If your considering copy and pasting your latest drive by spam here because you cant find any other place.
DONT!
Oprano has a ZERO tolerance policy for spam. Yours WILL be deleted. If you are looking for more exposure for your product please contact advertising@oprano.com for more information.
Legacy Archived Main BoardBusiness chat and general industry chat. All participation is welcome. Dont post your fucking spam here.
Well the only issues i had were already mentioned, to long to wait for passes, as exhibitors, you already have our information, why does it take 3 of us to collect our passes individually when myself, Gary or Chris could have collected id from the other two and got all three passes at once? It used to work like that, why doesnt it now?
The queue at exhibitr registration IMHO was a huge clusterfuck. It shouldnt have taken close to 2 and a half hours for us to collect our passes. Thankfully, whilst waiting in line we got some business deals done.
The venue, overall i was pretty happy with it although the walk seemed to have doubled from our room to the convention floor this time around, think its time we went on a diet lol
As for the organization on the Mandalay Bays part for the 3 Gay Webmaster Bash meals, we couldnt be happier, despite some teething problems a few weeks prior to the events, when the day for each meal arrived, things were ready, the proper signage was where it was supposed to be and the wait staff were friendly and outgoing, so much so that we asked them all to stay behind and eat with us after the meals had ended by way of thanks.
The food itself, was phenominal, that seemed to be a big talking point after each of the three sponsor hosted meals and we even managed to get some vegetarian meals sorted out at the last minute too.
All in all our Vegas experience as an exhibitor was one we will repeat again however, without the need of going through AVN, having spoken to several people at the hotel on the topic of AVN there seemed to be a lot of agreement that the redtape needed to be gone through was a little o.t.t.
Other than that, we got some great business done, from solidifying existing business relations, forging new ones and even signing contracts on the show floor itself.
This is also the first Vegas show where we have returned home actually feeling satisfied at the overall show from a business standpoint as well as a personal one, we met so many new people who were actively looking for business contacts in our field that we're going to be busy for months sorting through all the business cards and getting details sorted for some lucrative new ventures.
For those we had the opportunity of meeting at the show, thank you all, you made this show worthwhile for us on so many levels and an especially big thanks to every one of the attendees to the 3 meals and 3 after hour events that formed the http://www.gaywebmasterbash.com without your continual support they wouldnt have been as huge a success as they have been for our event sponsors, attendees and, for us.
I think the bad experiences that are being sugar coated here are hideous!!!
Just say it people, this show could be the death blow for AVN on the internet side of things.
I for one will never pay for a pass to one of their shows again!
I wish Oprano would get involved and do a show the right way! maybe combine with Faye and Dave, as they are clearly the only ones that actually listen to the constituency, and appear to give a shit!
I've been involved with shows in mainstream....it's a huge project, especially when you consider the numbers attending this one.
The registration lines were very long, especially for the exhibitors. On the flip side, I saw quite a few opportunities taken to network, in spite of the wait. There's nothing better for business than being stuck in some line. While it may not have been very efficient, I did plenty of networking and even got some business from standing in that line. I also got to see people I might have missed. We were mostly laughing while complaining.
KK...while Vancouver may have seemed like it was a cluster fuck, the disorganisation actually worked in our favour. When you get a bunch of webmasters waiting to go somewhere, we all start talking. It's a wet dream for many of us, since we're such a captive audience. I would have preferred staying at the Pacific Palisades and maybe things could have gone a little smoother; but, so what? The bottom line is that webmasters live and love to complain. When you're on this side of the event, it's easy to complain, I think. Besides, it gives us something to talk about.
__________________
Raven
If You'd Just Do It My Way, Your Life Would Be Better
27331641
Celeb Traffic? Go here: RevshareRewards
Went to Vancouver in October with a few friends....Pacific Palisades rocked...from room service to their wonderful restaurant...plus, location, location, location...right on Robson.
Very enjoyable.
__________________
Raven
If You'd Just Do It My Way, Your Life Would Be Better
27331641
Celeb Traffic? Go here: RevshareRewards
Originally posted by Raven@Jan 9 2005, 12:39 PM Went to Vancouver in October with a few friends....Pacific Palisades rocked...from room service to their wonderful restaurant...plus, location, location, location...right on Robson.
Very enjoyable.
I actually have used it myself.
Suites are cheap.
Best value for money hotel in the city...
Plus we have great golf , webmaster friendly strip club
As a long distance traveller.. I would be more likely to attend if there was a Vancouver show one weekend and a Miami show the following weekend.
Might work if both organisers did a discount for sponsoring both events.... and had a reason to help promote each others event. They might even find a way to cut costs with a bookend event schedule.
If it brings in a lot more International webmasters than usual that could cover the higher costs of doing 2 shows for sponsors too.
Might even get Nick to Florida if we do a "cannonball run" from Vancouver to Miami over the 4 days between shows
Originally posted by Opti@Jan 9 2005, 01:20 PM As a long distance traveller.. I would be more likely to attend if there was a Vancouver show one weekend and a Miami show the following weekend.
Might work if both organisers did a discount for sponsoring both events.... and had a reason to help promote each others event. They might even find a way to cut costs with a bookend event schedule.
If it brings in a lot more International webmasters than usual that could cover the higher costs of doing 2 shows for sponsors too.
Might even get Nick to Florida if we do a "cannonball run" from Vancouver to Miami over the 4 days between shows
Driven Vancouver - Orlando in 3 days 2 nights
Its only 3300 miles
Through South Dakota the only things going faster were stealths ;-)))
Originally posted by Opti@Jan 9 2005, 04:20 PM
Might even get Nick to Florida if we do a "cannonball run" from Vancouver to Miami over the 4 days between shows
Opti if you only knew....
__________________
We are putting the bastards of this world on notice; greed and corruption will always be met with "a voice made of ink and rage."
"Never try and be like anyone else" - Hunter S. Thompson
"The truth is the truth no matter how you try and package a lie" - Shellee Hale
Having the Vegas show at the very beginning of January is only so that AVN can save money by stringing Internext and AEE together. Any other reason is just bullshit.
If it weren't bullshit, then it would be at another time, period.
Immediately after the holidays and just days from New Years when everything is still at triple pricing makes the show very non-webmaster friendly and non-family-friendly. (As in to those who have families, not as in taking your family with you.)
Nick I'm sending you a PM. I've pitched the idea to a few other people and no one has had the balls (or maybe the organizational skills) to do it... maybe you will. No, it's not a business/investment proposal... just an idea for something you can do at the FL show.
__________________
Need a kick-ass design done quickly?
I recommend Sex Creator - they absolutely ROCK.
Another obnoxious thing I noticed this year is how aggressive the booth bunnies were at giving out literature.
There were some aisles that when you went down them it felt like you were walking down the strip with all the hawkers wanting to put ads for horizontal refreshment in your hand. And it worked much the same way, if you took one, the rest of the flock would immediately pounce.
They were also straying well away from the booths. More than once I saw people getting pounced while trying to make a phone call from the back side of the floor, etc.
I'll go to the web to get my literature, with me it's very rare that anything larger than a business card makes it back to the room.
Originally posted by Carrie@Jan 10 2005, 11:15 PM Having the Vegas show at the very beginning of January is only so that AVN can save money by stringing Internext and AEE together. Any other reason is just bullshit.
If it weren't bullshit, then it would be at another time, period.
Immediately after the holidays and just days from New Years when everything is still at triple pricing makes the show very non-webmaster friendly and non-family-friendly. (As in to those who have families, not as in taking your family with you.)
Nick I'm sending you a PM. I've pitched the idea to a few other people and no one has had the balls (or maybe the organizational skills) to do it... maybe you will. No, it's not a business/investment proposal... just an idea for something you can do at the FL show.
Sorry cleared some space up lol.
Fireaway
(What can I say , I like pming people..I'm a chatter box LOL)
Originally posted by Carrie@Jan 10 2005, 11:15 PM Having the Vegas show at the very beginning of January is only so that AVN can save money by stringing Internext and AEE together. Any other reason is just bullshit.
If it weren't bullshit, then it would be at another time, period.
Immediately after the holidays and just days from New Years when everything is still at triple pricing makes the show very non-webmaster friendly and non-family-friendly. (As in to those who have families, not as in taking your family with you.)
Nick I'm sending you a PM. I've pitched the idea to a few other people and no one has had the balls (or maybe the organizational skills) to do it... maybe you will. No, it's not a business/investment proposal... just an idea for something you can do at the FL show.
You know.. I'm here to take advice to improve Internext and AVN, NOT to sit and defend them! You're really not helping out by making statements of fact that are factually incorrect! LOL..
As I mentioned before, Internext is currently slated around the same time as AEE and CES because there is a cross-over between the shows that is seen as beneficial to Internext exhibitors and attendees. It doesn't save AVN money particularily... well, maybe a few airfares saved I suppose.
Hope you find someone with the balls/ organizational skills to assist you in your evil plans for global domination... I just hope they don't interfere with my own.
__________________
I want your Internext & AVN feedback! - aly@avn.com
Originally posted by Raven@Jan 9 2005, 12:19 PM I've been involved with shows in mainstream....it's a huge project, especially when you consider the numbers attending this one.
The registration lines were very long, especially for the exhibitors. On the flip side, I saw quite a few opportunities taken to network, in spite of the wait. There's nothing better for business than being stuck in some line. While it may not have been very efficient, I did plenty of networking and even got some business from standing in that line. I also got to see people I might have missed. We were mostly laughing while complaining.
KK...while Vancouver may have seemed like it was a cluster fuck, the disorganisation actually worked in our favour. When you get a bunch of webmasters waiting to go somewhere, we all start talking. It's a wet dream for many of us, since we're such a captive audience. I would have preferred staying at the Pacific Palisades and maybe things could have gone a little smoother; but, so what? The bottom line is that webmasters live and love to complain. When you're on this side of the event, it's easy to complain, I think. Besides, it gives us something to talk about.
Yeah... The lines were ridiculous. But big, huge kudos to you for making the best of the situation as always! You're so damn good..! LOL.. Love proactive people.
__________________
I want your Internext & AVN feedback! - aly@avn.com
Originally posted by Aly_AVN@Jan 11 2005, 02:32 PM You know.. I'm here to take advice to improve Internext and AVN, NOT to sit and defend them! You're really not helping out by making statements of fact that are factually incorrect! LOL..
As I mentioned before, Internext is currently slated around the same time as AEE and CES because there is a cross-over between the shows that is seen as beneficial to Internext exhibitors and attendees. It doesn't save AVN money particularily... well, maybe a few airfares saved I suppose.
Maybe theres a communication breakdown here Aly.
You guys maintain that theres a benefit to the crossover.
What I think people are telling you is that its not a benefit to most of us.
And I have to call bullshit on the attendee statement. Maybe in the beginning you had surfer attendees at Internext.
Given the $200 price tag... less and less scantilly clad bunnies and even less valuable trinkets I dont think the average street rube is coming in off the street to see what the porners are doing.
Quite frankly I see it as a huge mistake if AVN is marketing to surfers for Internext.... dont you?
__________________
We are putting the bastards of this world on notice; greed and corruption will always be met with "a voice made of ink and rage."
"Never try and be like anyone else" - Hunter S. Thompson
"The truth is the truth no matter how you try and package a lie" - Shellee Hale
Originally posted by Aly_AVN@Jan 11 2005, 02:32 PM Hope you find someone with the balls/ organizational skills to assist you in your evil plans for global domination.
She didn't spend all those years playing Dungeons and Dragons and not learn a little something about courage.
__________________ Almighty Content. Your one stop for live content.
Hire Check in people that have actually seen a computer before, If I had paid to exhibit I would have been furious looking at the huge line of people still standing at 3:00 in the afternoon. Better Yet - mail the badges to the people that pre register and have an Express ID check for them.
Quote:
Well the only issues i had were already mentioned, to long to wait for passes, as exhibitors, you already have our information, why does it take 3 of us to collect our passes individually when myself, Gary or Chris could have collected id from the other two and got all three passes at once? It used to work like that, why doesnt it now?
Above, two of the best ideas I've heard so far.
If AVN is afraid of tickets being counterfitted, fine; don't blame them. Still take a tip from the airllines we all take to these shows and adapt an e-ticket thing. Something where the preregistered people can present a card (they got in the mail) to a person or machine and get their ticket printed out at the show near instantly. There is NO reason anyone should stand in line two or three hours, but more so anyone who PREregistered. If that's the case, see preregistrations (aka the money you need before the show to help put it on) go to a drop in the bucket.
Ditto, one person to pick up all the tickets for their company.
Treat attendees like this and then wonder why next show or next year's event has a drastic drop in attendance is plain insanity.
Bottom line, these are easily remedied items.
Quote:
Trapped people? Now I see that as an opportunity.
hehe Thought the same thing! Told my partner, if we could only have gotten a few hundred bottles of water and a laptop with a sticky-label printer ...
Hire Check in people that have actually seen a computer before, If I had paid to exhibit I would have been furious looking at the huge line of people still standing at 3:00 in the afternoon. Better Yet - mail the badges to the people that pre register and have an Express ID check for them.
Quote:
Well the only issues i had were already mentioned, to long to wait for passes, as exhibitors, you already have our information, why does it take 3 of us to collect our passes individually when myself, Gary or Chris could have collected id from the other two and got all three passes at once? It used to work like that, why doesnt it now?
Above, two of the best ideas I've heard so far.
If AVN is afraid of tickets being counterfitted, fine; don't blame them. Still take a tip from the airllines we all take to these shows and adapt an e-ticket thing. Something where the preregistered people can present a card (they got in the mail) to a person or machine and get their ticket printed out at the show near instantly. There is NO reason anyone should stand in line two or three hours, but more so anyone who PREregistered. If that's the case, see preregistrations (aka the money you need before the show to help put it on) go to a drop in the bucket.
Ditto, one person to pick up all the tickets for their company.
Treat attendees like this and then wonder why next show or next year's event has a drastic drop in attendance is plain insanity.
Bottom line, these are easily remedied items.
Quote:
Trapped people? Now I see that as an opportunity.
hehe Thought the same thing! Told my partner, if we could only have gotten a few hundred bottles of water and a laptop with a sticky-label printer ...
YES... the lines were ridiculously long, and the processing time FAR too long.
While Internext can't control the age of the employees who sit rather unfamiliarly behind the computers at registration (it's all unionized and there's no control over that), there clearly needs to be a contingency plan for that kind of problem. Next year, there will of course be a larger number of old ladies with computers; pre-registration stations set up away from the melee; fewer details for the old ladies to key in... and other solutions.
However.... the issue of having to show ID to pick up badges, or being able to pick up multiple badges at once, or mailing badges ahead of time... isn't something that is likely change. Internext is now legally required to check ID for each badge handed over. It's an adult show... they don't want kids in there. I agree it was a hell of a lot easier when I could swing by and pick up the 25 badges I'd booked for my group in the past, but those days are gone. Now you've got to show ID.
The lines/ wait will not be so long next year.
__________________
I want your Internext & AVN feedback! - aly@avn.com
Originally posted by Aly_AVN@Jan 11 2005, 02:32 PM As I mentioned before, Internext is currently slated around the same time as AEE and CES because there is a cross-over between the shows that is seen as beneficial to Internext exhibitors and attendees. It doesn't save AVN money particularily... well, maybe a few airfares saved I suppose.
So the rediculously inappropriate timing of January Internext that is inconvenient for most attendees and exhibitors has absolutely nothing to do with trying to fill up the 5000 attendees list with horny businessmen who are eager to spend $200 to see a porn star up close?
If that's what you are saying .... as much as I value your opinion and abilities, I just don't believe you ....
but if it is the case, we are all business people and we can appreciate things we don't necessarily agree with, and I thank you for your honesty and for the effort you are putting in to make things better.
I loved the first few shows in Vegas - I came over early and spent new years in various cities and used it as a 'kind of holiday' ... but back then it was all a novelty and I spent the entire time wide eyed and drunk so I didn't notice as much LOL
But the stress trying to get everything organised over christmas holidays, customs being packed with holiday travellers and screaming kids, trying to get lawyers to help import merchandise while its christmas holidays etc etc. I can't see myself attending another Vegas Internext, for all of these reasons that everyone has mentioned.
Why not hire a big cruise ship and bring the 5000 webmasters down to australia? Then I'll attend LOL
Originally posted by Aly_AVN@Jan 11 2005, 06:45 PM Next year, there will of course be a larger number of old ladies with computers; pre-registration stations set up away from the melee; fewer details for the old ladies to key in... and other solutions.
Cool
Looking forward to seeing you behind the regsitration desk next year hon LOL *ducking and running for cover*
>BUT... the cross-over from AEE is valuable for Internext exhibitors/ attendees, wouldn't you agree? I genuinely think so.
no .... but I think I miss a large part of the point of trade shows in general ... none of us aussie companies have ever had a booth, and we used to own probably half of all the traffic in the biz.
I'd love to have a big booth one day for purve with men dancing on tables and lots of couches and coffee tables and giveaways and all that cool shit - but its my ego that wants it, not my accountant LOL
Have you ever been to Oz? I think a few people are planning on coming down for Mardi Gras if you happen to be available for a week in march ;-)))
Originally posted by cj@Jan 11 2005, 07:16 PM Have you ever been to Oz? I think a few people are planning on coming down for Mardi Gras if you happen to be available for a week in march ;-)))
Rumor has it that AVN are interested in helping with the running of GLIB around Aussie pride weekend.
If there was ever an event for AVN to be involved in, Mardi Gras is it!
Lee, are you cuming down under in march?
Leisa (toyboy's girlfriend) and I are having a combined b'day party as mardi gras is the week before our birthdays.
last year was so much fun, I hope this year can come remotely close. 4 days non stop - worse than a convention - long lines at every club, it was pissing down rain, half the floats were falling apart - but we didn't care ... cause we were very happy ;-)
Originally posted by cj@Jan 11 2005, 09:46 PM Why not hire a big cruise ship and bring the 5000 webmasters down to australia? Then I'll attend LOL
Actually, a cruise ship would be fantastic. Especially with all of the extracurricular stuff they have on ships these days.
You'd get a ticket, you'd get a guaranteed room, you'd have everyone in a finite area so that business could be done and people could be *found*... all kinds of positives to it.
It would be kinda hard for Lensman to throw his GFY warm-up party on a boat, though... maybe they could throw the dingys overboard and string them all together.
__________________
Need a kick-ass design done quickly?
I recommend Sex Creator - they absolutely ROCK.
I have to say though... I'm not sure how I feel about being stuck out at sea with a few thousand adult webmasters...! LOL.. Perhaps we could remain docked. haha..
__________________
I want your Internext & AVN feedback! - aly@avn.com
01-09-2005
Linear Mode
