(Topic ID: 126453)

Thoughts on making Pin shows better

By Blackbeard

8 years ago


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  • 155 posts
  • 61 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 8 years ago by vid1900
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#73 8 years ago

This is said very kindly. Not in jest or to "dig" anyone. Just stating how I personally feel.

You know the old political saying...If you don't cast a vote, you don't have the right to complain at the way the government is run or what goes on in Washington? Well, that's my personal take for people who complain about games at a show but don't actually bring or contribute anything themselves for everyone to enjoy.

That said, if we all brought games, shows would be better. You should definitely bring games that you'd like to sell or trade. It all helps to make for a successful show. Sure, there are some old beat up games that are brought to a show, but there's some people that like that and I include myself in that category. They look to score a sweet deal on a pin for a restore amongst those type machines and that's great. I really don't think they are brought to the show to get free admission. Heck, if you're that worried about $17 dollars that you're willing to do all the work it takes to get a pin to a show and then lug it back home too, God love ya because that's an enormous amount of work for $17!

That said, I appreciate all the work that goes into getting a pinball machine to a show. So I thank everyone who brought pins to Allentown last weekend. Especially you guys who brought multiple games. Tons of games equaled tons of fun for me!

So thank you for doing all that work to make Allentown such a great success yet again. After all, the pins are the true stars of the show and the main reason most of us go.

#84 8 years ago
Quoted from Blackbeard:

I bought that from Ivan. It was never in the show etc.

Yes I bought it from Ivan weeks before the show. It was never in free play.
This thread was intended for a discussion of a better way to entice people to being nice pins to the shows. Leaving a nice pin on for free play isn't much enticement.
My suggestion is to knock around the idea of letting some in for coin play. Then this thread went into a personal attack on me by some.
It's sad there are people in this hobby that attack and troll others that are trying to better the hobby as a whole. I'm somewhat getting burned out by trying.

Yo bro, let me be 100% clear here and I can only speak for myself personally. So this is my personal take from your statements and this again is said completely calmly and nicely. So please take it that way. At the end of the day, I hope you'll agree and take a nice pin to Pintastic for everyone to enjoy which will make the show that much better, which is what your thread is all about. So...

I TOTALLY hear and get what you are saying, but you damned yourself with your own words. You complained about the quality of machines at shows. We all get that and we're all in agreement with you. But you bought a machine (of the show promoter no less) and kept it wrapped up and managed to get it home. You could have supported the show and helped it out (which is what you were asking everyone else to do to help make shows better with this thread but are unwilling to do yourself) by bringing it in, unwrapping it and setting it up for free play for everyone to enjoy.

It seems like you want others to bring their nice games so you can have fun playing them but no way will you bring any of your own. I'm NOT knocking you bro, I'm just stating the obvious as I see it. You did NOTHING wrong. You had the right to load your new game up and take it home. But man, don't complain about others doing the same thing if you're not contributing yourself. That's not right.

This in NO WAY is a personal attack. We are just having a nice discussion. I just wish you could hear my tone of voice in saying this because it is one of respect and said matter of factly. Not maliciously, smart alecky or mean. Totally said kindly to just get you to see how you can also help and contribute. At the end of the day, I am with you 100% on your thoughts and feelings BB, I just want you to look in the mirror and say...Hey, here's what I myself can do to help out these guys putting on these shows too. That's all. All said and done, I thank you for sharing your thoughts my friend, but please be a part of the solution you (and we all) seek.

#86 8 years ago
Quoted from Blackbeard:

I like the idea of a the people bringing a pin for play being entered into some sort of drawing. Whether it's a pin or some sort of prize.
I also think letting people In w a pin for coin play can't hurt. It brings more pins to shows. Pins for coin play would have to buy a spot from the show and not get free admission.
This could offset the admission price to public just a bit, allowing for the offset to be used for coin to play.
There have got to be ways to better the shows.

You can absolutely bring games and put them on voin play if you wish. You could rent a booth spot. That spot allows you to do whatever you want in your space. You are more than free to set pins up and put them on coin play if you wanted to. But I personally don't think they'd get many playsunless they were the very rare and expensive games that people have always wanted to play but never would get the chance other wise. Games like BBB, KingPin, and CC come to mind here. Got to admit, I'd drop some dough to play them.

That said, 1 of the aforementioned machines will be set up at Pintastic. It will have it's own spot and will be $2 to play. 100% of that money will go directly to a charity. So not only will you get to play an extremely rare and awesome machine, you'll also be helping out a great charity as well. Details will follow by the end of the month.

#92 8 years ago
Quoted from boneman91:

I'd like to see the venues be a bit nicer. Now I"ve only been to Allentown and York, so maybe my experience is skewed. I'd like to have a sitting area where people could meet and talk, and a sitting area for eating as well. My old legs have a real problem with standing on concrete for 8-10 hours at a time! I'm just dreaming, I know, but you asked for brainstorming!

Pintastic is in July. It is in a fully carpeted and air conditioned facility. Plenty of private indoor and outdoor space over looking the spring fed lake to sit, eat, talk and get away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Plus our hotel is on site so you never have to leave.

#94 8 years ago
Quoted from MrBally:

Maybe what needs to happen is that show promoters need to offer something more than a $15-$30/day value admission value to get some better games.

For Pintastic, if you bring a game for the Free Play area, you get free EARLY admission into the show each day your game/s is/are on the floor. You get to come into the show early both days if your game doesn't sell Friday. You'll get to come into the Friday night exclusive after party which includes all free food that Gabe and I are going to buy and provide (drinks are available for purchase including beer) as our way of saying thank you to everyone. And if that isn't enough, we are giving everyone who registers their game before June 1st, 2 free tickets for each game they bring that will go into a free prize raffle just for people who bring games. We will have between 5 and 10 prizes for Friday night and Saturday night for everyone who brings a game to the "Free Play" area. If you've registered your machine on the website before June 1st, you will receive TWO tickets for each game you bring for each day they are there. If you do NOT register your mahines before the June 1st deadline, you'll receive 1 ticket for each game you bring. You MUST be in attendance in order to win a prize. Prizes will range from $100 to $25 in value. The winners will be drawn around 6pm each day.

Is there anything more we could possibly do to thank everyone and reward you for taking the time and going through the pain of bringing your games to the show?

#96 8 years ago
Quoted from gac:

3) offer chroming and powdercoating services (obviously wouldn't do the work at the show, but could take orders and/or parts with them. ) Just my quick 2 cents.

I can't believe this thread and all the stuff we have been working so hard on for Pintastic.

I have been in talks with the owners of SSP (South Shore Plating and Powder Coating http://www.southshoreplating.com/) about vending at the show. I have to call them this afternoon to see what they have decided. If they are not in, I'll be trying someone else. I've already talked to 5 other shops and they don't understand pinball or see the vision. I ain't giving up!

We are doing everything we can to make Pintastic a Premiere pinball event for New England. We look at Pintastic as the people's show. We want to give everyone everything they want at the show. That said, if you go to our website (www.PintasticNewEngland.com) and click the "Our Vendors" link, you'll see all the vendors currently attending the show. If you DON'T see a company on there that you would like to have be at the event, please shoot them a call or e-mail to let them know that you'd like to see them attend Pintastic New England in July. You may make the difference in them deciding to come. Thanks.

#99 8 years ago
Quoted from Cheddar:

There are many ways to support a pinball show:
Pay for entry. No show could exist for free and paid entries are what it's all about ultimately.
Volunteer. Great way to meet people, find out who has the best games and help the show.
Bring Games. A-List, B-List, Rare it doesn't matter. The more games the better the show the more people pay to get in.
Rent a truck and haul games for others. Get a hold of all the locals and bring their games to the show. Some guys will never let the good titles out, some just don't want to haul them themselves. Last year I hauled 13 machines and it ranged from an EM that sold at the show for less than 700 to a Minty Circus Voltaire.

Gabe and I have too much personal money invested into the show to make a profit this year. Honestly, we're just hoping we can break even. But that's cause we're animals and we're over extending ourselves to make Pintastic one that you will all be proud of and want to attend every year. We're having every thing you possibly can at the show along with some extras NO other show has (as far as I know of).

That said, the only thing we care about is getting the people in and seeing all of our sponsors and vendors make money and do well. That is first and foremost for us. Without them, there is NO show. So if they do good, Pintastic will be an awesome yearly event for everyone. That's why I always ask everyone to support those who are supporting you. "You" meaning, Your show. So when you are at the show, take a few minutes to thank each and every one of them for being a part of making the show possible. Then, take advantage of their show specials and spend your money on their goods at the show. That way they may make money and book as a vendor for next year.

This is a team effort. We can do it without all of you. And God only KNOWS where we'd be without the awesome help from all our awesome volunteers. If you see someone at the show in a "Staff" T-shirt, be sure to thank them for donating their time to help the show be a fun, well organized and successful one. These people are sacrificing their time to enjoy the show to help the attendees have a better and more enjoyable experience at Pintastic. So PLEASE take a minute to shake a hand or extend a hug to them and thank them for their great work. I truly can't tell you how much Gabe and I both appreciate our volunteer team. We have room for more to join the team and can certainly use your help. If you'd like to volunteer, please go to www.PintasticNewEngland.com and register to be a volunteer. We're giving away a bunch of cool stuff and you can attend the Friday After Party!

Thanks everyone!

Edit: There is no bigger letdown the feeling you get as an amazing show is ending. Gabe and I also hired a great band who will be setting up to play music in the "Free Play" area AFTER the show ends. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, but the band is our way of thanking everyone and not wanting the fun to end. They will be playing from around 7pm till 12am Saturday night to keep the fun rolling! Then you can go upstairs and have a great night sleep before leaving nice and refreshed Sunday.

#102 8 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

This sounds awesome. Just too far of a trek for me. Hopefully this model catches on with other shows.

Thanks Chuck. We really are trying to break new ground and expand on what everyone already loves about pinball shows. Will we make mistakes, sure. Will we mess up, sure. Will things go perfect? No. But we promise that we'll do our very best and make Pintastic a smooth and well organized event. It won't be for lack of money spent and trying if we don't nail this.

Thanks for the kind words and maybe we'll see you next year? New England in the summer is one awesome place to vacation. Especially if you've never been to Boston and seen the Red Sox play in beautiful Fenway Park. Not to mention all the rich history we have with the Freedom Trail tour you can take. All our countries roots start right here in Massachusetts. So it really is an awesome place to vacation every year.

#110 8 years ago

Thanks you to BlackBeard for starting this thread. It has gotten a lot of people talking and shows the genuine passion we all have to making the hobby and the shows we attend better.

#121 8 years ago
Quoted from calvin12:

Problem there is myself and many others won't let someone they don't know work on their pins, especially if they are being given free reign to bill parts.

No one should ever work on another persons pin without them knowing. At Pintastic, there will be techs available. If a machine goes down, they will call the number on the machine. IF you can fix it yourself, awesome. If not, at least you know you have professionals there to get her up and running properly again. Yeah, you may have to pay some cash to fix it, but at least they're there and you don't have to pay them to drive to and from your home.

Quoted from cantbfrank:

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but providing awards for specific type of pins. Best mod on a 1990s pin, best 1960's EM, Best 1980's pin etc. Maybe provide an award for "Best in Show". The winners could be selected by specific judges, attendees or a combination of both.

Pintastic is having a Best in Show contest which will be voted on by the staff and vendors at the show. Here is a link to the contest page. http://www.pintasticnewengland.com/best-in-show-contest.html

We're even going to be selling glass at the show for everyone who needs it. I couldn't find anyone that wanted to do it. So Gabe and I are fronting all the money to have glass at the show because that's what people want and we are trying super hard to please everyone.

#122 8 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Providing the show has a profit. Pintastic posted they hope to break even on their first show. MGC is always close to break even.
All good ideas. Not all will work at every show.
LTG : )™

This is so true. You can't begin to imagine all the costs of doing a show. In fact, the electric bill alone would bounce your jaw off the floor! Forget about the venue cost. Then, we're pulling money out of pocket for food at the Friday after party and for a Saturday live band. Figure out what that costs! That's thousands of dollars right there. You know how many paid heads have to come through the door to pay for that alone? Do we have to do that...No. But we want to do it to show our thanks and appreciation to everyone who takes part in making the show a success. Making money isn't the issue. Heck, you can't imagine how many countless hours it takes to do this. I have hundreds of hours invested into the website alone. What would you value your personal time at?

At the end of the day, we are really hoping to break even, give or take some cash. I just don't want to lose big and have my wife hang me upside down. Not kidding. So I really hope everyone sees what we're doing and supports 1000%.

PS-Lloyd will be there!!!

#128 8 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

I ran a show for a couple of years. It is a thankless, expensive task and everyone should be super thankful to those willing to do it.

While I agree, I must also say that everyone we have talked to has recognized and thanked us for doing this. It is something that people have been dying for in New England and they really are thankful Their kind thoughts and sentiments have been greatly appreciated and they keep spurring us on to do everything we can to make this a truly awesome event.

#130 8 years ago
Quoted from MrBally:

JPop could put all of his development games in the show section

John has reached out to us and wants to come and bring Magic Girl. We'll see what happens.

#131 8 years ago

Phoebe, you and your group are great assets to the pin community. Thanks for everything you personally do to make shows that much better. We have great groups of people who will be doing the same thing for Pintastic New England as well. Just more proof at how Pinball has the BEST people of any hobby in it.

#139 8 years ago
Quoted from Butterflygirl24:

Sounds like you guys are going to have a great show! I am sure there are alot of good pinheads in the NE area to help make your show the best it can be! Good Luck!!

It's definitely a labor of love that can't be accomplished without the help of many other people. From vendors and sponsors to volunteers and people who bring games. It takes a lot of people coming together to make it great.

Thanks for the well wishes and take care.

#140 8 years ago
Quoted from mac622:

I did get a few calls and texts for some stuck balls and a coil shot-gunning issue. These people were thoughtful and respectful enough to ask if they could give the game good nudge to try freeing up the stuck ball(s) and the issue with the pops rapid firing, the guy turned off the machine and then called to tell me about the problem. He then waited until I got there to make sure it didn't get turned on again before being fixed. In my opinion, these people treated my game as if it was their own. I was really quite impressed!

So true of what really goes on at the show. A lot of people are very considerate like that. I hope you'll consider coming to Pintastic and bringing a couple of your great games too. We'd love to have ya.

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