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Quoted from viper001:Sometimes when I'm out I could swear I'm catching a whiff of that potato bar, surely the finest in all of Chicago...
We all miss Gene, Gene, the Dancing Machine's show and the Potato Basket two-star restaurant with the '70's decor & fixtures.
Quoted from Whysnow:Schaumberg is a WAY WAY better location and venue for this!
I hope Rob can get this all together this year. Expo was dead/dying the past few years and I am excited to see a chance for something new to come from this.
Quoted from Whysnow:If the could not make it work after 30 some years, THANK GODNESS they are deciding to try something new separate.
The first year will be tough on both, but guessing 1 (the new one) rises from the flames the following year.
New show already has a better venue, if they also have the industry support from the big players, toss on a stellar tournament format, and can get the collector community to show up and support the free play then they will win out.
If they are smartm then the first year is run with only the attempt to break even (or lose money). That alone will help them compared to a show where someone is attempting to make it their full time job.
It's Schaumburg, not Schaumberg. No, it IS NOT a WAY WAY better location and venue than the Westin Wheeling. Good luck finding a venue in six months with a huge, first class hotel and ballrooms that can properly service a show like what Rob Berk is proposing.
I love the way you always CAPITALIZE a word or two in your posts for, well, nothing....
Quoted from Monte:A simple solution would be for Mike to step aside and give it to Bob. Yes, Mike is part of the history of making the expo what it was. He is also the reason it is currently falling apart.
Some have said Mike is getting too old to handle the show. Keep in mind Mike is not the oldest guy in the group.
Quoted from yancy:I’ve lived in the area and attended Expo for two decades. Schaumburg > Wheeling.
You think he just now started looking for a venue? Hotels with ballrooms are a dime a dozen around here. I’m guessing he has one in mind, if not already booked.
I disagree on the Schaumburg > Wheeling opinion.
As far as the "dime-a-dozen comment. Name just a half-dozen Schaumburg hotels with meeting/ballroom space that is double the size of the Westin Wheeling. I don't think there are even four.
As for my thinking if he just started looking for a venue; yes. I could be wrong though.
Quoted from Frax:This is no more or less CONcerning than highlighting the word CON every time you CONsider making a post. Yeesh.
I don't do that every time I post or even consider making a post. I'd say I do it in less than 7.5% of my posts.
Quoted from yancy:I was there! One of the few.
That was a video game show, barely promoted, and in expensive parking hell aka Rosemont. Hopefully the new show won't share any of that.
The late Donald E. Stephens, his late son Donald E Stephens II and the surviving kids & grandkids who now rule Rosemont; thank all of us for our tax dollars from parking fees and special hotel taxes there.
Quoted from pinlawyer:About 15 years ago, I replaced about 4 self-destructive habits and obsessions by reviving a half-dormant obsession: pinball. I found RGP, thanks to a local collector named Bruce Artman, "met" a ton of pinball folks from around the world--many of whom are here now--and went to my first Expo. I remember meeting Rob and Bridget, and Mike Pacak, the owner of what I thought was the greatest and rarest pin ever: Jolly Park. I loved the tourney--almost won it once (but had to leave before the winner's bracket played out on Sunday)--and the camaraderie among pinball enthusiasts. Expo was the only place where players and collectors both congregated (I was both), and was also the only place most of us could go to talk to other people about nothing but pinball. It was likely a vacation for many of our families FROM pinball.
Fast forward 15 years and there are shows-worth-a-plane-ride almost every month. We even have Zapcon in Arizona now. Pinball really has exploded and is no longer something for which I have to travel to find fellow enthusiasts. It's been a couple of years since I went to Expo. But it's been dying, IMO, since its 25th. Nobody complains about Rob and Bridget. But Mike P is a hugely polarizing figure who always seems to be yelling at someone. My observation has been that it's probably the one time each year when he's in charge of something big. I felt sorry for him--a big guy riding around on a scooter a size too small with a little dog, yelling at people and telling them what to do, how to do it, and where. Taking Expo from him seems almost cruel.
To be fair, Mike heard the criticism and took it to heart the last few years. He was on his best behavior in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, I noticed he looked a little upset one time, but never blew a gasket when I was around. In 2017, he was always nice. I had to work with him on some stored games in 2016 and since I was part of the repair clinic in 2017, I saw him a lot. Believe it or not, he seemed nicer than Rob to deal with and I'm not knocking Rob.
And remember, Mike took the suggestions/demands/outcries to heart and now keeps the free-play room open during the banquet.
Quoted from Marvin:Directly from the twisted head of Mike-
"you dont know whole story about rob a he DEMANDS shows give him free space and free room thats why he is not set up this week he feels he is an attraction and he is some however when he only fixed games and boards he was ok but when he turned into a flea market for pinball crap he also pissed off paying vendors which sold the same things like leds for one he was originally a service service he went too far on selling and expecting everything free "
You really know the right things to say. No clue what "he is not set up this week" has to do with anything either. Mike do you think expo is now?
The post quoted above is about Rob Anthony and his split from Expo (not having a game/board repair room along with parts and game related items for sale) after the 2016 event. This thread is about Rob Berk and Mike Pacak's split from partnering to run Expo after the 2017 event.
Quoted from metallik:Zero interest in supporting Expo at this point. Those of you who have enjoyed the Cincinnati pins in the freeplay hall, consider attending Pincinnati ( http://www.pincinnati.com ) instead.
Thanks a lot, Rob. Hope you're happy.
Quoted from MrBally:Thanks a lot, Rob. Hope you're happy.
No more free chocolate for Bridgette.
Happy wife, happy life......
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