to be moved out pretty quickly.
It did seem that things cleared out early this year. I try to leave my games up as long as possible when I take them to shows, but this year we had Lots to get packed up, and the friends that pulled the 2nd trailer had to pack up and leave early Sun. for a family funeral and the other had to be at work at 6am Mon. morning. by the time we got the 1st trailer loaded and on its way, the room was pretty empty. We decided at that point to just go ahead and shut them down. I left CSI and MET up as long as possible.

Phoebe

Like I said, I don't know and I wasn't there this year - my experience was from two years ago. The freeplay room was open then too, there was maybe 20ish machines set up at that time, and a ton of people setting stuff up. I helped a few people set things up.

Again, I had no issue with it and was more than happy with Wednesday when I was there - I don't go to play machines, I go to chat with people.

I personally think if you say your open Sunday, be open.

When people see that Expo or whatever has hours on Sunday, most normal people would assume to see much more than was actually there. If I was a normal person only marginally into pinball and came on Sunday and saw that bs, I would never come back.

Post actual hours, how hard is that?

Note to self, never go on Sunday, because it's accepted in the pinball community to be empty, yet open for business.

Change is a good thing, sometimes.

Also I really wish I could have gone this year. What an exciting weekend it seemed to be. It looked like the pinball life open house was a blast.

Between 50 games, free admission, free food/drinks, 3 amazing custom projects by Jay, discounted pinball parts, it's hard NOT to go there every year. I only wish Terry had a reason (carry more parts), and the ability (not unless someone next door moves out and they allow him to knock down a wall) to expand his warehouse so he could fit more pins in there.

they did post actual hours people, myself included, left early

Pinball life party on Friday . Vip parties fri -sat. Game rooms open all nights. Not a great weekend, an amazing wed-sat.
We were al burned out by sat

No, there are honestly WAY too many pins there already, given the available space. No customers go to Terry's to play the "classics". I love the custom machines, new games and home-brew creations, but it was so crowded and unmovable in there, it really took away from the event for me. Others I traveled with said the same and are just going to pay shipping and avoid the ordeal from now on. I know I sound like an old man... I love drinking free beer and playing free pinball as much as the next guy.

Thanks to Terry for providing this. I realize he makes no money at all having the event and in previous years he holds the party, at a loss, for his customers to enjoy. The event does alway present a cool atmosphere for sure.

There seemed to be a lot of people there that had no intentions at all of buying anything at all, ever. This fact doesn't bother me at all, but others I was with have had enough of the hassle it presents. It seems the event has really moved away from "a for the customers sale" and is really "a party for everyone" now. I will continue to go and I think it is fun. This year, I really was just dying to get there, pay for my parts, eat a sandwich, drink one beer, and leave...didn't play a single game... That took about two hours! Not to mention the added fight with rush hour Chi. traffic.

I miss the event from its early days, at the old Huntley World Headquarters and not a gazillion people. However, I'm sure Terry is glad it is no longer there.

-Mark

I love going to Terry's, but i have also said that it is to crowded and that i wont go the next year, but i still go. After seeing this years party I really feel bad for Terry. I know that this has to be a large cost for him to put it on and i doubt that the sales of the day even cover a fraction of the cost to provide so many free items. Like many said, Im sure that a large part of the people that go dont even have a clue as to who Terry is. I hope that Terry can do something to change the people that take advantage of his hospitality. I think it could be something simple to, like email Terry to be put on a list or have a invite emailed in return. One invite could be good for 2 people or something. Anything to help him keep the cost down. Otherwise its going to either get really out of hand or Terry will start adding a little to each part to help offset the cost, which I wouldnt blame hime for

troy

Some of us also remember it being held at the old Chicago World Headquarters....