The way to go is to form a committee of dedicated like-minded people from both forums with the drive and time to make a Pinball Expo happen. The exact legal structure would be best left to more instructed minds but I imagine an incorporated not-for-profit organisation could be the way to go.
The committee needs to be entrepreneurial enough and inspiring enough to find the money to underwrite the event, build a website, organise people to bring machines, organise techs for the event, organise raffles and so on.
Start small and build. Don't need a lot of dollars for advertising for the first one, just get people from both forums to attend and get them to advertise to their friends and a bit of paid web advertising could help. Send press releases to various media, maybe you will get a few bites. If you can get some TV coverage at the event all the better for next time. Maybe someone knows people in the industry?
Sorry AJ - not being a smart ar$e but that's GOT to be a gee up - right?
Nearly 100% of what you suggested has been attempted with APA , nearly word for word 'business plan' even down to having the legal side of things covered and a website, being a non profit organisation etc ......and it is just floundering as a committee
I apologise if it ISNT a gee up and you were unaware of APA but mate - that aint ever gunna happen in the NEAR future IMO 
Hence the opening / contributions to discussions for 'other ideas'
That is quite funny as I had forgotten all about APA - you just made me go and look them up.
You're not on the APA committee by any chance?
You need the right people on a committee who are ALL dedicated to getting things done and not just talking about it. A well functioning committee can really achieve things quickly and get things off the ground if everyone commits to doing their bit and actually follows through.
To me it sounds like Michael and Rian got burnt the first time around, as the prices the machines went for were pretty much only average, and from memory the machines that did have reserves on them were passed in anyway. There was a lot of flak about having an auction at the Expo and maybe this has dissuaded them from running a second Expo.
Even though the idea isn't working in one instance, doesn't mean it may not work in another.
