PINBALL EXPO 2018 - LATEST NEWS

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Apr 3, 2018

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Rob Berk gains control of Pinball Expo; 2018 show confirmed at Westin with expanded format.

Summary

Rob Berk has acquired ownership of the Pinball Expo name and assets following a legal settlement with co-founder Mike Pacak. The 2018 show will return to The Westin North Shore in Wheeling on October 17-21, with Berk in sole control. The event will feature expanded exhibit space (additional 5,000 sq ft), a Stern factory tour, and George Gomez as banquet speaker.

Key Claims

Rob Berk is now the owner of the Pinball Expo name, assets, liabilities and contractual obligations
high confidence · Direct statement from Pinball News reporting on legal settlement
Completion of the buy-out from Mike Pacak won't be finalized for a couple of years with remaining points of disagreement
high confidence · Pinball News reporting on settlement terms
Pinball Expo 2018 will be held October 17-21 at The Westin North Shore in Wheeling
high confidence · Rob Berk confirmed to Pinball News; new hotel contract signed in Berk's sole name
The hotel has allocated an additional 5,000 sq ft of exhibit space for Pinball Expo 2018
high confidence · Rob Berk statement to Pinball News about expansion plans
George Gomez, Stern's Chief Creative Officer, is confirmed as the 2018 banquet speaker
high confidence · Rob Berk confirmed to Pinball News

Notable Quotes

“more vendors, more games, more bang for the buck”
Rob Berk — Berk's promotional statement for expanded 2018 Pinball Expo event
“the hotel holds him responsible for fulfilling the contract and liable for severe penalties if he cancels, so he had no option but to hold Pinball Expo there as originally planned”
Rob Berk — Explains contractual reasoning for securing Westin location over Schaumburg venue
“This is officially set in stone now that he holds the contract with the hotel”
Rob Berk — Emphasizes finality and control of 2018 event location and dates

Entities

Rob BerkpersonMike PacakpersonPinball ExpoeventThe Westin North ShoreorganizationRob CraigpersonDavid Fixperson George GomezpersonStern PinballcompanyPinball Paloozaevent

Signals

?
business_signal: Rob Berk acquiring Pinball Expo assets with multi-year buyout completion timeline; acquisition includes venue contracts and liability assumption
high · Berk now owns Pinball Expo name, assets, liabilities, and contractual obligations; completion to be finalized over couple of years
?
community_signal: Ownership dispute between co-founders Rob Berk and Mike Pacak over Pinball Expo name, assets, and control; dispute ongoing despite settlement
high · Multiple references to legal wrangling, disputed dates, competing venue announcements, and unresolved points of disagreement despite buy-out framework
?
event_signal: Pinball Expo 2018 officially confirmed at original Westin location with expanded format and additional 5,000 sq ft of exhibit space
high · Rob Berk secured new contract in sole name; hotel redrawn contract; dates October 17-21, 2018 confirmed
?
personnel_signal: David Fix assigned to work on exhibit hall for Pinball Expo 2018; Rob Craig enlisted for games hall logistics
high · Explicit statements of their roles in 2018 show organization

Topics

Pinball Expo ownership and controlprimaryLegal dispute resolution between co-foundersprimary2018 Pinball Expo event planning and expansionprimaryVenue contracts and obligationssecondaryIndustry show organization and logisticssecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Positive sentiment regarding Pinball Expo confirmation and expansion plans; negative undertone regarding ongoing legal disputes and acrimony between Berk and Pacak. Resolution of ownership settled the immediate crisis but underlying tensions remain.

Transcript

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After weeks of wrangling between the lawyers representing Pinball Expo co-founders Rob Berk and Mike Pacak, Pinball News can reveal a number of developments. ![Rob Berk & Mike Pacak](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2017/024-pinball-expo-2017.jpg) Rob Berk & Mike Pacak Firstly, Rob Berk is now the owner of the Pinball Expo name, assets, liabilities and contractual obligations. He has made an agreement with Mike Pacak to buy all rights to the Pinball Expo name, although completion of that buy-out won’t be finaised for a couple of years and there remain a number of points of disagreement. In the meantime, the Westin North Shore hotel in Wheeling – the home of Pinball Expo since 2008 and one of those contractual obligations in the name of Pinball Expo – has re-drawn the contract for this year’s show in Rob Berk’s sole name. ![The Westin North Shore hotel - home of Pinball Expo since 2008](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2017/002-pinball-expo-2017.jpg) The Westin North Shore hotel – home of Pinball Expo since 2008 That means, according to Rob, that Pinball Expo is back, both in name and at the originally-planned location of the Westin on the original dates of October 17th-21st, 2018. He will no longer hold his previously-announced show called Pinball Palooza at Schaumburg and says he has plans to make Pinball Expo 2018 bigger and better than ever. To do this, he has enlisted Rob Craig to help with several aspects of the show including the games hall, David Fix is working on the exhibit hall, George Gomez – Stern’s Chief Creative Officer – is confirmed as the banquet speaker, and Rob says that for the first time Pinball Expo has booked all the hotel’s exhibit space – an additional 5,000 sq ft – so he intends to expand all aspects starting with a larger game room and extended exhibit hall. He also told us there will be a Stern Pinball factory tour as in previous years. While Rob is pushing ahead with his plans, the dispute between Rob and Mike is far from concluded. Mike had already announced his intention to hold a show at the Westin on the same dates, taking over the contract he signed on behalf of Pinball Expo for the hotel, with Rob announcing he was holding his a month earlier in Schaumburg. Now Rob has signed a new contract with the Westin for the dates Mike intended to use, it is unclear where that leaves Mike and his planned – and as yet unnamed – show. Rob told Pinball News that the hotel holds him responsible for fulfilling the contract and liable for severe penalties if he cancels, so he had no option but to hold Pinball Expo there as originally planned. He told us he was able to cancel the planned venue in Schaumburg without any penalty. While the acrimony between the two continues, it seems Pinball Expo will indeed be held at the Westin Chicago North Shore on October 17th-21st, 2108 with Rob Berk in sole charge. Rob told Pinball News that this is officially set in stone now that he holds the contract with the hotel. It will, he said, have “more vendors, more games, more bang for the buck.“