# VIRTUAL PINBALL EXPO BEGINS **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2020-10-14 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2020/10/14/virtual-pinball-expo-begins --- ## Analysis Pinball News reports on the Virtual Pinball Expo 2020, a free online alternative to the traditional physical show in Wheeling, Illinois, organized by founder Rob Berk due to COVID-19 constraints. The four-day virtual event (October 14-17, 2020) will feature factory tours, designer interviews, game presentations, and live interactive sessions streamed on Twitch, including highlights like Jersey Jack's Guns N' Roses reveal, Beatles: Beatlemania discussion, and Stern's virtual experience. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Pinball Expo 2020 cannot be held physically due to the Coronavirus pandemic — _Article states 'holding a physical show in the current Coronavirus climate has not been possible'_ - [HIGH] Virtual Pinball Expo will be free for all viewers — _Article explicitly states events 'can be enjoyed by everyone for free'_ - [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball will present their brand-new Guns N' Roses pinball game on Friday — _Friday schedule includes 'Jersey Jack Pinball presenting their brand-new Guns N' Roses pinball'_ - [HIGH] American Pinball is building Hot Wheels at their factory — _Thursday schedule includes 'a look around the new American Pinball factory where they are building Hot Wheels'_ - [HIGH] Haggis Pinball will provide an update on their Celts game progress — _Saturday schedule mentions 'Haggis Pinball update us on their progress with their Celts game'_ - [HIGH] John Borg designed many games for Data East, Sega, and Stern Pinball — _Saturday schedule describes 'John Borg makes a rare personal appearance to talk about some of the many, many games he's designed for Data East, Sega and Stern Pinball'_ ### Notable Quotes > "holding a physical show in the current Coronavirus climate has not been possible" > — **Pinball News**, Opening context > _Explains rationale for virtual format during COVID-19_ > "the Expo team, headed by founder Rob Berk, have been working hard from home to put together a packed schedule of virtual events which can be enjoyed by everyone for free" > — **Pinball News**, Opening section > _Establishes leadership and free access model_ > "Rather than be restricted by what can be shown within the confines of the hotel's Seminars Hall, the Virtual Pinball Expo will take viewers on tours of pinball factories, design workshops and game dealers around the world" > — **Pinball News**, Format description > _Highlights unique advantage of virtual format vs. physical venue_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinball Expo | event | World's biggest and longest-running pinball show, traditionally held at Westin hotel in Wheeling, Illinois; going virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19 | | Rob Berk | person | Founder and organizer of Pinball Expo | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer presenting brand-new Guns N' Roses game at Virtual Expo | | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer with factory building Hot Wheels game | | Guns N' Roses | game | Brand-new pinball game by Jersey Jack Pinball to be revealed Friday | | Hot Wheels | game | Pinball game by American Pinball in production at their factory | | The Beatles: Beatlemania Pinball | game | Game by Joe Kaminkow and George Gomez, to be discussed on Friday | | Celts | game | Pinball game by Haggis Pinball with progress update scheduled for Saturday | | Joe Kaminkow | person | Designer of The Beatles: Beatlemania Pinball, scheduled to present Friday | | George Gomez | person | Designer of The Beatles: Beatlemania Pinball, scheduled to present Friday | | John Borg | person | Legendary designer of many games for Data East, Sega, and Stern; scheduled for rare personal appearance Saturday | | Steve Ritchie | person | Pinball designer from Atari era, scheduled to present Saturday | | Gary Stern | person | Stern Pinball executive organizing Stern Pinball Virtual Experience for Saturday | | Jack Danger | person | Stern Pinball designer organizing Stern Pinball Virtual Experience with Gary Stern | | Haggis Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer providing Celts game update | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer organizing virtual experience presentation | | Data East | company | Legacy pinball manufacturer with games designed by John Borg | | Sega | company | Arcade/pinball manufacturer with games designed by John Borg | | Brigitt Berk | person | Pinball Expo staff member who greets visitors at physical shows; introducing virtual event | | Jeff Ohler | person | Technical director heading Pinball Expo Twitch streaming infrastructure | | Pinball News | organization | Independent pinball media outlet covering the Virtual Expo | ### Topics - **Primary:** Virtual Pinball Expo 2020, COVID-19 impact on pinball industry events, New game announcements and reveals, Designer interviews and factory tours - **Secondary:** Pinball manufacturing and production, Pinball industry history and legacy designers, Live streaming and digital content distribution ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Article is optimistic about virtual event despite pandemic constraints. Emphasis on 'packed schedule', free access, unique online opportunities, and notable presenters conveys enthusiasm. Tone is professional and informative. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Haggis Pinball providing progress update on Celts game development (confidence: high) — Saturday schedule includes 'Haggis Pinball update us on their progress with their Celts game' - **[event_signal]** Virtual Belles & Chimes tournament scheduled as part of Virtual Expo programming (confidence: high) — Thursday schedule includes 'the virtual Belles & Chimes tournament' - **[event_signal]** Virtual Pinball Expo 2020 announced as pandemic adaptation of traditional annual show (confidence: high) — Article details four-day virtual event October 14-17, 2020 with live and pre-recorded content on Twitch - **[community_signal]** John Borg making rare public appearance to discuss his extensive design portfolio (confidence: high) — Saturday schedule notes 'John Borg makes a rare personal appearance' to discuss games for Data East, Sega, Stern - **[announcement]** Jersey Jack Pinball's Guns N' Roses game officially revealed at Virtual Expo (confidence: high) — Friday schedule explicitly lists 'Jersey Jack Pinball presenting their brand-new Guns N' Roses pinball' - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball actively manufacturing Hot Wheels game at factory (confidence: high) — Thursday schedule mentions 'a look around the new American Pinball factory where they are building Hot Wheels' --- ## Transcript Usually at this time of year Pinball News would be reporting live from the Westin hotel in Wheeling, Illinois to bring you all the news and events from the world’s biggest and longest-running pinball show – Pinball Expo. This year, holding a physical show in the current Coronavirus climate has not been possible. However, the Expo team, headed by founder Rob Berk, have been working hard from home to put together a packed schedule of virtual events which can be enjoyed by everyone for free. ![Virtual Pinball Expo 2020](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/000-pinball-expo-2020.jpg) Virtual Pinball Expo 2020 Rather than be restricted by what can be shown within the confines of the hotel’s Seminars Hall, the Virtual Pinball Expo will take viewers on tours of pinball factories, design workshops and game dealers around the world, as well as revealing some inside knowledge and untold stories from game designers and collectors. Some events will be pre-recorded, but others will be live and interactive, allowing viewers to ask questions and make comments during the presentations. At the time of writing the exact schedule is still being finalised, just as it always is during the physical Pinball Expo show. ![The Pinball Expo schedule always has some last-minute tweaks](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/007-pinball-expo-2020.jpg) The Pinball Expo schedule always has some last-minute tweaks However, we can give you a preview of the planned events over the four days of Virtual Pinball Expo 2020. It all begins on Wednesday 14th October at 7pm US Eastern Standard Time with an introduction by Brigitt Berk who usually is found at the front desk throughout the show greeting visitors, answering questions and accepting gifts of chocolate. All timings shown below are US Eastern Standard Time, so adjust for your local time accordingly. ![The preliminary schedule for Wednesday 14th October](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/001-pinball-expo-2020.png) The preliminary schedule for Wednesday 14th October All the events – both live and pre-recorded – can be watched in real-time on the Pinball Expo Twitch channel at the times shown thanks to Jeff Ohler who is heading up the technical team. ![The Pinball Expo Twitch channel](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/006-pinball-expo-2020.jpg) The Pinball Expo Twitch channel Pre-recorded events will also be made available soon after the live stream through the Pinball Expo website. Live events will also be made available but will need to be edited and may take longer than the pre-recorded ones. Thursday’s schedule begins at 5pm and includes a tour of Rob Berk’s home gameroom, a look around the new American Pinball factory where they are building Hot Wheels, and the virtual Belles & Chimes tournament. ![Thursday's preliminary schedule of events](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/015-pinball-expo-2020.jpg) Thursday’s preliminary schedule of events Friday is even more packed, with Jersey Jack Pinball presenting their brand-new Guns N’ Roses pinball, Joe Kaminkow and George Gomez talking about the making of their The Beatles: Beatlemania Pinball game, an examination of pinball in the Netherlands and much more. ![Friday's preliminary schedule of events](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/003-pinball-expo-2020.png) Friday’s preliminary schedule of events Virtual Pinball Expo ends with a bang, as Saturday’s schedule runs all day from 9am until 11pm. Haggis Pinball update us on their progress with their Celts game, John Borg makes a rare personal appearance to talk about some of the many, many games he’s designed for Data East, Sega and Stern Pinball, Steve Ritchie looks back to his start in the pinball business at Atari, while Gary Stern and Jack Danger have put together something special for their Stern Pinball Virtual Experience. ![Saturday's preliminary schedule of events](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2020/004-pinball-expo-2020.png) Saturday’s preliminary schedule of events Those are just some initial highlight suggestions, but you can always be assured every presentation will be revealing and informative about a different aspect of pinball. As we said, the schedule is likely to change so be sure to check the Virtual Pinball Expo 2020 website to make sure you don’t miss anything. Finally, a reminder that you can watch all of Pinball Expo 2019’s seminars on the Pinball News YouTube channel. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 31cfd492-2551-4edb-9b3b-5f0890a5d3a0*