Should There Be A Spring/summer Cybernet?

[Sharpie]

Here is a copy of an email I am sending to many of the Exhibitors and Sponsors. If you have any comments, you can make them in this thread, or email me at tpi500at Indy.rr.com I am very much interested in any feedback that I receive.

I am quite willing to go forward to put together the very best show I can muster, if there is demand and support............. but if this is just one show too many - I would also be very happy to retire in Florida all winter.

This is a business, and I can't afford to do this 'just for fun..... The risk is too great and the stress can be a killer.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Good morning, afternoon, evening – whatever it is in your area

I have just returned from Internext, where the most common question I was asked was “When is the next show?” followed by “Where is the next show?”

My answer to these questions was “Should there be a next show? Is there still a place for a medium sized show? Would you support such a show, and if so, where would you want it to be?

It was appearing to me that there is some kind of a webmaster get-together or party every month somewhere, and that the exhibitor and sponsor dollars were just being spread too thin. If you agree that there is no longer room in the scheme of things for a Spring/summer Cybernet, and any try would be unsuccessful, please respond with that viewpoint. I need to know!

However, if you feel that there is a place for the medium sized event that offers more than the many get-togethers, but less size than an Internext; please let me know that. Also bear in mind that for this type of show to be taken seriously, be widely attended, and bring the people you wish to spend time with, there has to be some type of inexpensive showroom, with limited hours; and some marketing by the exhibitors and sponsors. I do not know all your customers, to invite them……………………. You do.

Please respond with the answer to some questions for me. Locations under consideration are: Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, New Orleans, Tampa. Please choose 2

In what way would you want to be involved? Exhibitor? Sponsor? Other? (specify)
What kind of budget would you have available? $2,000 $5,000 $10,000 $20,000

Please take a minute and let me know your thoughts. The answers and suggestions I receive will help guide me in deciding in the next couple of weeks; if there is still a place for the Cybernet Expo Spring/Summer show.

Sincerely

Fay Sharp (Sharpie)

[originalheather]

Sharpie, it was fun seeing you at the show!

Sure wish we could manage to have one in San Diego, but I think we had that conversation a couple of years ago.

I would vote for New Orleans in the late Spring, (only cause Billy lives there, hehe) but not the summer, it was unbearably muggy for both shows in 2K. March or April would be nice, but that would clash with the Phoenix show.

I didn't care for the Hilton at all, but the Sheraton was pretty nice.

I'm sure that the Canadian webmasters would like to have more shows in Canada, but it's a long way to travel for me. Just one west-coaster's opinion. Tampa is kind of blah, at least it was the last time I was there, it's been a while.

I liked Vancouver when I was there, I've only heard that Montreal is fabulous. I guess I'd have to make Vancouver #2 vote for me.

I'm pretty far behind on things since I managed to disappear for 18 months, but I don't know of a show in June. Is there one?

[KC]

If someone doesn't come up with a Spring San Francisco show, I'm going to organize and promote one myself.

-KC

[slavdogg]

KC, have you seen the new Mascone West Convention Center?
that place is HUGE

It was built with ONE purpose, to take business away from Vegas

[Billy]

KC I am all for that : ) Then we can hit Napa right after !!

Of course I do like the idea of Tampa, but that is still Florida.

One of the only problems I have with Vegas is its so big you dont get to see everybody enough.

[sharky]

I vote for a show here in Tampa!

We have a VERY big convention center in downtown. It's right on the water, plenty of luxery hotels around... and Ybor City isn't far away for any Parties.

Fay - I will be happy to help you with a show out here!

[*KK*]

If you're doing a show with booths Fay, I'd say stop before you get in too far -- I cannot tell you the number of people who've told me in Vegas they will NOT have another booth, period.

Personally I think if you aimed for late May to early June somewhere you could do well, IF you did it right...

I know the Phoenix Forum has grown tremendously over the last two years and I have a pretty good idea that it will draw an even bigger crowd this year, the weather can't be beat, it's not hard to get to, and there is a huge porn presence here as well.

San Fran would be a super place to do it, especially when its hot -- quite frankly while I'm sure we'll all go to Miami, weatherwise Miami in the summer is miserable, that's like saying come to Phoenix in August... or Alaska in January...

[Sharpie]

Thanks for the feedback guys........

You are forgetting the Cybernet concept. We have always done a hotel show. It is hard enough trying to keep everyone together, without spreading out to a exhibition center where you spend all your time going back and forth. We do not need a huge showroom, just enough to keep it interesting. Actually, putting the showroom and the networking bar together ...... seemed to work pretty well in Montreal.

I have worked on San Francisco for 2 or 3 years. I think it would be a great place. But, to give up any of their space - they want a very large room block +guaranteed+ That means that if the rooms are not taken, I have to pay for them........ That kind of stress can drive you insane...... Been there, done that, not doing it again!

[Hell Puppy]

It seems to be becoming more obvious that the traditional trade show format doesn't really work for this industry.

For the most part it's not like we have nifty new products that are coming down the pipe to look at like say a CES or Comdex. We're all virtual, if there's anything to see, we wanna see it online. Likewise we do not need bags full of literature. Again, that's what websites are for.

Do seminars work? Maybe for some, but I dont think the bulk of this industry travels to a trade show looking forward to sitting in on several hours of panels or lectures.

What are the attendees there for then? The answer seems to be to party and network. The single largest value for me is putting faces with names. It's an intangible that's hard to describe, but I"m much more comfortable doing business with someone that I've met, and I think most others feel the same way.

The real trick is to find a way to provide some ROI for sponsors and organizers of an event. That would be tough to do if the format is basically everyone just hanging out together and partying some place for a day or two. Some of the events in the last couple of years like the island gatherings have been pretty close to that.

Perhaps there's some hybrid format somewhere inbetween that offers sponsors a way to get some value and exposure, but doesn't have them sitting around a booth all day.

[Plugger]

I am all for a SF show, but fuck SF, I say move it north, like say, Sonoma County. Napa is just a brand name, but in Sonoma it is laid back. There is plenty of stuff to do and the weather is great, and it is not to far north of SF.

If anyone thinks that it could work in Sonoma County, LMK, I would love to help organize it

[Sharpie]

"The real trick is to find a way to provide some ROI for sponsors and organizers of an event. That would be tough to do if the format is basically everyone just hanging out together and partying some place for a day or two. Some of the events in the last couple of years like the island gatherings have been pretty close to that.

Perhaps there's some hybrid format somewhere inbetween that offers sponsors a way to get some value and exposure, but doesn't have them sitting around a booth all day."




Hell Puppy.............. have we ever met?

You have hit the nail on the head. I have been searching for THE answer for
about 2 years now.

The 'party shows, just do not draw the right people. Too many freeloaders, which makes it into something that the people you really want to do business with don't bother coming for.

It often seems that if companies don't have a booth, the principals don't come - they just send somebody - OR - they really don't feel involved in the show and do NO marketing to let their customers know that they are going to be there.

I thought I had maybe found an answer when we were dealing with the Marriott in Lauderdale. They had an area of 50 large Cabinas on a brick lighted walkway. Was thinking of making that into a late afternoon/night showroom party. This gives 50 companies a base to operate from and talk to attendees in a business/social setting. No real booth - just a base of operations for the evening. Each booth could serve one drink or food item.
Just thought it might be fun........................ and different. However, the company brass would allow the show & we haven't found another place like it.

We are searching for those kinds of ideas........ something that gives the sponsors some 'bang for their buck. The Montreal showroom layout as part as the whole social scene, is as close as we have been able to come. That is why I am out here posting......... , before I make ANY committments.

[mojobill]

Fay, I have always enjoyed your shows, primarily, because there has always been an area set aside for networking, without the loud music and distractions of people milling thru booths...

The one comment I keep hearing about shows, is how much everyone liked the 'hospitality suite' at shows past... the ones that NatNet hosted come to mind...

Why not JUST do that?

Have a couple keynote speakers make SHORT talks, if you have topics of interest, but stick to the format where people can meet, talk, do business, where they dont have to scream to be heard, where they know everyone will be....

just a thought... ;-)

[Shok]

I remember me and Kimmy talking about doing something in SF back in 99.
That kinda fell through.

I vote Seattle.

Plugger, icq me man, how are you, glad to see your posting.
Now just get Buzz and Rachel over here.

icq me at 14799055

[originalheather]

The Nat Net suite was the number one place to network. It was fabulous, and although we understand why Tony had to stop it, it is sorely missed. Personally, I don't care too much about booths. This year I went to all 3 days of the show just trying to find people, but I think that more business gets done in an athmosphere like Nat Net had at the two shows in NO than in any other setting.

Maybe a group of sponsors could get together with Nat Net and bring it back. I know there's a liability problem, but others are giving parties, so maybe sharing the liability is the answer. The fact that we knew where we could find just about anyone was a huge bonus. "See you at the Nat Net Suite" was the catch phrase of those shows. Eventually everyone went through there at least once, even the bigger players that generally only showed at their own parties.

What I noticed in Vegas was that there were so many parties that people splintered off into smaller groups to choose which ones they would go to, thereby cutting off the majority of the people from each other.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic, but I think that bringing back that type of single meeting place would rock.

[kath]

Excellent point Heather - I just posted over on the Pond to Fay's thread that the Nat Net Suite was the most productive event I'd ever attended. And you're right - getting everyone together, instead of segregating everyone off - is exactly what we need. That's what networking is all about. We need to throw away the cliques and ditch the lookie-loos and get down to some serious - but fun! - business.

I'm all for New Orleans in the spring (May/June would work too) - and although I see there have been problems with SF, that is an awesome place to go any time of the year.

Fay - I think you see you've got the backing, interest and support. Whatever you do I think the webmasters will follow - you can read here what we want and Cybernet has a reputation for delivering. Hope we gave you some good info to help you make your decision. :agrin:

[Robert]

Originally posted by Shok@Jan 12 2003, 12:22 PM

I vote Seattle.


Nice, that's just a couple hours away by car :okthumb:

[DrGuile]

Toronto might be interesting...

central enough of a location...



What about Detroit or Chicago?

[SykkBoy]

FWIW, we're actually working on putting together a gathering in Toronto in March, we were going to do it first part of April, but the Pheonix show is that same week, so we're moving it up a little.

A CyberNet Show in Montreal again would be a blast. I love Montreal and my first ever webmaster show was the CyberNet in Montreal.

[Billy]

Montreal = Smoked Meat : )

[Carrie]

(This is gonna be loooong...)
I'm kinda the "token newbie" around you guys, so I'm not looking at it with the same eyes that you are. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. ;)

I was in a booth the entire time in Montreal and I got a LOT of business done. I was in a booth (nearly) the entire time in Miami and got NO business done.
The difference?
In Montreal we had room for people to be in front of our table, we actually had *tables* (rather than look-a-like countertops) that we could lay things out on, write on, put drinks and food on, etc. We were right by the bar, and there were a couple of tables that held 8 people right in front of our "booth". We were fortunate enough to be out IN the hospitality suite part of things. The parties were a bit more low-key, less emphasis on seeing pussy and more emphasis on networking. We could smoke right *at* the booth, and so could our visitors. Even when were weren't in the "hall", we were still surrounded by business folks, because everyone was in the hotel and we all ended up at the restaurant downstairs (or for some, the one all the way upstairs).

In Miami the booth was tiny, the aisles were too narrow and cramped, there was nowhere for anyone to sit or put down their things. Everything was at near-chest-height so to write something you had to lift up your bags to that height and dig your stuff out, or squat down and dig through them on the floor. The smoking *really* got in the way - in order to smoke a cig, we had to be gone from the booth for at least 15 minutes (fighting our way to and from the Smoker's Broil, and smoking the cig). I got more done walking the floor to and from the Smoker's Broil and standing out there broiling than I did sitting at that booth. Even the companies that had couches in Miami - their booths weren't heavily populated. Why? Because everyone was hanging out in the hospitality area where they could easily get a drink without trudging half a mile for it, and could go have a smoke without being gone for 15 minutes.

Sharpie, your "kiosk" idea reminds me of old "Around The World" parties in college. One floor in the dorm would pick a night to have a party. Each room would serve a different drink. The goal was to see how many times you could go "around the world" (hit every room on the floor) before you passed out. ;)
The frats would have big-ass parties also, with a ton of people all smushed in together listening to the same music and the only option was to go outside and watch the drunks drinking beer bongs off of the roof.
It honestly reminds me of small conventions vs. large conventions.

You can't squeeze everyone into *one* massive place and treat them all the same. Some people come to network, some come to hang out and watch, some come to get drunk and party. Tossing the business people in with the "I wanna live the porn life" partiers *and treating them the same* won't work. Even the sponsors don't work that way... Lightspeed is known for it's crazy events and parties, while MaxCash is known for having a comfortable place to sit and good food to eat.
The Around The World parties always drew more people and turned out better than the frat parties. You met more folks, you didn't get puked on as much, there was always at least one room where you felt "comfortable" and could just relax and talk (network) while the drunks slammed boiler-makers somewhere further down the hall while screaming at full volume.

Point blank, you can't please everyone. So pick a target audience and build the show for them. Internext draws a lot of the party folks, it seemed like Cybernet drew mainly veterans and folks interested in doing business. I *think* that AVN is trying to get their hands into the benefits of the smaller show like you have by having the one in Miami, but the one thing they're sorely missing is that they're making all the same mistakes - just on a smaller scale. They're keeping the networking area painfully separate from the "booth" area. They're still focusing too damn much on the entire idea of "booths" as being THE model to promote your business. They're still picking places that are incredibly expensive to stay, with no lower-end rooms for people who want to be where everyone else is but don't have $800 alone to spend just on the room. And the ticket prices... gads. I have to look at the ticket price from the consumer end because I have no experience on the "running the show" end. If they want more people to attend, they should drop the ticket price, not charge extra for the seminars (gee, why do you think people don't attend seminars in Vegas? It costs extra!), and focus on the ATTENDEE, not the exhibitor.

As an attendee, a relative "newbie", and someone who wants to get the benefits from the show but doesn't make 7 figures per year, here's what I want/don't want out of a show:
I don't want to walk 1 or 2 miles to get to the convention from the hotel.
I don't want my choices to be a1) pay $800 just for my room or 2) stay a mile away from the action and end up paying another $200 in cab fares. I want a hotel that can cater to the high-end AND the low end, or there is a less expensive hotel *right next door* or across the street where I'm 2 minutes from the action without paying $20 in cab fare.
I want it on a weekend, so it's easier for people who work (part-timers, spouses, etc) to be able to attend, and easier to get babysitters for those that have children.
I want to be able to choose my means of accomodations and airfare - the "package" deals of show/hotel/airfare starting at $2000 are ridiculous, especially since you can't attend if you don't purchase a package. (However, the people throwing the NYC show are probably purposely *not* catering to the smaller webmaster, and this may have been done purposely to keep them out, which is an excellent way to do so if that's what they're going for.)
I *personally* want the emphasis to be on networking. Not everyone is me, though; and some want the emphasis to be on partying. Again, you have to pick your target audience.

Things I would *like* to see?
More "comfort" stuff at the booths (if there are booths) and less goodies. You can hand me a $7 shirt that I might wear once out of the privacy of my own home, a 50cent clothespin with your company's name printed on it that I will NEVER use and most likely will throw away, and a $1 flyer with all of your sites listed on it that I will also throw away (all your cost); or you can hand me a good sandwich and a soda. Trust me, I'll appreciate the sandwich and soda more.
Goodies cost: $8.50
Food/soda cost: $4.00-$5.00 max (more if you have mixed drinks)

In the same vein, I can use a small content CD a hell of a lot more than I can use a foam boob. I can use an 8MB memory card more than I can use another fancy embroidered expensive baseball cap.
The sponsors need to realize that mainstream "branding" of products for folks to take home with them is wasted money in this business. You think I'm going to take that coffee cup saying "fuck I love porn and I love XYZ company" and put it out where the family and kids can see it? I'd do that with a Yahoo cup, but with LesbiansRidingFuckMachines I won't. You're NOT going to pick up extra business off of the branded products you give me.
You WILL, however, pick up extra business by thinking about what I can use (either at the show or away from it), and giving me that - I'll tell someone all about how well I was treated and how you're such a great company.
Why are there software companies at these shows giving away t-shirts? Tell me about your product, and I'll forget it. Give me a t-shirt, I'll stick it in the closet. Give me a time-limited or feature-limited demo of your software on a CD, and I'll USE it. Where's the common sense gone?

My ideal show...
*Exhibitors with common sense who hand out things not because they're "cool", but because I as a webmaster can USE them. *Points to the lexan PSW Billing mousepad that takes a beating or a spilling and still fucking rocks.*
*A large area, perhaps a circle or groups of circles, of exhibitors around the outside with lots of tables and chairs in the center so we can network and do business *without* being separated from the "action".
*No booming fucking music that you have to scream over. We're not selling speakers, folks. What's the point of having loud music to attract people to your booth when they can't even hear you once they get over there?
*Seminars/Roundtables off to the side but still in view of the exhibits... so people wandering by can see/hear what's going on and decide to sit down and participate, but people attending won't feel like they're utterly cut-off from the action and missing out on things. If they see someone they want to network with walking around, they can get up and leave. You can't do that when you're closed in a room, can't see anyone, and have the pressure that if you get up and leave you're going to take attention away from the discussion. It's uncomfortable being stuck in a college-style lecture hall. We're not in high school anymore. (Well, most of us anyway. LOL). If you take away the 300-decibel speakers booming music, then the roundtable wouldn't have the problem of needing to be closed off so people could hear.
*All of the $$ issues I mentioned above concerning room costs or nearby room costs, ticket prices, etc.
*Picking a target audience and sticking with it. People who want to do business, or people who want to party. The *show* should be one or the other, not both. Parties can always be thrown after show hours.

I know this has been REALLY long and I apologize, but I hope that you've found at least one thing you can work with in my perspective. I *am* your average webmaster who's in the trenches banging it out to make a buck and get some traffic. I *am* in this for the long haul and working at it seriously - this isn't something I'll drop in one month or that I'm doing just to get laid. My concerns are the money it's going to cost me overall to attend (accommodations, ticket, airfare, food while I'm there) and what I'm going to get out of it *business-wise*. I'm not coming simply to party or simply to take a vacation. If I want to party I'll do it away from the show (after hours), if I want a vacation it sure as hell isn't going to be where work is infringing on me - it IS a vacation, after all.

So that's the perspective from your average webmaster. An "advanced newbie" or a "midbie", as some would put it. Most of the folks here at Oprano have been in the biz so long they've forgotten what it's like to be at my level. Well, nowadays you guys are the exhibitors, not the attendees. The attendees are people like me. If you want me to attend, make a show that is focused on MY needs, not the needs of someone who can throw down $1500 for a room and $300 for each dinner. Give me things I can USE, not flashy bullshit useless gadgets that I'll never use.
Make it worth my while to spend the money and come there, during a time when it won't further impact my bank account just to come (ie throwing it during the week), and most likely, I'll be there.

Here's some ideas for things the average webmaster *needs* more than foam boobies and plastic beer cups:
Software (image processing, photo retouching, mirroring programs, organizing programs, keyword tools, free scripts, etc etc etc)...
Content, coupons for your service, pens, mousepads, digital camera cards, gift certificates for dinner nearby or amazon.com, TIME with YOU and your representatives, flyers on how to get and sustain traffic, glossaries on what all of the different acronyms/terms mean (for the real newbies), business cards with real contact info, icq #s, and a description of what your business DOES (take a look at the business cards you gathered and tell me how many of them tell you what the company does - not many, eh?), food and drink (it is added cost to us and usually attending a show means many many hours of going without food), tylenol, anti-bacterial hand lotion, notepads, post-it notes... think of the things you USE while sitting at your desk working and things you NEED when you attend a show... those are the best things to give away if you're going to give something away at all.
Amateurs are a slightly different crowd and need slightly different things. Sexy clothing (not t-shirts), cam software (at least demos), sex toys, lube, tutorials on lighting, taking good pictures, condoms, discounts on site design/banners/buttons, microphones... in addition to the common-sense stuff above.

After all that, I need a drink! :stout:

[originalheather]

And SHE'S a newbie? Watch out for this woman when she's been around a while. Very concise. Hear, hear.

[Carrie]

LMAO @ Smoked Meat - indeed!

[*KK*]

I look at it a bit differently than you I guess Carrie --

first I think the barrier to entry still needs to rise in this business. When I started hosting prices were huge, content was not free, and PK's rules to getting listed were the law of the land... oh and only the Aussies really mailed stuff that was called lists, everyone else had clean opt ins like naughtymail and mikes own adultmail.net.

Now I'm not saying that rooms for the show should be 400 bucks a night, since that would put off alot of decent small to mid size attendees, but I do NOT agree with putting the show in a cheap ass hotel just so the people that come to gawk at the half naked chicks in the booths are accomodated.

When we first took over the Phoenix Forum, one of the biggest things that we looked at was the sponsors. They are the ones paying for the event, what would THEY like to see. After all if you're asking someone to shell out 5-25,000 bucks for a 3 day event, you'd best make them feel they got their money's worth. Now that sort of event isn't designed for a guy with a hundred in his pocket who thinks he's the next RB... it's a much more upscale situation, with people who either know each other or who should know each other, since they've all made more than just the minimum of booking a room at Motel 6 in order to be together.

This business is going to shrink, consolidate, whatever you want to call it -- Visa is going to force it, in the same way they did Audiotext. Now that's not such a bad thing in the end, since the people that are left will go back to seeing higher profit margins and sales made more easily that stick longer than the first twenty minutes of the trial...

[Billy]

KK... I thought the only reason people went to the shows was to see the naked chicks ???

You know that for a bunch of people who see porn every day, I see people waiting in lines for 10 -15 min to take a picture with a half naked girl, whats up with that ?

[cj]

Originally posted by Billy@Jan 13 2003, 08:52 AM
KK... I thought the only reason people went to the shows was to see the naked chicks ???

You know that for a bunch of people who see porn every day, I see people waiting in lines for 10 -15 min to take a picture with a half naked girl, whats up with that ?
newbies
webmasters 'friends'
corporate geeks

[LadyLaw]

CJ:

You nailed it...
newbies
webmasters 'friends'
corporate geeks

In my experience webmaster "friends" are THE worst at any webmaster gathering where girls are present....

They run amok like kids in a candy store, puffed up with a sense of entitlement (because they are "friends"), treat the girls like whores, and generally make complete and total asses out of themselves.

[kath]

Well..I had more than a handful of folks tell me "no I'm not a webmaster I'm here for CES" as they passed by the booth. They took the free calendars and magazines - grabbed some candies and looked for more freebies. That was about it. And yup - those were the guys I saw lining up to get their pics taken with the naked chicks. That's the problem with Vegas - always another geek show in town to attract the lookie loos. :grrr:

KK - I agree with you to a point, it was different when we got started - wasn't it? I mean, we had to work hard, invest more $, invest a lot of time. Today BW is cheap - but I think today's newbie (the one that wants to succeed and make more than beer money) needs to invest more time than money because the prices on hosting/content/scripting has dropped - but those who are finding success ARE investing something. Many are having to become very creative in order to find a foothold in the biz - and many more I think are dropping out quicker than the newbies did back when we were green. I think that's great - it separates the weekend warriors from those who are really in this industry to succeed.

However - I think the booth rates are insane. Yes great for the big companies (less little guy competition) but those big guys still need to watch their bottom lines. There is a booth shrinkage happening as well. Remember some of those outrageous booth designs and giveaways over the years? The whole "everyone gets equal booth sizing" idea @ Miami was a bust - wouldn't you say? What a mess. Premium prices for everyone and the big guys still somehow managed to get bigger booths anyway. *sigh*

But the cost for the webmaster is I think what bothers me the most. This is the guy we're trying to reach - the intricate part of the industry that we are trying to educate, mold, work with and sell our programs to. He shouldn't have to save up for a year just to get through the door - or stay at the cheapo motel 10 miles down the road just to make ends meet that week. It should be easy for him to attend. Unfortunately this also makes it easy for lookie-loos to attend but who cares? They're always going to be there and higher prices won't scare them away.

I like Carrie's ideas a lot - she's so right and dead-on about the things we offer to our booth visitors. I've watched more people walk up to the TCG booth, grab a sandwich and a coke - sit down, rest their expo floor tired feet and then talk with one or more of the reps there about their programs. Talk about a captive audience! And they are happy and willing to stay and listen. Obviously everyone can't do this - it wouldn't work. But I think the booth designs DO need to be more webmaster-friendly, provide a comfortable & inviting place for people to come, talk and do business.

There's always room for improvement and everyone always has a bitch. Carrie's also right in that you can't please everyone. But there is a LARGE target group of folks that come to these events to do business and to do some extreme networking - I think that's the voice that should be listened to. These are the people who will sing your praises the loudest on the boards and in show reviews more for the quality/substance of your show versus the amount of boobies and porn stars.

:rokk:

[Carrie]

KK I'm wishing the bandwidth prices would go back up. I think that in itself would take care of a lot of the "glut of free porn" that we see out there and raise that barrier of entry.

I understand what you're saying about lower hotel prices encouraging the "gawkers", but smaller legitimate webmasters are also down on that level. Is there a way to encourage the legitimate webmasters to attend without also enticing the "here to get drunk and get laid" gawkers?

The last part - sponsors and the money they spend - is a double-edged sword. Would sponsors rather be in a Venetian, raising their cost of attending/sponsoring the show in order to feel that they "got something for sponsoring", or would they rather have more webmasters there to interact with in order to feel that their money was well-spent?

We've heard my perspective from an "average" attendee, I guess now we need the perspective of an "average" sponsor - what they want and need in order to feel that *their* money was well-spent and it was worth their time/effort/money to sponsor the show.

[Billy]

Just my two cents but the entire time I was in the booth 90 % of the people who came by were other exipitors.

[Almighty Colin]

I did about half of the business I did at the show on the floor. The other half in random places.

I love working the floor. I spent hours there this trip. Exhibitors are like a caged audience.

[*KK*]

What sort of sponsors actually gain anything from their booth? Content providers with product to sell, hard goods provider with product to sell, that sort of thing.

I simply cannot, do not, and will not see where the average sponsor program gets any real return on it.

One of the larger sponsors did a giveaway awhile back, a large prize, well publicized deal. The guy that won? Stopped sending them traffic a week or two later.

This is typical.

Now I realize that some shows really should have floors and booths and stuff like that -- but two a year is more than enough. And yes, I do think the sponsors should dictate the hotel and the environment.

You want to find newbs? Do it on a chat board.

You want to get real business done at shows? You better hope you can unchain yourself from your booth long enough to visit with the guys who are stuck in their booths.

One sponsor, a very large one, had their smallest booth ever -- still a booth yes, but no bells, no whistles, just their employees using it as a home base -- they had a scheduler there, you could book time with whomever you dealt with there, but they had no flashing lights, no loud music, no cars, none of that shit. Now that was a wise way to spend money.

I wouldn't have a sensitive conversation on the show floor personally -- I get as far from it as is logistically possible -- somewhere quiet with no prying ears and eyes. And it's not the hospitality section either.

I've done all manner of trade shows in previous incarnations -- furniture, jewelry, domestics, gift products, and its always the same thing. If you aren't actually demonstrating a product or showing something that needs to be viewed in real life to decide to buy, its very hard to justify the return on investment.

[photogregg]

Great thread.
I came home from this show with 6 business cards and a lighter, and 4 new accounts...no shirts, no boobs and no literature. Business was conducted at the booths of the people that wanted my work. Emails with contracts locked in the deals.

I did spend 2 hours at a booth going over new encoding technology for streaming live video. The sponsor took the time to give a complete demo and answer all questions. His professionalism and the product got me as a new customer.

Size and location doesn't matter to me. I really like Dokk's Jamaica getaway, very relaxing and plenty of time to talk while soaking down a beer by the beach.

[Almighty Colin]

The good thing about a show is that everything is optional. Wanna go to the parties? Go ahead. Floor? Go ahead. Wanna skip the seminars? Do that too. As far as seminars, MikeFold is always worth listening too.

I thought Max Cash's booth was great. A bar/comfortable place to sit, a pool table. I hung out there quite a bit. They never fail to impress me as a class company.

[Nickatilynx]

I think with the contracting of the industry and imho the strong likely hood of the "hobbyists" and the "don't quite get it" people being constricted and probably forced out of the business in the coming year that there should be a conference arranged (preferably in Vancouver hehehe) to consolidate and strenthen alliances and form others.

Frankly to ensure those with market share continue to hold that market share.

Cartel time or protectionism...whichever applies.

[Anthony]

Sharpie,

Please hit me up anthony at whitcon dot net or icq 21239908


Thanks!