4th Annual Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Expo Announced

posted by RecycledGamer on 2-11-2013

John Hancock models a Cowlitz Gamer's for Kids t-shirt.

The Portland Retro Gaming Expo is proud to sponsor the 4th Annual Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Classic Video Game Show on April 13th, 2013 in Kelso, WA. Last year we helped show organizer, John Hancock, raise over $5,000 for the Childrens Justice and Advocacy Center (CJAC) and we're convinced we can do better this year with your help!

Once again PRGE is absorbing most of the cost of putting on this show so that 100% of the admission will go directly to CJAC. It is CJAC's mission to provide children who have experienced sexual or physical abuse a coordinated community approach to investigation, prosecution and treatment that promotes their safety, healing, and well-being.

Huge Venue!

In 2013 the Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Expo is back in the former Emporium location inside the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, WA. There will be over 20,000 square feet of gaming goodness.

Freeplay Arcade

Enjoy hundreds of freeplay classic console and arcade video games included with your admission donation.

Charity Silent Auction

Several sponsors have donated classic gaming systems and other goodies for the silent auction. All attendees can participate. Simply write your name next to the bid you want to make on the bid sheet. Highest bid when the auction closes gets to purchase the item. All proceeds from the auction go directly to CJAC.

Charity Arcade Game Raffle

Darrell Donner of the Portland Arcade Collectors has generously donated a Super Bug arcade game to be raffled at the show. All raffle proceeds benefit CJAC!

Learn more»

PRGE at the Convention Center on October 5-6, 2013

posted by RecycledGamer on 1-23-2013

The 8th annual Portland Retro Gaming Expo with be held at the Oregon Convention Center on October 5-6, 2013.

As we move into our 8th year, the Portland Retro Gaming Expo returns to the Oregon Convention Center on October 5-6, 2013! Once again we will occupy the entire 60,000 square foot Exhibit Hall C with vendors and games plus separate meeting rooms for our speakers, panels and tournaments. The Oregon Convention Center is conveniently located right on the MAX light rail line and is close to several hotels. The entire venue is comfortably climate controlled and includes several on-site options for food, ATMs and plenty of places to sit and relax.

Megacade Morphs into Supercade for 2013

Last year we had over 160 arcade and pinball machines in our 20,000 square foot Mega-Cade. Well, we are going bigger this year, setting a goal of over 200 machines. - And put your quarters away because all games will be set to play for free with your paid admission. We're going so big, in fact, that we are upgrading the name to Supercade. (It was either that or Megacade U.)

Once again we're partnering with Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade who are mobilizing the arcade and pinball collector communities to bring together this unprecedented aggregation of retro gaming.

Exhibitor Area

Our attendee surveys always rate the vendor/exhibitor marketplace as most popular part of the Expo. Our use of the Oregon Convention Center will allow us to accept more exhibitors than in past years and to offer more flexibility in booth sizes to vendors. Are you are interested in exhibiting at PRGE? Please visit the exhibitor page today for details. The earlier you reserve your spot, the less you pay! Once we sell out of exhibitor spots we will close exhibitor registration.

Speakers and Panels

PRGE will once again feature at least two separate speaking auditoriums allowing us to support a larger number of speakers and panels. The auditoriums are physically separated from the main show hall to alleviate noise intrusion from the main show floor into the speaking events.

After Hours Party

Our after-hours party in the Supercade will return in 2013 with some new suprises. For one, it will start much earlier in the evening. All paid attendees who are 21 or older are welcome to attend. The restaurant on the show floor will be open, there will be a cash bar and, of course, there will be access to all of the freeplay arcade and console machines at the Expo. Check back for more details on this event.

Returning for 2013

Many of the same great Expo features will return for 2013 including the Live Auction, classic video game tournaments, cosplay contest and our raffle.

Reserve Your Place Now

You can purchase admission to PRGE 2013 immediately on our web site. Purchasing admission online before the show has three benefits:

SAVE! - Purchasing your admission online will save you up to 20% off the price of admission at the door.
GET IN EARLY! - How would you like to get into the vendor marketplace an hour early? Attendees who pre-purchase admission online are entitled to enter the event 1 hour before people who buy passes at the door on Saturday. October 5..
GUARANTEED ENTRY! - Buying admission online guarantees your entry into the Expo in event of a capacity crowd.

Click here to purchase admission!

Thank You!

posted by RecycledGamer on 10-1-2012

The Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2012 has ended. On behalf of the organizers we'd like to extend a sincere thanks to all of our attendees, volunteers, speakers, vendors and to the Oregon Convention Center for an event that exceeded our expectations in every way!

Over the next few weeks we will be recapping the event and linking to media and video, but for now here at the basics:

Over 3,000 attendees came through the doors over the weekend
Over 160 arcade and pinball machines were on display for freeplay
Over 70 retro video game consoles were set up to play
There were over 70 vendors in attendance
Our after-hours event was a blast with over 200 people dining and drinking until midnight right in the Mega-cade
Our live auction was packed with over 400 attendees. At the auction we raised nearly $900 for Portland's Cat Adoption Team

Please check back as we recover from an awesome weekend and share more highlights.

Sincerely,
The board of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo

Join Our Mailing List for the latest Expo News

by RecycledGamer on 1-13-2011

PaperBoy Get the latest classic video gaming news by joining our email mailing list. We send out information on our show as well as other events in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We generally send emails every month or so and more frequently as we get closer to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in September.