Pinball machines at events, conventions and expos in Sydney
I consider myself to be a bit of a "pinball evangelist". I think an important part of the pinball hobby is to share it with others so that everyone can experience the joy of the silver ball. As well as hiring my machines out so anybody can experience a pinball machine on a short-term basis, I also take every opportunity to bring my machines to events, conventions, expos and other shows or events at which pinball machines are welcome. This allows the general public to see and experience pinball on a casual basis, and keeps pinball a part of the modern zeitgeist. When pinball fades into obscurity and irrelevance, it may disappear for good. It has almost happened several times in the course of pinball's history, but it won't happen again if I have anything to do with it!
Unfortunately, I see a lot of people with huge pinball machine collections that sit dormant and rarely get played, if at all. This is a tragedy; a pinball machine is happiest when it is being played by as many people as possible! I think it's important for pinball hobbyists to seek out local events that may be amenable to hosting pinball machines and offer their own machines up for a day or two. It certainly isn't worth it for the fame or the money (hint: there is none!). But it's worth it to keep pinball alive now and into the future.
Surviving any of these events is an achievement for these machines, as they often get played more than they ever have since they were first released. In some cases, they get played even more! It's not uncommon for games to be played for eight hours straight at some of these shows, so it's important to make sure the game is serviced and "bulletproofed" as much as possible before the event. Failures and breakdowns do occur, of course, but as long as someone is there to keep things up and running then people can continue to enjoy the machines for the duration of the event.
This page is an "honour roll" of sorts, recording what events I have taken my pinball machines to, and the trials and tribulations they have endured. Photos below are of our actual machines at these events. Click on the award badge next to each machine to go to the Event Report for that event. 👇