Chicago Expo is a major annual pinball industry trade show and tournament event that serves as a premier venue for showcasing new pinball machines, hosting industry seminars, and facilitating networking among manufacturers, developers, and enthusiasts. The event has been active since at least 2018 and continues to attract significant participation from companies like Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball, as well as homebrew developers and media figures. It functions as both a competitive tournament venue and a casual play destination, making it a central hub for the pinball community.
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Chicago Expo 2025 marks the 41st year of the event, held October 15-19
Chicago Expo merchandise sold out within hours of Thursday opening
Target deadline (October 2026) for Pinball in Wonderland near-completion with code, music, and sound finalized
Industry expo where Davey Price met Karel and Peter and discussed future collaboration
Major pinball industry event, one of Don's top 2024 highlights
Pinball trade show/event; Chicago Gaming held poorly-received seminar; Jeff and Marty attended
Recent pinball tournament/show attended by Jeff Teolis; location for competitive play and game testing
Upcoming event where Kaneda expects Pedretti Gaming to announce Big Bang Bar remake
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Industry event where Barrels of Fun gathered feedback on Labyrinth playtest and mechanics
Pinball industry event where George met Jedi Gill before the stream went public
Major pinball industry show; considered the premier industry show due to proximity and history; Texas Pinball Festival is compared to it
Target venue for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland public reveal in coming months
Major pinball trade show where Neil and Scott encountered multiple new games including Winchester and other releases
Pinball industry exposition that Turner Pinball has committed to attending with booth and hotel already booked
Upcoming pinball exhibition where Winchester will be playable; multiple chat participants mention attendance plans
Pinball industry event referenced in Haggis manufacturing timeline
Pinball industry show where Ninja Eclipse received overwhelmingly negative initial feedback one year prior
Major pinball convention where new manufacturers will reportedly debut machines; Travis plans follow-up video
Pinball tournament event featuring competitive play; discussed for streaming quality and young player performance
Premier pinball convention. Ranked #1 by attendee for scale, vendor presence, and industry attendance (all major manufacturers present). Rob Burke's Rare Game arcade is major draw.
Major pinball industry convention; held in Schaumburg, Illinois (not Chicago proper); hosts describe as larger than expected
Major pinball convention featuring manufacturer games, retro collection, and homebrew section; hosts discussing Expo 2024 with anticipation for 2025
Pinball event where Don played Bond Pro and Premium versions
Major pinball show where Barrels of Fun had ten games with lines; Franchi brought parents who experienced the event as 'semi-celebrity' experience
October pinball show where Elf was displayed; second major venue for Elf public exposure
Pinball show where Stern expected to reveal/ship Premium X-Men and possibly mystery 'old but new' game
Recent pinball expo where new games were on display (Bond, Godzilla, Rush); Carl attended but resulted in cancellation of Freeplay Florida plans; source of early code play for upcoming titles
Annual pinball industry trade show; 41st iteration October 15-19, 2025
Major pinball industry trade show; part of three-week cluster of pinball events in 2024 including Space City Open and Houston Arcade Expo
Major pinball trade show where Tony Hawk's Pro Skater debuted in the Electric Playground booth; occurred one year after Nick committed to building the game
Major October 2022 pinball exposition where Loser Kid Podcast hosted 'Flipping the Script for Autism' charity event; Zach McCarthy won flip-out tournament.
Tournament where Walt played Star Wars and observed player behavior; occurred before current stream date
Upcoming pinball event in mid-October mentioned by Walt
Major pinball industry event where Orby plans to address David Fix in person
Major pinball trade show/event; Don will attend wearing multiple hats; Orby considering 80-90% likely attendance
Pinball tournament event in Chicago where Escher first competed at age 4 in 2008
Pinball industry expo where Barrels of Fun gathered playtime feedback for Labyrinth refinements
Annual pinball trade show where Mandalorian was exposed for center shot imbalance through competitive real-world play testing
Pinball convention event where Project Pinball conducted auction fundraising activities mentioned in Taj's background story.
Major pinball expo where 2016 Batman announcement occurred with Adam West appearance. Where rumors circulate rapidly.
Major pinball event where Jorian Engelbrecht discussed tournament skill as trainable practice
Major pinball expo where Dalton and Jeff recall telestrator drawing incidents from 2021 post-COVID reinstatement
Upcoming October pinball expo/tournament; Donna Wai won weekend pass at Nashville event; Donna's first attendance planned.
Major pinball industry expo where Barrels of Fun debuted Labyrinth with best booth award. Community gathered to see new game releases and industry announcements.
Pinball community event where Luke displayed his Lego Batman pinball machine in 2018/2019
Major pinball event where Robertson hoped to see new announcements; conflicted with baseball playoffs and tour schedule
Pinball industry expo event; Ryan attended in 2016
Pinball expo/event where homebrew machines like Spinal Tap have been displayed.
Pinball expo where Dwight performed Family Feud game show format; successful community engagement beyond pinball community.
Pinball exposition featuring Classics tournament; Ryan Wanger competed well in side tournaments; played Jeff Teolis in Classics event
Major annual pinball trade show; Jamie attended last year in non-streaming capacity, which he credits as enjoyable contrast to streaming-heavy tournament involvement; plans to attend for casual play in 2026.
Major pinball trade show with mixed new and classic tournament offerings
Major pinball event where Silk met industry figures; attended in 2018 as fan and 2019 for TMNT project discussions
Annual pinball trade show; homebrew machine display venue attended by Brian Dowy's Borderlands machine
October pinball trade show/tournament where media mixer is organized; Walt planning to attend primarily for tournament
Major pinball trade show; Winchester will be displayed with four games; venue for announcement/preview
Major pinball industry show where Luke Underwood plans to bring Pokémon pinball homebrew
Location where Fresh crew met Marshall and confirmed Pinball at the Beach sponsorship details
Major pinball industry trade show/event where Martin regularly documents seminars and activities
Championship finals location where tournament winner competes
Major pinball expo where Pirates of the Caribbean was first shown; Mark Ritchie and others played the game there
Pinball show where Jersey Jack Pinball debuted Pirates
Pinball trade show where Canada presented marketing strategy to Stern Pinball leadership