Pinball Expo
Pinball convention in Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinball Expo is an event that is held annually in the Chicago area, the original home of most pinball manufacturers.[2] The event attracts pinball industry professionals, pinball players, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world.[3] Founded by Robert "Rob" Berk, of Warren, Ohio, the event was inaugurated over the weekend of November 22–24, 1985 at the Holiday Inn O'Hare/Kennedy in Rosemont, IL. At the 33rd Pinball Expo, on Saturday, October 14, 2017, Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day made a presentation on behalf of Guinness World Records, issuing a Guinness award that recognized Pinball Expo as history's "longest-running pinball event."[4]
| Pinball Expo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Pinball and Arcade Game Show |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location | Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel |
| Years active | 41 |
| Inaugurated | 22–24 November 1985 |
| Founder | Robert "Rob" Berk |
| Most recent | 15–19 October 2024 |
| Next event | 15–18 October 2025[1] |
| Area | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Website | http://www.pinballexpo.com/ |
Development
Founded in 1985, Pinball Expo is the longest-running event dedicated to pinball. It was conceived in 1984 by Robert "Rob" Berk of Warren, Ohio, to honor his heroes of the pinball industry; the artists and designers.[5] With the assistance of Bill Kurtz of Cleveland, Ohio, and later Mike Pacak of Canfield, Ohio, the trio held their first event over the weekend of November 22–24, 1985 at the Holiday Inn O'Hare/Kennedy in Rosemont, Illinois. The inaugural event attracted around 100 attendees from around the world and a dozen vendors.
The expo offers a tour of a pinball factory, an autograph session, tournaments, and an exhibit hall of pinball machines and related paraphernalia.[6] There are seminars featuring well-known pinball experts.[7] Attendees can also participate in a pinball tournament called "Flip Out".[8]
On October 26, 1991, Pinball Expo launched Pinball Expo's Hall of Fame and inducted its first class of pinball luminaries: David Gottlieb, Ray Moloney, Sam Stern, and Harry E. Williams. The event is open to the general public.
By 1998, the Pinball Expo had grown to feature more than 200 machines available to play on the show floor.[9]
Pinball World Premieres held at Pinball Expo
As one of the most prestigious pinball events in the world, Pinball Expo has been chosen by many pinball manufacturers as the site for official "world premieres" of new pinball titles. Among the games released at Pinball Expo are:
| Year | Pinball Title | Manufacturer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Loch Ness Monster | Game Plan | |
| 1987 | Laser War | Data East | |
| 1988 | Baby In The Hole | ||
| 1990 | King Kong | ||
| 2014 | Full Throttle | Heighway Pinball | [10] |
| 2016 | Dialed In! | Jersey Jack Pinball | [11] |
| Alien | Heighway Pinball | [12] | |
| Batman 66 | Stern Pinball, Inc. | [13] | |
| The Big Lebowski | Dutch Pinball | ||
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean | Jersey Jack Pinball | [14] |
| 2018 | Oktoberfest: Pinball on Tap | American Pinball | |
| 2019 | Elvira's House of Horrors | Stern Pinball, Inc. | |
| Cosmic Carnival | Suncoast Pinball | ||
| 2022 | Queen | Pinball Brothers | [15] |
| Toy Story 4 | Jersey Jack Pinball | ||
| Magic Girl | Zidware/American Pinball | [15] | |
| 2023 | Pulp Fiction | Chicago Gaming | |
| Galactic Tank Force | American Pinball | ||
| Elton John | Jersey Jack Pinball | ||
| 2024 | The Uncanny X-Men | Stern Pinball, Inc. | [16] |
| Metallica Remastered | Stern Pinball, Inc. | [16] | |
| Avatar: The Battle for Pandora | Jersey Jack Pinball | ||
| 2025 | Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | Stern Pinball, Inc. | |
| Winchester Mystery House | Barrels of Fun | ||
Chronology of Annual Pinball Expos
| Year | Date | Location | Show Highlights | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 November 22–24 | Holiday Inn O'Hare/Kennedy in Rosemont, IL | Premiere Technology/Gottlieb Plant Tour | [17] |
| 2 | 1986 November 21–23 | Williams Plant Tour | [18] | |
| 3 | 1987 October 9–11 | [19] | ||
| 4 | 1988 October 7–9 | Ramada Inn, Rosemont, IL (near O’Hare Airport) | [20] | |
| 5 | 1989 September 29–30 | [21] | ||
| 6 | 1990 November 9–10 | [22] | ||
| 7 | 1991 October 25–27 | Pinball Expo Hall of Fame Inaugurated | [23] | |
| 8 | 1992 November 12–15 | [24] | ||
| 9 | 1993 September 9–12 | [25] | ||
| 10 | 1994 November 10–13 | [26][27] | ||
| 11 | 1995 October 26–29 | [28] | ||
| 12 | 1996 November 14–17 | [29] | ||
| 13 | 1997 November 13–16 | [30] | ||
| 14 | 1998 October 22–25 | [31] | ||
| 15 | 1999 October 21–24 | [32] | ||
| 16 | 2000 October 19–22 | [33] | ||
| 17 | 2001 October 18–21 | [34] | ||
| 18 | 2002 October 17–20 | [35] | ||
| 19 | 2003 October 16–19 | [36] | ||
| 20 | 2004 October 14–17 | [37] | ||
| 21 | 2005 November 17–20 | Wyndam Hotel, Rosemont, IL (near O’Hare Airport) | [38] | |
| 22 | 2006 November 2–6 | [39] | ||
| 23 | 2007 October 24–28 | [40] | ||
| 24 | 2008 October 1–5 | Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel, Wheeling, IL | [41] | |
| 25 | 2009 October 14–18 | [42] | ||
| 26 | 2010 October 20–24 | [43] | ||
| 27 | 2011 October 19–23 | [44] | ||
| 28 | 2012 October 17–21 | [45] | ||
| 29 | 2013 October 16–20 | [46] | ||
| 30 | 2014 October 17–19 | Pinball Expo Service and Support Hall of Fame Inaugurated | [47] | |
| 31 | 2015 October 14–18 | [48] | ||
| 32 | 2016 October 12–16 | [49] | ||
| 33 | 2017 October 11–15 | [50] | ||
| 34 | 2018 October 17–20 | Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour | [50] | |
| Big Ball Bowler Tournament | [50] | |||
| 35 | 2019 October 16–19 | Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour | ||
| 36 | 2020 October 14–17 | Virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions | ||
| 37 | 2021 October 27–30 | Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaumburg, IL | Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour | |
| 38 | 2022 October 19–22 | Jersey Jack Pinball Factory Tour | [51] | |
| 39 | 2023 October 18–21 | Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour | ||
| 40 | 2024 October 15–19 | Chicago Gaming Company Factory & Galloping Ghost Arcade Tour, Logan Arcade & American Pinball Factory Tour, Jersey Jack Pinball Inc. Factory Tour, and Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Pinball Expo | [52] | |
| 41 | 2025 October 15–18 | Stern Pinball Inc. Factory Tour |
Pinball Expo Hall of Fame
As early as Pinball Expo '88, Rob Berk was championing the idea of a Pinball Expo Hall of Fame. In 1991 the Hall of Fame was created with the induction of Harry E. Williams, Sam Stern, Ray Moloney and David Gottlieb.
| Date | Inductee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| October 17, 2025 | Doug Watson, Tim Seckel, Mark Guidarelli, Keith Elwin, Rick Naegele, Jeremy Packer, Harrison Drake | [53] |
| October 18, 2024 | John Buscaglia, Jerry Thompson, Jody Dankberg, Fred Young, Art Stenholm, Steve Epstein | [54] |
| October 20, 2023 | Chris Granner, Mark Galvez, Mark Weyna | |
| October 21, 2022 | Ray Tanzer, Zofia Bil Ryan | |
| October 29, 2021 | Gil Pollock, Keith Johnson | |
| October 17, 2020 | Tommy Grant, Eulogio Pingarrón, Jack Guarnieri | |
| October 17, 2019 | Mike O'Donnell, Cassandra Peterson, Pat Powers | |
| October 19, 2018 | Elliot Eismin, Jon Norris, Ken Fedesna | |
| October 21, 2017 | Gordon Horlick, Dwight Sullivan, Pat McMahon, Brian L. Schmidt, Neal Falconer | |
| October 15, 2016 | Don Marshall, Connie Mitchell | |
| October 17, 2015 | John Rotharmel, David Thiel, Lyman F. Sheats Jr. | |
| October 18, 2014 | Nolan Bushnell, Brian Eddy | |
| October 19, 2013 | Lonnie Ropp, Suzanne Ciani, Eugene Jarvis | |
| October 20, 2012 | Steve Kirk, John Borg | |
| October 22, 2011 | Mark Ritchie, John Popadiuk | |
| October 23, 2010 | Python Anghelo, Gary Flower, Michael Shalhoub, Clay Harrell | |
| October 17, 2009 | Dennis Nordman, Barry Oursler, Michael Stroll, Jim Schelberg | |
| October 4, 2008 | Ted Zale, George Gomez | |
| October 27, 2007 | Lou, Dave, and Meyer Gensberg (Genco), Alvin Gottlieb, John Youssi | |
| October 2, 2006 | Paul Faris, Judd Weinberg | |
| November 19, 2005 | Margaret Hudson, Roy Parker | |
| October 16, 2004 | Robert Berk, Ed Cebula, Greg Freres, Gary Gayton, Kevin O'Connor, Michael Pacak, Joe Kaminkow | |
| October 18, 2003 | Tom Nieman [55] Edward Krynski [56] | |
| October 19, 2002 | Christian Marche [57] Jim Patla [58] | |
| October 11, 2001 | Gary Stern [59] Steve Young [60] | |
| October 21, 2000 | Pat Lawlor[61] Roger Sharpe[60] | |
| October 23, 1999 | Larry DeMar[62] Greg Kmiec [63] | |
| October 24, 1998 | Gordon Morison [64] | |
| November 15, 1997 | Dick Bueschel [65] Steve Ritchie[66] | |
| November 16, 1996 | Dave Christensen [67] | |
| October 28, 1995 | Norm Clark [68] Wendell McAdams [69] | |
| November 12, 1994 | Wayne Neyens [70] | |
| September 11, 1993 | Steve Kordek[71] George Molentin [72] | |
| October 24, 1992 | Harvey Heiss [73] Harry Mabs [74] | |
| October 26, 1991 | David Gottlieb [75] Harry E. Williams [76] Ray Moloney [77] Sam Stern [78] | |
Pinball Expo Service and Support Hall of Fame
Pinball Expo's Service and Support Hall of Fame was established at the 2014 Expo to recognize individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the pinball hobby.
| Date | Inductee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| October 18, 2024 | Key Snodgrass, Imoto Harney | [54] |
| October 20, 2023 | Mark Patzke, LJ Greene | |
| October 21, 2022 | John Jaidinger – Jaidinger Manufacturing, Richard Cesario – C&C Enterprises | |
| October 29, 2021 | Eddie Adlum, Planetary Pinball | |
| October 17, 2020 | Todd Tuckey - T.N.T. Amusements, Chas Siddiqi | |
| October 17, 2019 | Pinball Life | |
| October 19, 2018 | Martin Ayub - Pinball News | |
| October 21, 2017 | Walter Day, Lloyd Olson | |
| October 15, 2016 | Jay Stafford, Dave Marston | |
| October 17, 2015 | Marco Specialties | |
| October 18, 2014 | Shelly Sax, Churchhill Cabinets, Foremost Plastics |