[RawAlex]

I think that for 99% of the shows as they are, booths are irrelevant. But there is a place in this business for a "booth" show, but people have to be mentally ready to support it. Too many of the playah types running the companies are not willing to truly support the concept, so things go to crap. The last Vegas show I attended (couple of years ago) it was pretty much impossible to find anyone of stature on the show floor, it was just nameless (and soon replaced) reps standing around powerless to do anything. The big guys were all out partying all night and into the morning, and has no interest in showing up on the floor.

It's also the nature of business these days. It use to be that companies worked hard to produce things for release at the shows. You would go to the show and there would be new sites, new programs, new whatever. Now things get announced 5 days (sometimes 7 days) a week, and nobody has any sense of promotion. It's part of the industry churn I guess, porn burns through ideas faster than a hobo through a bottle of Thunderbird.

LAJ: You and I both know the deal - too many shows are run as ego boosts, not as business of their own. So companies run them at a loss because they think they get good exposure. Thankfully, most of them do it for a couple of years and realize they are paying out the ass for nothing, and give it up.