Rob Berk is a prominent pinball industry figure and collector who founded and has solely promoted Pinball Expo since 1985. He holds a Guinness World Record for the largest private pinball collection with approximately 1,150 machines and is based in Waro, Ohio near Youngstown. He is also the owner of Pastimes Arcade and has been associated with Jersey Jack Pinball ownership.
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Rob Berk should buy the Alaska machine to display alongside his Dragon collection
Rob Berk is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the largest pinball collection
Joe Kaminkow spent $1 million of his own money to produce the Beatles pinball machine
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Pat Lawlor seminars are consistently the most popular sessions at Expo with packed rooms
There are 40 hours of seminars scheduled at Expo 41
Over 40 homebrew games will be exhibited at Expo 41
Satara Guitars is exhibiting pinball playfield guitars at Expo for the first time
HomPin's Blues Brothers is making its first appearance on American soil at Expo 41
Chicago Pinball Expo has been running for 41 years
The current Expo venue is 100,000 square feet
Hotels are filling up faster than ever before for Expo 41
Pinball Expo has been running for 41 years
The current Expo location has 100,000+ square feet of space
Joe Kamenow spent a million dollars of his own money to produce the Beatles pinball machine
This is the first time Homepin's Blues Brothers game will appear on American soil
There are 40+ homebrew games at this year's Expo
Marco is introducing the 'Marco supermarket' scratch-and-dent sale for the first time at Expo
Pat Lawler said last year would be his last Expo appearance but agreed to return this year
Greg Ferrer does not attend other pinball shows, only Expo's autograph session, due to caring for ill mother
Expo started with 100 people attending in the first year
Rob Berk will take 50+ British visitors to dinner with open tab if they attend Expo
Pinball Expo has been organized by Rob Berk every year since its founding in 1984
Rob Berk holds the Guinness World Record for the largest private pinball collection through Pastimes Arcade
Renaissance hotel rooms sold out within the first month of booking opening for Expo 2025
Pinball Expo has been running continuously for 41 years since 1985 with the same founder
Rob Berk holds a Guinness World Record for the largest private pinball collection
Hotel rooms at the Renaissance (main Expo venue) are selling out within the first month of availability
Pinball Expo was founded in 1985 as a one-off event to honor pinball designers and artists
Initial 1985 Expo had approximately 100 attendees and honored four designers (Harvey Heiss, Steve Kordek, Norm Clark, Wayne Nance) responsible for designing over 600 machines
Expo communication in pre-internet era used cassette tapes sent by U.S. mail between collectors
Stern Star Wars pinball is shipping now and will be playable at Expo
Jersey Jack Pinball's Predator game will debut at Expo
Joe Camerca spent $1 million of his own money to build a Beatles pinball machine
Home Pin (Chinese manufacturer) Blues Brothers game is rare and unlikely to be widely available outside high-end collector market
Marco Specialties will feature a 70x80 foot 'supermarket' booth with scratch-and-dent, discontinued, and overrun parts
HEXA will reveal the theme of their follow-up game at Expo 2025, with the full game launching later in 2025
Pinball Expo attracts international participants from 10-12 countries including Italy, Spain, Japan, Germany, and Hungary
Rob Berk holds the Guinness World Record for the largest private pinball collection with over 1,400 machines
Pinball Expo 2024 will feature 100,000 square feet of venue space
Over 125 international attendees are registered for Expo 2024 from Europe, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria, and Australia
Five factory tours will be offered at Expo 2024 across Chicago Gaming, Galloping Ghost, Logan Arcade, American Pinball, Jersey Jack, and Stern
Stern was the last pinball manufacturer standing after Williams shut down around 2000
The Wizard of Oz announcement revitalized the pinball industry and led to consumer demand for better games
Collectors now represent a major customer segment for pinball manufacturers, contradicting early assumptions that operators were primary buyers
Rob Berk's Expo was the first platform where Gottlieb, Williams, and Bally manufacturers directly interacted and communicated
Alvin Gottlieb delivered a 3.5-hour slide presentation at an early Expo banquet covering every Gottlieb game with individual storylines
Rob Berk has collected approximately 75 pinball games from the 1930s era
Rob Berk holds Guinness World Record for owning 1,400+ pinball machines
Pinball Expo has been run by one promoter continuously for 40 years (1985-2024)
Over 125 international registrants from multiple countries attending Expo 2024
Stern Pinball rescheduled factory tour due to internal bookkeeping/auditing
Wizard of Oz announcement revitalized the pinball industry after 10 years of Stern monopoly
Collectors became the primary customer base for pinball manufacturers, reversing earlier operator-focus
Magic Girl had approximately 20-22 units produced historically
Rob Berk owns approximately 75 pre-flipper 1930s pinball games
Wiffle was a pinball machine produced in Youngstown, Ohio (15 miles from Rob Berk's location)
Pinball Expo 2024 will feature 40+ hours of seminars
Only 200 units of [specific machine] were ever produced
Some machines in the shipment will be available to see at the upcoming Pinball Expo
The imported machines have exceptionally clean playfields and cosmetics
Getting machines working after import is 'another battle' beyond just receiving them
This shipment took three to four months to compile
Rob Berk spent 3-4 months compiling this European pinball shipment
Rob Berk already owns at least one duplicate of a game in this shipment (with a broken back glass)
Rob Berk partnered with American Pinball to bring Magic Girl to Expo
Pinball Expo is in its 37th year of operation
Rob Berk's personal collection contains approximately 1,200 pinball machines
There are currently 10-12+ active pinball manufacturers, with several unannounced companies showing at the 2021 Expo
The pinball industry will continue to grow and demand remains strong despite supply chain constraints
Virtual/hybrid Expo models should continue to support international participation, especially from Europe
Spain had a thriving independent pinball manufacturing industry serving an exclusive Spanish market
Steve Kordek's observation that the pinball industry runs in cycles of ups and downs with rebound patterns was accurate
The inaugural 1985 Pinball Expo had approximately 100 attendees and Alvin Gottlieb's commitment was pivotal to its success
The 2021 Expo will display well over 400 games set for free play, including rare Spanish/Italian titles and vintage Valley machines
China's parts supply difficulties are negatively impacting pinball manufacturer production timelines
Rob Berk owns approximately 1,200 pinball machines
The 2021 Pinball Expo will occupy 66,000 square feet of vendor/exhibit space, nearly 3x the previous year
There are at least 10+ active pinball manufacturers today, with at least 3 additional unannounced companies planning to show at Expo
Rob Berk is converting a former grocery store in Girard, Ohio into a pinball museum called Past Times
The 2020 virtual Pinball Expo won a Twippy Award for best virtual show
Expo will feature over 400 pinball games set up for free play
Steve Kordek said the pinball industry runs in cycles with ups and downs that rebound
Hotel rooms for the 2021 Expo sold out faster than any previous year
Spain developed an independent pinball manufacturing industry with exclusive games for the Spanish market
Pinball Expo 2020 will be held October 14-18
Rob Berk brought approximately 140 machines from his personal collection to Expo 2019
Pinball Expo 2019 was successful and one of the best editions yet
Rob Berk is the organizer of Pinball Expo
Rob Berk is now the sole owner of the Pinball Expo name, assets, liabilities and contractual obligations
The buy-out completion with Mike Pacak won't be finalized for a couple of years
Pinball Expo 2018 will feature more vendors, more games, and expanded experience
The Westin has allocated an additional 5,000 sq ft of exhibit space for 2018
George Gomez is confirmed as banquet speaker for Pinball Expo 2018
Rob Berk believes he owns the Pinball Expo name and has the rights to use it for his show
Rob Berk's Pinball Palooza show is planned for September 12-15, 2018 at Schaumburg Convention Center
Rob Berk believes vendor and attendee support will remain with his competing Pinball Palooza show
Rob Berk is the founder and organizer of Chicago Pinball Expo
Rob Berk owned approximately 500 pinball machines at his peak collection
Berk currently maintains around 80 machines set up in his basement at home
Rob Berk describes himself as an average pinball player who has never ranked in major tournaments
Pinball Expo 2009 is the 25th anniversary event
Rob Berk owns approximately 500 pinball machines at peak, with 80 currently operational in his basement
Rob Berk runs a restaurant supply company and services the carnival and amusement industry
Mike Stroll, former Williams president in the 1980s, was confirmed as guest for Expo 2009
Gary Flower has attended every Pinball Expo since its inception
Rob Berk is an average player and has never been ranked in a major tournament
After the initial 1985 Expo, Rob Berk had no plans for another show, but received calls within months requesting the next event
Rob Berk's parents owned a United Baby Face pinball machine when he was five years old, which was his first pinball experience
Rob Berk called Steve Kordek via Chicago phone book at 9 PM on a Sunday in the mid-1970s and was invited to tour the Williams factory
The initial questionnaire about a National Pinball Collector's Convention received 60-70 responses, with respondents favoring Chicago in the fall
The first Chicago Pinball Expo in 1985 had approximately 100 attendees
Elvin Gottlieb agreed to be keynote speaker at the first Expo after Rob Berk visited him at his home in Chicago
Rob Berk based the Pinball Expo format on the Professional Grounds Keepers International (PGI) fireworks convention, which features seminars and exhibit halls
Rob Berk collected firecracker packs in original wrappers and has examples dating to the 1930s
Rob Berk attended Kent State University and was there shortly after the 1970 shootings, attending May 4th memorial services in 1972
Rob Berk majored in political science at Kent State
Post Time (add-a-ball game designed by Norm Clark) was one of the first games Rob Berk purchased for $300 around 1975-1976