The Great British Pinball Podcast Ep 30 Part 2 - Exclusive interview Rob Berk - Pinball Expo!

Rob Berk previews 41st Pinball Expo highlights including historic designer seminars, 40+ homebrews, and rare games.

Synopsis

Rob Berk, founder of Pinball Expo and owner of Pastimes Arcade, appears as a special guest on The Great British Pinball Podcast to discuss highlights and expectations for the 41st annual Pinball Expo in Chicago. The interview covers the event's growth from 10,000 to 100,000+ square feet, expanded vendor offerings including Marco's "supermarket" scratch-and-dent sale, 40+ homebrew games, special seminars with legendary designers (Joe Kaminkow, Pat Lawlor, Steve Ritchie), and unique attractions including Cithara guitars made from playfield glass, Homepin's Blues Brothers machine (first appearance on American soil), and a 1930s speakeasy-themed pinball tournament.

Highlights

• Pinball Expo has been running for 41 years, growing from 100 attendees at a small venue to 100,000+ square feet at current location
• Joe Kaminkow spent a million dollars out of his own pocket to produce the Beatles pinball machine
• This is the first time Homepin's Blues Brothers game will appear on American soil at an Expo
• Marco is expanding their booth to 80x80 feet and introducing a 'Marco supermarket' scratch-and-dent sale for the first time
• There are 40+ homebrew games coming to this year's Expo
• Rob Berk offered to take 50 British visitors to dinner with an open tab if they attend
• Pat Lawlor is returning to Expo after saying last year would be his last appearance due to age and mobility concerns
• Europin is bringing containers of European-market pinball machines to Expo for sale, including rare American titles like Eclipse and Q*Q*Bert's Quest

Entities

• Bittronic· company
• Cithara· company
• Homepin· company
• Marco· company
• Pinball Expo· event
• UK Open· event
• Pinball Republic· organization
• Adam West· person
• Cliff Schoen· person
• Dave Christensen· person
• DOMINO Pinball: Neil McRae· person
• Europin· person
• Gary Stern· person
• Greg Freres· person
• Jeff Moorhead· person
• Joe Kaminkow· person
• Larry DeMar· person
• Mike Tomlinson· person
• Pat Lawlor· person
• Rick· person
• Rob Berk· person
• Ryan Tanner· person
• Steve Ritchie· person
• Tommy Walker· person
• Zol· person
• Pastimes Arcade· venue