Email from Mike:

Greetings!

To all past, present and future Pinball Expo vendors and attendees:

As many of you may have heard, Rob Berk and I have parted ways after 33 years of putting on the Pinball Expo. Rob decided that he no longer wanted to be a partner and chose to go his own separate way. This decision was completely of his own choosing and wasn't brought up for any type of discussion. Because of this change, I just wanted to clear up any confusion there may be on the status of the show. In our separation agreement we both have the right to do a show. There WILL be a pinball show taking place, as advertised in the past, at the Westin Hotel in Wheeling, IL on Oct 17-21, 2018. These dates were planned and set for two years already. Contrary to what you may have heard about this show, people are NOT "jumping ship." Many have already planned their vacations and booked their travel to Chicago for this. Contracts with the hotel are in place for both 2018 and 2019. All of the vendors and attendees I have spoken with so far have expressed their interest and commitment to continuing the show as planned. For those wondering if there will there be a change to the name of the show, there will be. The new name has yet to be determined but will be announced shortly. In light of the recent events, changes are in the works for those involved with organization of the show. My son Lonnie Mihin, who ran the game hall last year and who has been a part of the Pinball Expo since it's inception, is going to be taking on a greater role in the planning and execution of the show. I am also currently in talks with several other's who are interested in becoming a part of the show. A new website with more information detailing this will be available soon. The changes that are being implemented will ultimately help in achieving the goal of making a bigger, better and much smoother running show for everyone. In closing, I would like to thank you all for the many years of support that you have shown and I look forward to seeing you all in October.

Sincerely,

Mike Pacak

It always seemed to me that Rob was the (more) silent partner, perfectly wiling to take the credit when things went well and let Mike take the blame when they didn't. For years I didn't realize they were equal partners.

Mike has an incredible talent for shooting himself in the foot and his stubbornness and resistance to constructive criticism legendary, but whatever you think of Mike and his methods, his contribution to pinball and Expo cannot be erased or ignored by an email written by someone who couldn't even be bothered with a simple acknowledgment or thank you for 33 years of hard work and dedication.

I don't know if I'll ever know the whole story, but when I got the email it really rubbed me the wrong way. I understand the desire for Rob to move forward but both the competing (now canceled) show and this seem more petty than visionary.