Bethlehem, PA
The Allentown Sucked thread sparked me to try out a little market research. Let’s get some data around why people attend pinball shows.
(Topic ID: 242698)
Quoted from whthrs166:You need an all of the above catagory
That would ruin the research. 
Quoted from whthrs166:but it is a reality!
Agreed but guys like Ivan have limited funds and space to put on a an event. To find out how they should allocate space, they need to make tough decisions and a poll like this will be super helpful.
Meet up with friends who you may only see once a year, play lots of pinball. Bringing games to shows as well!! A working vacation at times if you will...
I made hotel reservations for Chicago about 2 weeks ago, and am really excited to attend my first event. Looking forward to all of the above. I’m really looking forward to seeing and playing some homebrew games as well as completely modded games.
I love going to shows but hate playing pinball there. I enjoy seeing old friends, bullshitting with fellow pinheads and digging thru the junk for cheap parts. I just got back from allentown and probably played a total of 5 games of pinball at the show. I usually just play a few games on machines I no longer have for nostalgia, check out a nice machine I do have to look at the lighting and mods or play a machine either myself or someone else is looking to buy. I never just play to play.
I go to play pins that aren't around the arcades here!! Also get a chance to play the new pins I can't afford to buy! For me its play,play,PLAY!!!!
I am blessed to have 2 great shows near me. MGC is 20 mins from my front door to the show. Chicago pinball expo is 1 hour and 20 mins from my front door to the show. MGC is in April. Expo is in October. they are 6 months apart and 2 completely different shows.
I bring a game to both those shows and have been for years. It's simply to support pinball and the community. "There will be no show without games". I don't play these games enough, so i enjoy letting other people pound on it.
One thing about shows is they are all ran differently. From my trip last year to the Northwest arcade show. where everything was ran nice and smooth with rules. the most games you will ever see working at one time. you didn't see games down or missing games there. Expo has a pinball only vibe atmosphere can't explain it. MGC has video game/ family type vibe. they are all good shows that are ran differently. which is a good thing
Quoted from murfe88:For the chicks.
Lol, yea. Chicks love fart stinky rooms and middle age dudes stinking of body odor wearing velcro shoes.
Quoted from Mizzou0103:Agreed but guys like Ivan have limited funds and space to put on a an event. To find out how they should allocate space, they need to make tough decisions and a poll like this will be super helpful.
Each of the various shows I’ve gone to has something they do REALLY well, and things that aren’t as critical. TPF has a great free play room. VFW has an astounding number of rarities. Allentown has the incredible flea market. Pinburgh is about the tournament. Is it nice when there’s a rarity at Allentown or some cool stuff at the TPF swap meet? Of course! But how will this data give any particular show actionable data? If it averages out that only 1% consider a flea market important, but 95% of the Allentown attendees consider it important, then it would be a mistake for Ivan to cut back on that space allocation.
My recommendation is that show organizers should continue to lean in on the specific things their shows are known for, and just see how to balance out the other parts that people like.
Quoted from DaWezl:Each of the various shows I’ve gone to has something they do REALLY well, and things that aren’t as critical. TPF has a great free play room. VFW has an astounding number of rarities. Allentown has the incredible flea market. Pinburgh is about the tournament. Is it nice when there’s a rarity at Allentown or some cool stuff at the TPF swap meet? Of course! But how will this data give any particular show actionable data? If it averages out that only 1% consider a flea market important, but 95% of the Allentown attendees consider it important, then it would be a mistake for Ivan to cut back on that space allocation.
My recommendation is that show organizers should continue to lean in on the specific things their shows are known for, and just see how to balance out the other parts that people like.
I think it helps from a marketing standpoint. If Allentown is pinball flea market first and foremost it really limits his target audience. It also is going to create disappointed attendees based on how he promotes it. I go to play games. As more people attend but the number of free play games stays the same, I’m going to stop going. It’s a better use of my time and money to do something else. I feel like if he wants to grow the show, based on the responses so far he would severely limit his audience by keeping the flea market at its current prominence. But that’s only if his goal is to grow the number of attendees. If he wants to keep it the same that’s totally cool, but he needs to promote it differently.
Quoted from Mizzou0103:I think it helps from a marketing standpoint. If Allentown is pinball flea market first and foremost it really limits his target audience. It also is going to create disappointed attendees based on how he promotes it. I go to play games. As more people attend but the number of free play games stays the same, I’m going to stop going. It’s a better use of my time and money to do something else. I feel like if he wants to grow the show, based on the responses so far he would severely limit his audience by keeping the flea market at its current prominence. But that’s only if his goal is to grow the number of attendees. If he wants to keep it the same that’s totally cool, but he needs to promote it differently.
Well to that end, perhaps the poll should be more about “Why don’t you attend X pinball show?” I think that might be more useful data for a show organizer.
I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a 2 hr drive to play pins on location. I use the one show near me to try out the new games released the previous year, buy some parts from the one vendor we have, pound a few beers and catch up with a few pinheads I only see once a year.
I only go to the shows when they are having a large tournament. While I am there and have spare time I will look around to see what games are for sale and some of the parts.
Golden State is all about friends and community. Most of us know plenty of people and can play all the pinball we can handle whenever we want.
But put us all together for the weekend (the onsite camping helps) and it becomes a family reunion with a pinball show attached.
My wife and I like to see and play the latest games to try them out mostly. I also like to see the products that the vendors have for sale. You can't "try before you buy" like the pinball machines, and most locations don't add mods, so seeing what vendors have to offer helps. They might not make the sale that day to me, but I will buy stuff later based off of what I saw at the shows.
The VFW show is unique in itself - it is for "playing pinball" and great fun, very well organized with the volunteers that do it for the love of pinball. If a machine has a problem, a team starts to work on it immediately and gets them back working quickly. Some rare pins there too.
Chicago Expo is good for new games and vendors ... and drama, but a good show ... over-priced though. A few good seminars and sometimes some new reveals.
MGC is it's own kind of "all gaming" type of show - lots of interesting things going on there and some entertaining people attending - great EM collection at Tom's for the VIG ticket if you're into that. A fun after party to entertain the non-game bringing people and give them something to do after the show. It's awful boring sitting in a hotel room after a show, or just sitting at a bar. I like that this show offers something different for after the show is over ... at least for Saturday.
Pinburgh/Reply Fx is for tournaments (if you can get in ... that's the problem with this one because it is sooo popular for that), lots of pinball there but "some" of the pins in the general play area aren't mechanically working well, wish there were more pinball related vendors there but there is a different selection of vendors than the Chicago Expo for the most part. Some other entertaining aspects to this show as well.
The Ohio show in the spring seems to be struggling, but would be a good show for locals to play some pins.
PATZ is a lot of fun and has a good number of pins for sale there. Good friendly people there ... and the SaturDayhuff auction is one of the highlights for maybe picking up something that you want without fees.
It's all about having some fun for us ... and ignoring any behind the scenes drama that might be occurring. Each of these shows offer something a little different. Like someone earlier posted, a show doesn't need to be like another show. Find a niche that makes it a little more unique from other shows that will attract people to attend.
To keep the mug companies in business. ( see last years mug in pictures ) I've got a doozie for Expo this year.
LTG : )
Disclaimer : I do a seminar at Expo. All shows I get in early and clean glasses on CGC, JJP, and AP games. I baby sit the CGC games and help on JJP or AP if needed.
2018exmug (resized).JPG2018expomug (resized).JPGI like meeting people face to face that I know through Pinside. Some Pinsiders have become friends and I only get to see them once a year at a show. Some nice rare pins are at the shows that I’d never get to play otherwise. Playing new pins that the distributors bring.
All about the People!
It allows me to try to be young again, get trashed when appropriate, and laugh till I hurt.
I’ve never been to any major show. Hope to go to one soon! Usually when I go play pinball, I spend more time hanging out talking and making new friends/connections.
Quoted from Mizzou0103:That would ruin the research.
Quoted from whthrs166:You need an all of the above catagory
could rephrase it, and say what's the MAIN reason you attend.
Surrey, BC
Quoted from hocuslocus:could rephrase it, and say what's the MAIN reason you attend.
From a methodology stand point, it wouldn’t change responses. I think people are answering it that way anyway.
To sample everyone else's at-least-2-days-left-unwashed-assholes through their flatulent fragarance.
Quoted from LTG:I like driving to them. Nothing like a gas station hot dog along the way to make all seem right with the world.
LTG : )
Best drive ever was Tallahassee to Atlanta for Southern Fried. I got on this nice 4 lane state highway instead of I-75. Other than the gas stations being few and far between, it was wonderful. There was just no traffic and you felt like you were in the middle of nowhere for most of it.
Mostly to hang with people I only get to see a few times a year . I try to meet a few new people at each show , there are a ton of great people in the pinball hobby .All the pinball games to play is a nice bonus.
These days, I mainly go to buy/sell and socialize.
Even though I'm usually there from open until close, I don't actually play all that much. I usually skip most of the newest games since I don't like the long lines and standing still for a long period of time. If I see an opening with maybe one or two in line, I might hop on then.
Quoted from Mizzou0103:I think it helps from a marketing standpoint. If Allentown is pinball flea market first and foremost it really limits his target audience. It also is going to create disappointed attendees based on how he promotes it. I go to play games. As more people attend but the number of free play games stays the same, I’m going to stop going. It’s a better use of my time and money to do something else. I feel like if he wants to grow the show, based on the responses so far he would severely limit his audience by keeping the flea market at its current prominence. But that’s only if his goal is to grow the number of attendees. If he wants to keep it the same that’s totally cool, but he needs to promote it differently.
It's the best flea market among the northeast shows, and one of the main reasons I like to go. I enjoy the hunt for treasures and bargains.
If you want to play a lot of games, you just need to get there earlier and not wait until the tail end of the day. I stay there from opening until closing and have fun the whole time.
The show has grown--last year, there were free play games being turned away since the room was at capacity. I'm not sure what the situation was this year, but there was still a good selection to play.
No flea market, no Pinfest for me...it's the main draw for me. You mentioned in two different topics now you no longer want to attend. So don't, no need to broadcast it... The show was the busiest ever, no one will miss you. You showed up for two hours at the end and are surprised it was busy? I drove seven hours and spent, ha, seven hours at the show...no issues... even made my contribution to the crop dusting (sets the ambiance). I go to hang out with friends I see once or twice a year, drink, and pick through crap in the best flea market around in the hobby. Was thinking of skipping Pintastic, but I like the pint glass this year, so main reason to attend is to grab two. (Zero interest in seminars or tournaments)
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