Recap–Louisville Arcade Expo 2013

With ‘version 3’ of the Louisville Arcade Expo now in the history books, we’ve all had a bit of time to get the games back home, unpack/unwind and reflect on what this years’ expo was all about. The expo is definitely ‘growing up’.  There’s a lot of mechanics that have to happen behind the scenes, and the way that the expo is organized and executed on is showing a lot of benefit from how everyone involved is doing such a good job on ensuring ongoing quality while increasing show content at the same time.  All that being said, this year was definitely a ‘year of firsts’ for our retro scene…. As mentioned before the break, it’s probably easier to think about this year’s expo as what was new, over-and-above last year than anything else.  I’ve got the list separated into what I thought were the most notable of the improvements to the expo; we’ll break each of them down and dig into them in more detail as we go. * New floor layout with dedicated areas * Jersey Jack Pinball debut of ‘Wizard of Oz’ * Roger Sharpe panel interview * PAPA tournament leg * Expo Titles * Arcade games * Pinball * Tournament Pinball * Consoles * Everything else… Show layout One of the nicest parts of this years’ expo was the improved organization of the show.  As trivial as the floor-plan may sound, the layout this year contributed to the fun and helped you to see ‘everything’ regardless of your location on the floor.  They always say that a picture is worth 1,000 words, so it’s easier to show you what I’m referring to at this point… What I appreciated the most about this is that entire back wall of the convention hall was used to the fullest extent and that the game aisle did a ‘snake’ pattern that promoted the ability to see everything from most angles as well as provided good flow to keep people moving and walking along and did a good job of preventing everyone from crowding in a corner or being herded into a specific spot and competing for room to stand.