The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => General Discussion => General Pinball Discussion => Topic started by: illawarra_steelers on May 21, 2009, 10:25:27 AM
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Plans are already in place for the Sydney Pinball Expo 2010. After the success of this years Expo it will be all systems go for next year and become an annual event.
The organisers have admitted they did make some mistakes this year but they have learnt and will push on and learn from that.
Firstly there will be a committee set up and nobody on that will have a commercial interest in the Expo. In the early stages of discussions the next Expo will be run over 3 days.
There will be less emphasis on the auction and more for other parties to become involved and set up their stalls with games and parts for sale etc. There will be guest speakers brought out from the US who were involved in the industry. I don’t want to give out any names yet but these people are absolute legends in the industry.
The only thing that disappointed me this year was the bagging of the games for sale the next day at the auction. Who could assemble 100+ collector quality games for an auction anywhere in the World? We all know that collectors don’t go to auctions to buy games; they go there to pick faults with them. Most of the games ‘broken down’ were games that didn’t have credits available. Sure there were games with stuck flippers, trapped balls etc but this will always happen with the hammering the games got on Saturday. I'm sure gald they weren't my games getting flogged on Saturday.
So why post this so early? Aussie Pinball made a significant presence at Expo 2009 and we now have an entire year to plan on how we can push forward.
How will we contribute to this?
So over to you guys……once again let’s keep the politics out of this, keep the ball rolling and continue to be positive. *%*
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To right about the games broken down...I spoke to MickB and he helped fix machines up on the Sunday morn and he said most where easy small fixes...just like at my meets...usually one or 2 machines need the glass off at sometime during the night...and thats with only 15 or so guys playing them...those Expo machines got a BIG workout.
Big Thumbs up to the Expo...I will be there next year...great effort overall.
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Exactly my sentiments about growing and learning from the mistakes.
I would like to see a REAL pinball comp from the likes of the IFPA. This would really grow competition pinball Australia wide. I know the Adelaide boys have got a good comp and Rollerball puts on a comp at his meets. This would make the event even better and give it a world wide audience.
Thats not to say you couldnt have Zballs comp of giving a pinball away, it is a great commercial enterprise and I was blown away by how many people entered and multiple times.
Any help with this part of the next week I would put my hand up to help.
It was just great to see the start of something that has always been talked about. Giving it momentum now will just keep the ball rolling - pun intended :)
Great to see organisation for next years starting already
Cheers
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My comments RE condition of games
I got there fairly early Sat morning and a good percentage of the DMD games on the main area didn't work for a range of reasons primarily:
Balls missing
Flippers not working
and the games generally just not starting
Cosmetically some games were in very rough condition, and others I think would be ok for a first time buyer.
Games did indeed look like container pins that had not really had alot of time and money spent on them to get them fully functional.
The main thing that annoyed me about all of this, was that there were many first time pin buyers there and people who didn't know alot about pinball. If they were to buy most of these games from the auction, they were going to be up for ALOT more coin afterwards to get them to where they should be.
Saying that,
The best games on show were those from capital pinball and AMD which made sense in alot of ways. These guys are what made it an expo to me.
I have never been to an expo in the US, and I know some of you guys have (and I have read ALOT and looked at ALOT of pictures). The quality of pins at the US expo varies as well, but is generally ALOT better because it is a larger group of commercial sellers and guys with games to get rid of. Not to mention the larger population and hobby following.
I think that was the killer for the Aussie expo for me. A load of container pins pushed onto the public for auction that didn't really work well. If financially that was the only way they could get 100 pins on show for the public then so be it. It may not have been viable for the first expo to get all the big commercial guys from Aus to come for the expo (bumper, mr pinball, child, zax etc) and if that is the case then for the first expo ever, I think they did quite well. However I think we would get most benefit if primarily we had good quality pins and parts being showed off from commercial sellers, where the public are going to get the chance to buy decent working games and have a better playing experience. I personaly would pay 15-20$ entry towards the costs of getting that up and running. At $5 you most certainly could not complain, but some of us made a pretty big effort and travelled to get to the show and I personally was mostly disappointed.
At the end of the day it felt half like a small expo, half like an auction of crappy container pins being pushed as an expo on to the un-suspecting
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From a simplistic point of view, someone actually pulled their finger out and did an Expo. All I've ever heard is talk - "I wish someone would ....." - Well thanks to Rian and Co - It is now history - We had an Expo, and from all reports - a successful one at that.
It is understandable that not all the machines were in pristine, rare and collectible condition. We don't have the number of restorers that our friends in the USA have. Good luck walking into a Dealers and being able to play every machine - fully shopped and in perfect condition. I've been to all dealers in Melbourne, and not all machines are even presentable. Now I did not personally see any of the machines at Expo, but most enthusiasts didn't seem to worry too much about the condition of the machines and from the pictures on this site, the isles were full of people playing games.
I'm sure the organizers will learn from this Expo, and the next one will be massive. Particularly with the Dealers bringing machines to show off and sell to the public. That being fact, means that there will be a much higher percentage of fully shopped machines to play. Obviously, a bigger venue is needed to cater for that !
Hopefully, if all the planets align, I will bring some of my restored machines for the public to enjoy.
Onward and upward !
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Strangeways, what actually made this an expo in comparison to a pinball auction? I want to keep this on topic so we are indeed thinking forward to next year.
Do the expo's in the US include an auction?
To me this was an Auction, marketed as an expo to walk more public in the door. (the only thing that made it an expo were the 3 or 4 commercial guys incl ap.com which was the highlight of the day for me)
Call me a sceptic but my main concern is the motives behind the expo. Will there be another big auction again next time.. I wonder.
I am not saying this was a particularily bad thing for the first expo, as you have to start somewhere, and you are most certainly going to have alot of trouble getting private sellers and commercial guys to rock up for the first show ever. If an auction is what it takes to get this thing off the ground for the first few times im all for it. I just fear some of the public being burnt buying the games without knowing better.
I read back over illawarra_steelers OP and he wanted to keep this positive, so I apologize. I just wanted to vent that out lol
Here forward I will remain positive :)
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From a simplistic point of view, someone actually pulled their finger out and did an Expo. All I've ever heard is talk - "I wish someone would ....." - Well thanks to Rian and Co - It is now history - We had an Expo, and from all reports - a successful one at that.
It is understandable that not all the machines were in pristine, rare and collectible condition. We don't have the number of restorers that our friends in the USA have. Good luck walking into a Dealers and being able to play every machine - fully shopped and in perfect condition. I've been to all dealers in Melbourne, and not all machines are even presentable. Now I did not personally see any of the machines at Expo, but most enthusiasts didn't seem to worry too much about the condition of the machines and from the pictures on this site, the isles were full of people playing games.
I'm sure the organizers will learn from this Expo, and the next one will be massive. Particularly with the Dealers bringing machines to show off and sell to the public. That being fact, means that there will be a much higher percentage of fully shopped machines to play. Obviously, a bigger venue is needed to cater for that !
Hopefully, if all the planets align, I will bring some of my restored machines for the public to enjoy.
Onward and upward !
Well said Nino .
I hope next years venue (and the event itself) is much bigger and with much better airflow .
The key problem I saw this year was so many people meant a distinct lack of fresh air. No doubt the massive crowd on Saturday far exceeded the organisers expectations though.
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I can only assume that the organisers are getting a lot of feedback – both good and bad.
I am confident they will make this a better experience ( for those that didn’t enjoy it so much ) next year.
I too would pay up to $20.00 - $30.00 entry fee if I knew I could play a stack of reliable games.
Personally I think that more quality commercial involvement would be a good thing for ALL parties and is fairly vital in enabling an event like this to grow.
Some good reasons to involve Commercial guys, in my opinion……
• Sellers get to show their wares and promote to potential clients and solidify relationships with existing customers face to face.
• Existing collectors get access to a load of stuff on the day and may discover new sellers with new product they didn’t know existed
• New ‘owners’ thinking of buying a machine get to see the amount of support and back-up available in this country if they choose to buy a pinball, which may lead to more confidence from a potential new auction bidder, meaning he will buy a machine he may have otherwise just been ‘considering’.
• It may also lead to any ‘sceptical’ collectors / restorers feeling more confident about the event and would therefore also promote it better for the NEXT time.
Take a look at the exposure that AP got and the growth and interest in the site since last Saturday – and ( with respect ) ) it was just a table with Shirts, a brochure ( and a beautiful canvas banner ! LOL ) and enthusiastic guys promoting the site , but the after effects have been fantastic - imagine if you were a commercial trader with parts / products to sell and a captive market to sell to …knowing that 90% of people coming past your stall that day had a keen interest in you and your services.
I hope this event grows and grows, if it includes an auction then so be it- its ALL about pinball and getting new interest.
I had a blast …….and tell me who DIDN’T come away from there last week wanting another pinball machine – and THAT’S what its all about.
As a matter of fact I am just about to buy one !
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I hope next years venue (and the event itself) is much bigger and with much better airflow .
The key problem I saw this year was so many people meant a distinct lack of fresh air.
I farted in there - that couldnt have helped %.%
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Whilst I was not at Expo I have read most of the reports and they are pretty positive.
I equate the first of any show to that of a toddler taking their first steps and they need a lot of support for the first time they attempt to walk. The auction to me was the support factor for the first steps towards a bigger and better Expo next year and beyond.
Looking at the prices the auction realized I don't think there was any profit in it given the advertising and the low entry fee.
The organizers have looked at what happened and are now formulating plans for next years event and I believe they have learnt from this one and it will evolve and next years should be more to the liking of pinball collectors and the general public as well.
Kudos to Rian and co. for giving it a go.
Lets get together and help next year to be bigger better and something that will promote pinball in Australia
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Strangeways, what actually made this an expo in comparison to a pinball auction? I want to keep this on topic so we are indeed thinking forward to next year.
Do the expo's in the US include an auction?
To me this was an Auction, marketed as an expo to walk more public in the door. (the only thing that made it an expo were the 3 or 4 commercial guys incl ap.com which was the highlight of the day for me)
Call me a sceptic but my main concern is the motives behind the expo. Will there be another big auction again next time.. I wonder.
I am not saying this was a particularily bad thing for the first expo, as you have to start somewhere, and you are most certainly going to have alot of trouble getting private sellers and commercial guys to rock up for the first show ever. If an auction is what it takes to get this thing off the ground for the first few times im all for it. I just fear some of the public being burnt buying the games without knowing better.
I read back over illawarra_steelers OP and he wanted to keep this positive, so I apologize. I just wanted to vent that out lol
Here forward I will remain positive :)
Not all, but Chicago Pinball Expo has an auction - In a separate room to the main event, but they have an Auction.
What made it an Expo ?
The people, the stalls, the Dinner, the presentations. No one forced anyone to attend the Auction portion of the Expo, in fact, a large portion of the 20 of so new members to AP, or the 300 posts last night (a record) had absolutely nothing to do with the Auction. They joined because of the Aussie Pinball Stall and the great people that attended and spread the word.
I could be wrong here, but to me - there were two events - The Expo, and the Auction WITHIN the Expo. I've yet to see Stalls selling parts, restoration tips and T-Shirts at an Auction.
I'm just thinking if the door charge was $75 to cover costs and there was no auction - would the general public attend ?
If the machines were in perfect / mint condition - people would then complain about the prices.
It is a fine line - can't please everyone. I think that most came away from Expo happy, but it does need to be tweaked. Not bad at all for a first effort.
you are right - You have to start somewhere - That is now behind us.
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I couldn't agree more Wotto and fair enough indeed strangeways $#$
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I'm so addicted I wanted another Pin even before attending Expo %.%
Would be great if next time around all the pins were playable , but as others have said its a major logistical excerise (let alone the cost to stage an Expo I'd imagine).
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The noise was deafening, you had no chance of hearing the pin you were playing. But cant see anyway around that, unless they could wheel a pin to quiet area if a bidder/buyer was serious about it (pls feel free to pass that idea on Tony). After saturday I saw the expo as 2 events. Saturday's which was super! and sundays which i knew held little interest for me (but did like to know the prices). For 5 bucks no one can complain, I expected to pay 10 bucks to be honest, and at that it still be bargain. Looking forward to next year!
#*#
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put me down for 2010
I was put off by a lot of the negativity before hand.
I would love to go to a non auction based event
If I could i would bring a machine with me (hand luggage)
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Well i got free reign of all the pins at 8.30am - only one not working - Centaur... which actually was the one i wanted to play most.
There was not a pin that didnt get constant use throughout the whole day - honestly.. as one player finished - another took their place. Those machines were running hot.
As i walked round i smelt one burnt transistor from a locked on coil. Most machines if you had been there at the end of sat night had tickets on them stating - out of credits. The techs could not get to the machines due to the amount of people present.
Centaur kept blowing solenoid fuse - not enough time to fix it despite a new coil being put in place - only machine to not work at all.
Lack of air flow - my fault... i had the side door right next to me and i deliberately had it shut to stop the bloody wind blowing all my stuff about and to prevent non payers from entering.
Stale air - Wottos fart.
Commercial guys were invited but had to contribute to set up costs - this was declined.
Did Expo make a profit?? I doubt it but i dont know
Did i?? No friggin way..... but theres a year ahead yet and from the interest ive had POST Expo - it will pay itself and then more.
Within 2 hours of expo being open i asked Rian if next year meant a bigger venue - the answer was a definate YES!
Expo is here to stay.. have been talking to Michael this morning... and ill be on my stall next year and it will be full of merchandise
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I hope this event grows and grows, if it includes an auction then so be it- its ALL about pinball and getting new interest.
I had a blast …….and tell me who DIDN’T come away from there last week wanting another pinball machine – and THAT’S what its all about.
Totally agree with you Wotto.
I only went on the Saturday and absolutely loved it. I thought the range of pinballs there was excellent - from brand spanking new Sterns down to some fairly rough old machines but I loved that too. I get a kick out of seeing an old machine that's obviously been played a lot - it's history in the flesh and it reminds me of the machines I played as a kid - none of them were ever in new condition. And being able to play a brand new Stern was sensational - I just don't see any of these new machines sited anywhere.
I left the Petersham Town Hall with a big grin - I felt like I was a kid again that afternoon, being in a room with so many pinballs and everyone having so much fun.
Can't wait for next year's event! $#$
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Well i got free reign of all the pins at 8.30am - only one not working - Centaur... which actually was the one i wanted to play most.
There was not a pin that didnt get constant use throughout the whole day - honestly.. as one player finished - another took their place. Those machines were running hot.
As i walked round i smelt one burnt transistor from a locked on coil. Most machines if you had been there at the end of sat night had tickets on them stating - out of credits. The techs could not get to the machines due to the amount of people present.
Centaur kept blowing solenoid fuse - not enough time to fix it despite a new coil being put in place - only machine to not work at all.
Lack of air flow - my fault... i had the side door right next to me and i deliberately had it shut to stop the bloody wind blowing all my stuff about and to prevent non payers from entering.
Stale air - Wottos fart.
Commercial guys were invited but had to contribute to set up costs - this was declined.
Did Expo make a profit?? I doubt it but i dont know
Did i?? No friggin way..... but theres a year ahead yet and from the interest ive had POST Expo - it will pay itself and then more.
Within 2 hours of expo being open i asked Rian if next year meant a bigger venue - the answer was a definate YES!
Expo is here to stay.. have been talking to Michael this morning... and ill be on my stall next year and it will be full of merchandise
Excellent feedback Gavin and I'm sure you will be busy with "Expo sourced" orders . *%*
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I hope when i said that the only thing i was a little pissed about was that some of the machines were'nt working was not taken as a means of bashing the expo. I LOVED the expo and was only trying to relate the experience in total. ^^^
This expo must go on and im so glad to see that people are already planning the next one... bloody awesome!!! If there is anything i can do to ensure the next one is even bigger and better, i am more than happy to help out any way i can!
By the way i read my local rag today and there was a story on the expo #*# ... I didnt realise Rian was a casula boy just around the corner from me !!
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My 2 cents worth.
I'd been hoping for a while for a chance to meet "in the flesh" AP members. The expo provided that opportunity and for $5 I got to play some machines, meet up with AP members, have an entertaining night at the dinner ($25 was not bad value) and the only effort I had to put in was to turn up. Not a bad deal. There was a lot of work that went into that expo and , yeah, it wasn't perfect, but jeez it was good.
Tony's idea of a committee and a year's lead time to plan a bigger and better event has my 100% support.
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Jeese, I got my $5 worth just playing Cactus Canyon and 24. Hobbies are about people as well as products. Expo was no exception for me. Met a lot of good people that I have previously know only by net-speak. Did not buy any parts, but so what (that is what your Paypal account is for %.%)? Looking forward to the next one.
Dave
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Great news Expo 2010-hopefully "fireball" is there again as I played heaps of games on that machine and just loved it..Better start saving $#$
Peter...
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Drove down from Brisbane spent my $5 and was impressed by many things including the number and range of machines as well as the number of people I got to meet in the flesh rather than on the forums. I was only there from around 9:15 till 1:30 on Saturday but still very much worth the effort to get there.
Things that could have been better / should be considered for next time:
More space - who knew so many people were going to show up - By midday you had be special friends with everybody just to get to the machines
More Techs - they were struggling at 9:30 so had no hope once the place got crowded to keep things running. With the crowds no hope of getting to the machines. Both Forum are full of capable people who could assist for some of the time so resources should be easy for simple issues (stuck balls etc) leaving the paid techs for the hard stuff.
Free Play - this is pretty simple to set up on most SS and EM machines (not sure about DMD but most have a built in option) and can be jumpered just for the day rather than have to add credits manually. Would have saved a lot of effort and disapointment.
Overall a great effort and I am looking forward to the next where I can hopefully atgend the dinner as well.
Michael
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I'm so glad to hear there's another one :D
Definitely agree that the next one needs to be held at a bigger venue because by about 11am on Saturday you could not even squeeze through some of the aisles let alone get a game on any of those machines. I was a bit disappointed Strikes & Spares wasn't working or that beautifully restored Star Trek.
Oh and another thing, definitely raise the price of admission to at least $20. Paying $5 cheapened the event IMHO.
Overall it was a very surreal experience and I look forward to the next one :)
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I'm so glad to hear there's another one :D
Definitely agree that the next one needs to be held at a bigger venue because by about 11am on Saturday you could not even squeeze through some of the aisles let alone get a game on any of those machines. I was a bit disappointed Strikes & Spares wasn't working or that beautifully restored Star Trek.
Oh and another thing, definitely raise the price of admission to at least $20. Paying $5 cheapened the event IMHO.
Overall it was a very surreal experience and I look forward to the next one :)
The pricing is a balancing act - I think for the first one the idea was to get as many punters in as possible. A number of my friends in Sydney attended because it was so affordable. The pricing worked in a way that exceeded expectations and so the venue ended up being a bit squashy. But I don't see that as a particularly bad thing.
A jump from $5 to $20 is too big in my opinion. And the pricing should definitely encourage kids to attend with their parents.
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This will all be taken on board....the question was raised on how can Aussie Pinball raise it's profile at the next Expo?
One suggestion: Are we able to set up a PC with a router and 'go live' at Expo?
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This will all be taken on board....the question was raised on how can Aussie Pinball raise it's profile at the next Expo?
One suggestion: Are we able to set up a PC with a router and 'go live' at Expo?
A laptop with a mobile internet connection would do the job, only potential problems would be reception inside the building and the bandwidth usage. The advantage would be that people could register straight away and then when they get home activate their account. Also we could have another computer showcasing some of the restore threads and the how-to's, plus the site sponsors. Rather than being live this could be done as screenshots so a slide-show or powerpoint style presentation. And by next year we could easily have more merchandise available, thus appealing to a wider audience.
Re pricing, the more I think about it the more convinced I am that if it goes up then kids should be either free or so close that it doesn't hurt.
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Agreed Andrew. I should be able to borrow some PC and monitors from work (but I'm about to apply for another job so mighten have access next year).
A Powerpoint slide show would be an excellent idea also on another PC showcasing as series of restorations
The admission price was discussed and will be raised, not to grab more money to cover costs of bringing in guest speakers from the US... *%*
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Maybe on the friday night before the expo they could have a MickB resto/repair talk and show...may be hard to talk Mick into it though I guess....still he could charge $10 entry or something...
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I should be able to borrow some PC and monitors from work.
A Powerpoint slide show would be an excellent idea also on another PC showcasing as series of restorations
When the time gets closer , ask me if we have any old plasmas at work that we could loan ( 1 ) - now THAT would be a good display for the restore presentations *)* I can ask at the time.....getting one wouldnt be a problem,,,,,security/ insurance for theft/breakage would concern me though.
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I should be able to borrow some PC and monitors from work.
A Powerpoint slide show would be an excellent idea also on another PC showcasing as series of restorations
When the time gets closer , ask me if we have any old plasmas at work that we could loan ( 1 ) - now THAT would be a good display for the restore presentations *)* I can ask at the time.....getting one wouldnt be a problem,,,,,security/ insurance for theft/breakage would concern me though.
That would be a great idea, wotto.
Merchandise - We will be looking at anything the members want done, and there are a few ideas in the pipeline with regard to this.
The good thing is - we have 12 months to prepare
^^^
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I could easily bring a laptop and mobile internet connection from work. Not a problem as long as we stick to registering people.