Expanded by a full day this year in celebration of their 40th year, Pinball Expo 2024 kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and will run through tomorrow, Oct. 19. (RePlay will be there today and tomorrow, so expect some nice, glossy photos in Monday’s newsletter.) It’s being held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in the Chicago suburb and running in conjunction with their new show partner, the Video Game Summit.
“It was supposed to be a one and done,” founder and chairman Rob Berk said of Pinball Expo. The goal was for the pinball collector to honor his heroes – the designers and artists that created those special pin games. “It was always the top-brass, so to speak, that would get all the handshakes and accolades.” The Expo recognized the underappreciated individuals who made pinball so important to enthusiasts.
Berk said six months later, people started calling him and fellow first-show organizers Bill Kurtz and Mike Pacak about the “next” Pinball Expo. “There was no next show,” he said. “Well, we’re still going at it, and the show’s only gotten bigger and bigger.”
Today, more than 400 new and old pinball machines are featured on the show floor from the big manufacturers to boutique outfits from around the world.
Visit www.pinballexpo.com to learn more.