Super Billiard Expo 2013

Joe Banks

Joe Banks

Banned
What can I say AZer's-except for I told you so. Call it the Venue, the format, or the layout-whatever you AZer's wish to call it. Plain and simple it was just horrible. Again concrete floors, cold atmosphere, no comfortable place to eat or sit amongst other things. At least you guys heard it from me first, many months before this 2013 Expo. I have been there before as I knew what to expect. These convention centers just don't cut it. At least I was smart enough not to reserve a hotel. A couple of hours was more than enough for me as well as for my friends. We could not wait to get out of this uncomfortable Convention Center. After all convention centers were made to conduct business conventions. They were not ment for comfortable vacation atmospheres. Besides saving money on a hotel room, I saved a lot by not purchasing any cues. I also succeeded tremendously by getting back a large refund on a cue that was promised to me but was never completed after years of waiting. Even though the Super Billiard Expo was a big disappointment to many, I expected this. And for the "icing on the cake", no heat in the "Great Hall" Friday night. So the Pro's played in the cold while the announcers complained about it on the live stream. "The pain was too hard to bare" seeing this event go down hill. Again what a shame! Nothing lasts forever. BANKS
 
i agree

concrete floors, the pro room was freezing, parking a disaster, way fewer tables than last year, and less vendors than before.

this year the restrooms were at least kept clean and there were plenty of people tending to the trash cans.

what was awful was the lack of effort the players put into removing their garbage when they left the table they were sitting at.

the venue was off the beaten path and the lack of places to eat were brutal. food in the venue was less than desirable.

tourneys did run smooth and the kids tourney was fun to watch. lots of up n comers out there. nice to see kids with their dads participating in this great sport.
 
The truth....

I didn't go there for a vacation. I went to play pool and it was all good.
All the tables I played on rolled good. I doubt they would of played that good on carpeting.

I'll be going back next year. Playing pool in a tournament is never a vacation. Watching a pool tournament is torture...no matter where it is.


I really don't know what people expect. If you are a real pool player, you know how-----nothing comes easy.

I used to have a girlfriend who thought she was always right too....:bash:
 
yup..it was a hole for all the reasons you said. On the other hand being surrounded by pool for 4 days straight is heaven to me so I'll be back next year. Maybe some day I'll get to vegas for the bca.
 
I couldnt attend this year,, but I was there last year at the Greater Phila expo center,, that place was trash .. Its to bad Valley Forge is no longer a option,, I liked that spot
because there were seperate rooms for the Pros,Artistic, and so on..
Plus the main area for amateurs had some appeal.. Much unlike the Greater phila expo center,that place was a ran down ware house, nothing more..


So was the NJ expo center, any better than the Greater Phila expo center, or were they about the same ???
 
SKILLZELITE said:
I couldnt attend this year,, but I was there last yearat the Greater Phila expo center,, that place was trash .. Its to bad Valley Forge is no longer a option,, I liked that spot
because there were seperate rooms for the Pros,Artistic, and so on..
Plus the main area for amateurs had some appeal.. Much unlike the Greater phila expo center,that place was a ran down ware house, nothing more..


So was the NJ expo center, any better than the Greater Phila expo center, or were they about the same ???
Click to expand...

artistic pool and billiards did have it's own room this year.
 
The convention center in New Orleans is on the River with a whole section for food plus a shoping center & minutes from Harahs Casino & the French Quarter.

With some of the best food in the world I think New Orleans would make a great venue for an expo & also for a Mosconi Cup, US Open, or what ever.

Regards,
 
ENGLISH! said:
The convention center in New Orleans is on the River with a whole section for food plus a shoping center & minutes from Harahs Casino & the French Quarter.

With some of the best food in the world I think New Orleans would make a great venue for an expo & also for a Mosconi Cup, US Open, or what ever.

Regards,
Click to expand...

That's all fine and dandy do you for a second believe Alan is going to hop on a plane and head 2k miles away to set up a event that he can still do at home with similar attendance I hardly think so

1
 
Kinda agree

I have been going to the SBE for the past 10+ years. Here are some of my disappointments:

The layout seemed unorganized and put together like a flea market

Food choices within the expo was poor (Pizza ordered from nearby pizzeria sold at a premium and looked like day old !$%#).

The pro-arena was disrespectful to all the players. The noise carried from the expo into the back corner, the seating was not set up to showcase the matches and you would have random fans/spectators use their cameras with a flash (if you don't know how to turn off the flash leave your camera at home).

Here are some praises for the staff and Allen Hopkins:

Thank you first of all for hosting the event first of all. I am sure the upfront cost for the event makes it a nail-biting investment worst than playing a color on the roulette table.

The location was great. 35 minutes from Newark airport, quickly accessible since it was just off the NJ Turnpike.

Free admission to pro-arena (but you get what you pay for). Added curtains would have provided a more professional and clean atmosphere - true fans are willing to pay and players would have appreciated it IMO.

Great showing from some legendary cuemakers. It was a pleasure to talk to Tim Scruggs - what a great and humble guy. Dennis Searing, Barry Szamboti, Steve Dunkel along with so many others were all their with smiles and enjoying each the works put out this year.

---

I am sure I could add more pros and cons of the SBE but it is not like I am going to be hosting or consulting for next years event so I will leave it at that.

SS
 
Joe Banks said:
What can I say AZer's-except for I told you so. Call it the Venue, the format, or the layout-whatever you AZer's wish to call it. Plain and simple it was just horrible. Again concrete floors, cold atmosphere, no comfortable place to eat or sit amongst other things. At least you guys heard it from me first, many months before this 2013 Expo. I have been there before as I knew what to expect. These convention centers just don't cut it. At least I was smart enough not to reserve a hotel. A couple of hours was more than enough for me as well as for my friends. We could not wait to get out of this uncomfortable Convention Center. After all convention centers were made to conduct business conventions. They were not ment for comfortable vacation atmospheres. Besides saving money on a hotel room, I saved a lot by not purchasing any cues. I also succeeded tremendously by getting back a large refund on a cue that was promised to me but was never completed after years of waiting. Even though the Super Billiard Expo was a big disappointment to many, I expected this. And for the "icing on the cake", no heat in the "Great Hall" Friday night. So the Pro's played in the cold while the announcers complained about it on the live stream. "The pain was too hard to bare" seeing this event go down hill. Again what a shame! Nothing lasts forever. BANKS
Click to expand...

Since the beloved Valley Forge venue is no longer an option, please advise where you think they should hold the event.

You obviously have tremendous foresight and knew long ago that this years event would be terrible so please enlighten us with some more awesome foresight and tell us where it should be held in the future.
 
Action report

JAM said:
So I guess there was no action this year? No action tables?
Click to expand...
18 practice tables, well apart, but close enough to see what was happening.
Action was scarce,hard to make games for the better known players. There were only a couple big matches each night. As far as a betting pit it only happened on a small scale Wednesday. Getting a bet on the side was pretty tough. That and the usual scumbags trying to rob people.

Best show there was the quarter olympics that everyone gambled on. Closest to the wall from 30 feet, closest to the spot on a pool table, toss on top of the suspended hvac ducts that hung off the ceiling and the standard bet the coin toss for up to $200.

Somebody lost their ass at their own game. About $4500 on behind the back slot shots from the jaw of the pocket. Thanks to a regular guy from Boston for showing the big time hustler who really has game. One thing for sure the man has gamble and had no quit in him.

To the guy with the neck tattoo who stiffed me, your punishment is your life! POS that you are.

To the big time tournament director who knowingly marked an extra game during the Wednesday night warmup , your punishment is running the best 9 player events Western New York has ever seen. Promise me 2 game on the wire again and post the cash. we both that know you go broke playing even.
 
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SBE was a great time!

Guess I won't see Joe Banks there next year when I go back! Stay home Joe, pool doesn't need the negatives!
 
Atleast you got to go. Last year had its probs but who can beat playing in a huge tournament for only 75 bucks. It is great going and feeling like a pro in an amateur event. Maybe I haven't been around the block enough but I see solutions to all of these probs

1. Concrete floor wear cushioned shoes
2. Feel cold wear warm clothes
3. Bad parking show up earlier
4. If the vendors suck go to a billiards supply store
 
I think it's funny how people complain about the concrete floors. The flooring at valley forge was tile that was hard as a rock. This year was the first year in about four or five years that I haven't been able to go. But from everyone I talked to they all said it was an improvement from last year.

Maybe I'm a little bias but I think they should have the expo in downtown Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention center. http://www.pittsburghcc.com/ . It has tons of hotels all within walking distance and tons of restaurants as well. On top of that the building is top of the line. Probably out of Mr. Hopkins price range but I really think this would be a great place to have it. Just my two cents.
 
negative thinking?

Negative thinking I guess ;-) But I HAD A GREAT TIME!!! And I know One of our AZER's who won their division Had a Great time also :-)

Joe Banks said:
What can I say AZer's-except for I told you so. Call it the Venue, the format, or the layout-whatever you AZer's wish to call it. Plain and simple it was just horrible. Again concrete floors, cold atmosphere, no comfortable place to eat or sit amongst other things. At least you guys heard it from me first, many months before this 2013 Expo. I have been there before as I knew what to expect. These convention centers just don't cut it. At least I was smart enough not to reserve a hotel. A couple of hours was more than enough for me as well as for my friends. We could not wait to get out of this uncomfortable Convention Center. After all convention centers were made to conduct business conventions. They were not ment for comfortable vacation atmospheres. Besides saving money on a hotel room, I saved a lot by not purchasing any cues. I also succeeded tremendously by getting back a large refund on a cue that was promised to me but was never completed after years of waiting. Even though the Super Billiard Expo was a big disappointment to many, I expected this. And for the "icing on the cake", no heat in the "Great Hall" Friday night. So the Pro's played in the cold while the announcers complained about it on the live stream. "The pain was too hard to bare" seeing this event go down hill. Again what a shame! Nothing lasts forever. BANKS
Click to expand...
 
budonahog said:
Guess I won't see Joe Banks there next year when I go back! Stay home Joe, pool doesn't need the negatives!
Click to expand...

Yes, because god forbid someone express a negative opinion about the great & will once again be popular game of pool.

Cue the sarcasm.....
 
I had a great time.

I miss Valley Forge like everyone else, but the SBX still beats the hell out of any other pool event that I know of.

Walking around and seeing old friends from back in the day keeps me coming back year after year. There are some fine folks in the pool industry.

Thanks Allen for putting on another great show. I'm sure it will be even better next year.

Courtney
 
Yeah it had some negatives but so what? I had a great time and played well and will be back next year for sure. But I have a question about all the custom cue makers there. Do people really buy $5-10K+ cues in today's economy? I saw some booths there with nobody ever in front of them.
 
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