Valley Forge Expo March 20 ~ 23, 2003
By Eydie Romano midwestexpo@aol.com
We arrived a day early to watch the festivities unfold. We were greeted by Allen Hopkins and Ralph Hrovat.
Two strenuous days of non stop preparations conformed this otherwise dormant area into a huge project of meticulous planning.
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about all of the people and hard work that went into this event to make it The Super Billiards Expo. It is obvious that it takes the best part of a year for all the planning of this event. Everything down to the uniformed color coded badges (created by Allen Hopkins Jr.) moved the crowd around from day till night.
There were 65 paid employees behind the scenes. They are all treated as family and help make this one of the high light events of the year. Every one of them have had some past experience with AHP and most of them have been with the Expo for several years. As in any business, it is hard to get good help, but AHP has managed to perfect his staff over the years.
Allen and Dawn Hopkins were gracious hosts to all the exhibitors and players. Their years of planning and corrections have made this show what it is today.
Ralph Hrovat started with Allen the 2nd year of his Expo and has become from what I have seen, a huge asset to AHP. Ralph is ALWAYS within ear range and seems to know what needs to be done and when. Ralph is another gold mine to the collection that Allen already has. Ralph's 2 children have grown up attending these events and look forward to each year as much as Christmas. Now I got to put in a plug for Red. She's a Jersey hoot. There are so many others I would like to mention but have forgotten their names, sorry (I'm really bad with names). They all had a special impact to this event.
Allan Jr., as most know him, is a warm, well versed, and creative man. His clothing line www.runoutsportswear.com in addition to the enormous amount of work he has done creating the logos and products for this show is just the start of what we will see from him in the future.
The stars showed with one pro after another in the arena. Talent upon talent vied for the winning title, with Johnny Archer and Karen Corr prevailing over the ultimate best to win the top titles.
The matches were done within reason and the tournament play started on time. The tournament staff eased their way through charts. Allen personally hand paid each winner and congratulated them with a hand shake. The tournament was played on the famous 7 foot Diamond Smart Tables with Red Circle Cue Balls. These practically flawless tables helped make the event a great success.
Special attention was given to the trophies, ( I don't know for sure, but I suspect Dawn Hopkins was behind them). Exquisitely tasteful crystal bowls with plaque stands were awarded to the winners. This is not the normal door stop trophy you may find at a different event. These trophies were selected with care and purpose. They are something that you can honestly pace on the mantle with pride. Gotta tell ya, really good taste.
There was non stop action for most of the event. We were down stairs at all hours of the night to see the crowds of people watching all the action. Frankie Hernandez kept the crowd on their toes for hours one night. I saw many a road player whom I will not mention their names...
And last but far from the least are the exhibitors. Everything for Billiards was defiantly at this event.
I was given the opportunity to comprehend how a handcrafted cue is made. I never understood how much time, planning and care went into the design of one of these custom cues. Most of the custom cue makers consider them an art (which they rightfully are) and treat them as their children. This is an important thing to understand when purchasing a custom cue. These particular cues can appreciate in value and are of unique excellence.
Considering that Allen knew one of the main reasons I was there was to promote our upcoming expo www.midwestbilliardexpo.com , he was most helpful to us and made himself available for any questions we had. He extended extremely useful advise and left the door open for any future help.
I am not a pool player, I know where the balls are supposed to go, but getting them there is another story for me. I learned a lot at this event. I have attended APA and BCA shows for the past 12 years and not had as much fun as this event.
By Eydie Romano midwestexpo@aol.com
We arrived a day early to watch the festivities unfold. We were greeted by Allen Hopkins and Ralph Hrovat.
Two strenuous days of non stop preparations conformed this otherwise dormant area into a huge project of meticulous planning.
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about all of the people and hard work that went into this event to make it The Super Billiards Expo. It is obvious that it takes the best part of a year for all the planning of this event. Everything down to the uniformed color coded badges (created by Allen Hopkins Jr.) moved the crowd around from day till night.
There were 65 paid employees behind the scenes. They are all treated as family and help make this one of the high light events of the year. Every one of them have had some past experience with AHP and most of them have been with the Expo for several years. As in any business, it is hard to get good help, but AHP has managed to perfect his staff over the years.
Allen and Dawn Hopkins were gracious hosts to all the exhibitors and players. Their years of planning and corrections have made this show what it is today.
Ralph Hrovat started with Allen the 2nd year of his Expo and has become from what I have seen, a huge asset to AHP. Ralph is ALWAYS within ear range and seems to know what needs to be done and when. Ralph is another gold mine to the collection that Allen already has. Ralph's 2 children have grown up attending these events and look forward to each year as much as Christmas. Now I got to put in a plug for Red. She's a Jersey hoot. There are so many others I would like to mention but have forgotten their names, sorry (I'm really bad with names). They all had a special impact to this event.
Allan Jr., as most know him, is a warm, well versed, and creative man. His clothing line www.runoutsportswear.com in addition to the enormous amount of work he has done creating the logos and products for this show is just the start of what we will see from him in the future.
The stars showed with one pro after another in the arena. Talent upon talent vied for the winning title, with Johnny Archer and Karen Corr prevailing over the ultimate best to win the top titles.
The matches were done within reason and the tournament play started on time. The tournament staff eased their way through charts. Allen personally hand paid each winner and congratulated them with a hand shake. The tournament was played on the famous 7 foot Diamond Smart Tables with Red Circle Cue Balls. These practically flawless tables helped make the event a great success.
Special attention was given to the trophies, ( I don't know for sure, but I suspect Dawn Hopkins was behind them). Exquisitely tasteful crystal bowls with plaque stands were awarded to the winners. This is not the normal door stop trophy you may find at a different event. These trophies were selected with care and purpose. They are something that you can honestly pace on the mantle with pride. Gotta tell ya, really good taste.
There was non stop action for most of the event. We were down stairs at all hours of the night to see the crowds of people watching all the action. Frankie Hernandez kept the crowd on their toes for hours one night. I saw many a road player whom I will not mention their names...
And last but far from the least are the exhibitors. Everything for Billiards was defiantly at this event.
I was given the opportunity to comprehend how a handcrafted cue is made. I never understood how much time, planning and care went into the design of one of these custom cues. Most of the custom cue makers consider them an art (which they rightfully are) and treat them as their children. This is an important thing to understand when purchasing a custom cue. These particular cues can appreciate in value and are of unique excellence.
Considering that Allen knew one of the main reasons I was there was to promote our upcoming expo www.midwestbilliardexpo.com , he was most helpful to us and made himself available for any questions we had. He extended extremely useful advise and left the door open for any future help.
I am not a pool player, I know where the balls are supposed to go, but getting them there is another story for me. I learned a lot at this event. I have attended APA and BCA shows for the past 12 years and not had as much fun as this event.
