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<\/a>This is their 25th annual Dutch Pinball Open Expo. Not all have been ‘Expos’, as that nomenclature reflects a relatively recent expansion of the format dating back to the 2014 show at De Voorste Venne in Drunen<\/a> when a large number of free play machines were added alongside the core Dutch Pinball Open tournament, and a number of seminars held in the presentation theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year we probably have the greatest number of seminar speakers ever at a Dutch Pinball Open Expo. For those who remember the appearance of a single special guest speaker from the US being a memorable event will be overwhelmed by this year’s line-up, where representatives from six different manufacturers are all speaking here in Veldhoven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have (in alphabetical order) Barrels of Fun, Dutch Pinball Exclusive, Hexa Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Pinball Brothers and Stern Pinball all represented and giving talks in the Baroniezaal (Baronial Hall).<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before all that though, we said at the very start of this report, “Welcome back”. That’s because this year’s Dutch Pinball Open Expo is being held at the same NH Koningshof Convention Centre as last year.<\/p>\n\n\n Traditionally, the Dutch Pinball Open was held in a different part of the country each year to give all members of the NFV the opportunity to attend, if not this year then the next. However, now it has become a much larger event, the logistics of staging a Dutch Pinball Open Expo mean once a suitable venue has been found the temptation is to return the following year unless that becomes impractical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost everyone agreed that the new venue for last year’s Dutch Pinball Open Expo<\/a> was very successful, so there was strong support to return for this year’s event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, here we are back at the NH Convention Centre in Veldhoven on the outskirts of the city of Eindhoven.<\/p>\n\n\n In last year’s report<\/a> we thoroughly described the facilities provided in this huge complex, so we won’t cover that ground again this year. Suffice to say, it provides a large number of hotel rooms alongside numerous meeting rooms and event halls, two of which (Genderzaal and Kempenzaal) are joined together to host the Dutch Pinball Open Expo 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, this year things have been changed up a little with a third hall added and joined to the previous two to make an even larger single space.<\/p>\n\n\n So, what did those rooms look like when we got to the NH Congrescentrum at midday on Friday?<\/p>\n\n\n For those who remember last year’s arrangement of machines, things have moved around this year. The end of the hall which was home to the rows and rows of free play machines has been extended and is now home to all the tournaments – Open, Classic, Women’s, Youth. The end which previously had the tournament machines is now the free play zone.<\/p>\n\n\n All machines in the hall have a sticker on their base indicating whether they are for use in the tournaments area, if so which tournament, or if they are destined for the free play area.<\/p>\n\n\n The the central part of the halls we have the vendor stands and also the dining area. The Dutch Pinball Open Expo is unusual in having the rest and relaxation area mixed in with the games, meaning you don’t need to leave the hall if you want to sit down and eat a meal or drink a beer.<\/p>\n\n\n The entrance to the show isn’t from the NH hotel end of the complex which is nearest the main road, but at entirely the opposite end. Guests trying to enter through the hotel have a useful sign directing them to the real DPO Expo entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n The Beneluxfoyer is where DPO Expo guests enter the complex and either register for the show or collect their pre-registered entry packs. The registration desk doesn’t open until later this afternoon for tournament players and at 10am on Saturday for everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n Also in the entrance foyer is the payment machine for car parking. If you are not a hotel guest, there is a ticket-issuing entry barrier on the way in and a charge to park in the large number of parking spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n Talking to the show organisers, they were keen to mention how helpful the NH hotel had been in working with them to make the DPO Expo a success, with a lot of proactive measures taken to brand the venue. These include the event logo shown on signs all around the building, and even adding coloured lighting to match the DPO Expo logo’s colours of blue, yellow and red.<\/p>\n\n\n At 6pm the Team Tournament began on a couple of banks of machines just outside the main tournament area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over in the main Dutch Pinball Open area, the players were given a briefing about how the format works and what to do if there are any issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were six groups of 13 players where everyone played a single game against each of the others in their group for a total of 12 games. The two players with the most wins in each group automatically moved on to Sunday’s play-offs. The twenty four third-placed players from each group played a shoot-out single game. The sixteen highest scorers also qualified for Sunday’s play-offs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To speed things up, the highest-ranked player in each match always played second. That way, if they didn’t need to play their final ball as they had already won, the game could be ended and the next game begun.<\/p>\n\n\n Qualifying rounds for the Dutch Pinball Open continued all through Saturday with the final rounds starting at 10am on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Team Tournament did finish on Friday night though. The show hall had closed to everyone but the Team Tournament players and their supporters as the final two teams of four played out the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those two teams were Netherlands 4 and The Dan Lewell Experience from the UK. The final was played in the same way as the qualifying and semi-final rounds where there are three stages. In the first, each player plays a single game against a player from the opposing team. That means four two-player games, with the winner getting 1 point. The second stage is split-flipper games, with two players from each team playing a single game against two opposition players, with each player controlling one of the flippers. The winning side gets two points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the end of the second stage of the final both sides had 4 points, meaning the third stage would decided the winning team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third stage was a combination of the first two stages. Balls 1 and 2 were played by two players from each team. Ball three was played split-flipper by the remaining two team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this third stage, The Dan Lewell Experience triumphed to win the Team Tournament. The Netherlands 4 team were second, while in the play-off for third place it was France 2 who won, beating the Antwerp Pinball Bastards into 4th place.<\/p>\n\n\n The trophy presentations brought the first day of this 25th anniversary Dutch Pinball Open Expo to a close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While Friday was only open for tournament players, Saturday is the first day the show opens to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n The main hall opened at 10am, but because the second qualifying group for the Dutch Pinball Open tournament also began playing at 10am, those players were allowed in early to collect their player badges and receive their briefing from the Tournament Director.<\/p>\n\n\n Back in the lobby area, show guests could collect their pre-purchased tickets, or buy entry at the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n Once past reception, guests have the opportunity to buy a few copies of the NFV magazine, Spinner, as well as a couple of Dutch pinball books.<\/p>\n\n\n Various vendors and free play machines were set up in the corridor leading to the main show hall.<\/p>\n\n\n Next to Pinsound was Mirco Playfields.<\/p>\n\n\n Entering the main show hall, one of the first games encountered is ABBA<\/em> from Pinball Brothers which was on RS Pinball’s impressively large stand.<\/p>\n\n\n Next to RS Pinball, Loose Flip were selling their distinctive artworked clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
(We will swap the colours around before the seminars begin on Saturday)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>
Gene Aw, Dan Lewell, Josh Iles & Martyn Iles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>