Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum

Hell Puppy · 09-23-2008

Here are my thoughts on the Atlanta Forum...

First off, I've never been to such a smoothly run show. Big props to NationalNet and especially Kathi as I know she worked her ass off making sure that was the case. Sweet T does everything first class, but one of the few secrets of his that I've figured out is that he hires top notch people with the same eye toward quality as he has.

Nit Picky Bitch List
I have only one. The volume on the music and bands were at times too loud for a conversation. At the clubs, we expect it. But for the smaller events and especially around the patio, pool, etc, it's nice to be able to sit with someone and not have to yell at them to attempt to do business.

The Hotel
The Atlanta W was not originally built as a W, but they did a good job when they converted it over, it has all the luxuries you'd expect and a funky vibe with the decor. It was about the perfect size for this event.

I was expecting the normal first time freak out from the hotel staff. We are in the south afterall. But they were delightful. No problems at all.

Security
This is another tough one to get right. You either end up hassling the attendees or if you go too far the other way you get normals mixed in when they hear they might get some free booze and see a porn star. Bubba's crew did great. Never a line, never a hassle, and I dont think anyone got in who shouldn't be in.

Attendees
We had the entire hotel. No idea how many attendees, a bit larger than Cybernet in San Fran for sure. I would call it good attendance for a first time show especially in the current economic and industry climate.

But here's the important part. The mix of attendee's was excellent. I dont think I talked to anyone who I wouldn't consider a decision maker. We also saw a lot of attendees who dont normally do west coast shows.

And let us know forget, with Sweet T in his home town, there's no sausage fest. All of the events and parties had lots of local party girls in addition to the beautiful ladies in the industry. Let's call it "stocking the pond".

I cant help but wonder how much the show being so close to Miami and Amsterdam impacted attendance.

Weather
Props to Sweet T, he obviously called in a favor at the Weather channel. The weather broke into beautiful Atlanta fall cooler temperatures as the show started, but stayed just warm enough to make the pool usable.

Food
Ok, fess up, how many of you cheap bastards made meals out of the 24 hour snack bar? It was that well stocked. I dont know who catered lunch, but it was great southern cuisine.

And Waffle House? Pure genius, they literally bused us over to Waffle House who amazingly kept up, as one group would finish, bus would unload more hungry drunks and load up the previous batch for a gaseous ride back to the hotel.

The hotel restaurant was weak, but there was plenty of great restaurants in easy walking range.

Booze
If you couldn't get drunk here, you weren't trying. Open bars available almost the entire time. And even if you try to hide on the patio behind the hotel's cash bar, Mojohost's Brad Mitchell was trolling like a shark and would send these potent little fruit drink shots to make sure your liver got no rest.

Parties
There were lots, three of them really stood out:

PussyCash took over the Oasis, one of Atlanta's best strip clubs. Not only was it open bar, but they even gave us each a wad of money to buy dances with. I've never seen that before. Started a bit slow, but it picked up. Bubba had to drag us out to get on the last bus.

GFY Warm Up Party is a tradition. This one had a twist. Heavy Metal Karoke with a live band. Ok, that scared me, I had William Hung visions in my head. But ya know what? We have some people in the biz who can actually sing and have the sack to do it in front of a crowd. I have video to prove it. Biggest surprise to me was Tony404. Our timid little flower Tony who is so shy this is only his second show (and both had to come to him!) can wail.

National Net Closing Party at Opera. Holy shit. Best club in town, we had the whole VIP area, and again the pond was well stocked. And it was my first time to experience DJ Roonie G. Club music isn't my thing normally, but this guy is an amazing talent with those video mixes.

Seminars and Keynote
Ok, here's where I messed up. Seminars looked great and different from the typical industry stuff. I fully intended to go to some. That damned Westin Heavenly Bed combined with late night partying took care of that.

I did make the keynote though with Mark Klein. That guy is entertaining and could work in front of ANY audience. I laughed my ass off. But at the same time he had some really good underlying messages about things such as life and freedom of choice which tied in very well.

Business
My agenda was very very short as usual. I accomplished what I came to do. I also got the usual show inspiration buzz and renewal of energy. That's something you wont understand unless you go to one. And one thing that was unique, almost everyone I talked to had at least one deal, discovery or hook up fall in their lap that can increase their income fall in their lap that they weren't expecting. That's representative of a good show mix that is conducive to business getting done.

Conclusions
I definitely hope this one happens again next year. My guess is good word of mouth will make it grow. I went by the seat of my pants this time, I would plan my schedule better next time. I enjoyed the slow pacing, but given it to do over again I would've taken advantage of some of the down time instead of sitting on the patio drinking or hanging out.

Toby · 09-23-2008

I think that covers my thoughts pretty well too. No big surprise since HP and I have very similar outlooks on life. Just a couple of things to add from my perspective.

Nit Picky Bitch List
Besides the volume issue the only other thing that I grumbled about each morning was the absence of a small coffee maker in the room. I had to get my sorry ass showered, dressed and downstairs in order to have my morning cuppa. Fortunately everyone I encountered treaded lightly until I'd been properly caffeinated.

Weather
A very pleasant change from the hot and muggy I escaped in Houston. This was my first trip to Atlanta and to Georgia. A beautiful city and state, very green, reminded me alot of being back home in Oregon.

Food
The hotel restaurant was more than a little too "California" for my taste. Asian Fusion Cuisine would be just fine, if I could still get nachos or similar fare off a bar menu.

The local Atlanta peeps more than took up the slack with their choices for places to eat. Gonzo & Hell Puppy, some day I hope to be able to do the same for you on my own home turf.

Booze
I know that I drank far more than I normally do. My liver aged a couple of extra years over the weekend. It now qualifies for an AARP card.

Seminars and Keynote
I caught two of the seminars. Unfortunately I'm not the target audience for either topic that I attended. I have little need to negotiate and bargain, but found out that I was pretty much doing it the right way. I also have no problem organizing my time or managing the clutter, but for those that do have issues in those areas there were some great tips given on how to improve things.

Mark Klein is a funny guy, and much of his "middle aged" humor hit pretty close to home.

Business
This was an "extra" show for me this year, so I went in without any specific plans on doing business. Gonzo introduced me to a couple of people that may lead to enough business to pay for my trip.

Conclusions
Definitely a bit more down time on the daily schedule, especially late afternoon and early evening. Nothing wrong with that at all. If I do go to this show again next year I will definitely make some pre-show plans to talk to a few people, in a location where we don't have to shout over the music.

Major kudos to Kathi and NationalNet. Ya done good!

tony404 · 09-23-2008

Excellent post Hellpuppy. I agree with everything, next year we got to talk to kathi about the volume. Way too loud we arent 20 anymore.Also thank you for the nice words on my singing it had been a long time wasnt sure if I still had it in me. lol

TheEnforcer · 09-23-2008

Damn.. sounds like it's one hell of a show.

bluemoney · 09-23-2008

I echo Hell Puppies thoughts (as always he ties things together nicely)

This only leaves me to say Kathi and Sweet T are magnificent people. They went the distance to make sure everyone was well taken care of and having a good time.

I thank you both for making my first show a great one

Hell Puppy · 09-23-2008

Good catch on the coffee. I heard that all over the place. And I woulda expected a coffee maker in a W as a normal thing.

Hell, I had a suite and still didn't have a coffee maker. Though I did have grey goose and just about any other liquor. And having a real fridge instead of a 'weighted' snack bar is a plus.

Woulda been a better investment had i actually spent time in the room. Did have a couple of business meets in there though, so it's all good. Plus my "crow's nest" balcony had a great view of the patio. Did I mention how powerful the optical zoom on my video camera is?

SweetT · 09-24-2008

Hey Guys....

Thanks for the honest and candid feedback. As for the music...I HEAR YA! That will never be a problem again. I think it was a misunderstanding between me and the head DJ dude. He is used to playing for "my" types of parties and I should have been a LOT more specific when I told him I wanted some "light house" playing through the lobby. Trust me, you only have to tell me about 10 tiimes and I get it

I will also check into the little coffee makers and see what it would take to get them into the rooms for next year. Even if we have to buy 50 of them and just give them to the people who ask for them or something. I dont know but I think it is worth asking them for.

Again, thanks for the feedback....we are listening

--T

gonzo · 09-24-2008

Thanks for a solid show on the east coast to do business at without melting.

I appreciated the tour you guys hooked us with with too. I hadnt seen the datacenter since it was at Netrail in the area we bought. LBBV and Not Jack were great tour guides.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetT

Hey Guys....

Thanks for the honest and candid feedback. As for the music...I HEAR YA! That will never be a problem again. I think it was a misunderstanding between me and the head DJ dude. He is used to playing for "my" types of parties and I should have been a LOT more specific when I told him I wanted some "light house" playing through the lobby. Trust me, you only have to tell me about 10 tiimes and I get it

I will also check into the little coffee makers and see what it would take to get them into the rooms for next year. Even if we have to buy 50 of them and just give them to the people who ask for them or something. I dont know but I think it is worth asking them for.

Again, thanks for the feedback....we are listening

--T

miz_wright · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetT

Hey Guys....

Thanks for the honest and candid feedback. As for the music...I HEAR YA! That will never be a problem again. I think it was a misunderstanding between me and the head DJ dude. He is used to playing for "my" types of parties and I should have been a LOT more specific when I told him I wanted some "light house" playing through the lobby. Trust me, you only have to tell me about 10 tiimes and I get it

I will also check into the little coffee makers and see what it would take to get them into the rooms for next year. Even if we have to buy 50 of them and just give them to the people who ask for them or something. I dont know but I think it is worth asking them for.

Again, thanks for the feedback....we are listening

--T

Gods: COFFEE in the rooms... *bliss* One of my least favourite things about certain of the hotels we get booked into - no room coffee!

Tony, if you make that happen, you will be my mostest favourite person ever.

SweetT · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonzo

Thanks for a solid show on the east coast to do business at without melting.

I appreciated the tour you guys hooked us with with too. I hadnt seen the datacenter since it was at Netrail in the area we bought. LBBV and Not Jack were great tour guides.

LOL @ Netrail.....man, that was the days, huh? We felt like we were gods in that data center....who would have known how far we would come, huh?

Glad you liked the tour. You are welcome to stop by anytime

--T

SweetT · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by LizAEBN

Gods: COFFEE in the rooms... *bliss* One of my least favourite things about certain of the hotels we get booked into - no room coffee!

Tony, if you make that happen, you will be my mostest favourite person ever.

Now that is a challenge that I am up for...I would love nothing more than to be your mostest favourite person ever!!! I will have a coffee maker in your room if I have to bring one from my house!! LOL!!!

--T

gonzo · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetT

LOL @ Netrail.....man, that was the days, huh? We felt like we were gods in that data center....who would have known how far we would come, huh?

Glad you liked the tour. You are welcome to stop by anytime

--T

I learned a lot about hosting during that time. Especially not what to do, who was spamming and probably still is under the table and how they move from one host to the other leaving the last host holding the bag etc . . . at the end we had everything that Mr Cash owned in that data center.

I probably made some of my biggest mistakes in this business during that time.

Glad to see that you guys have thrived.

That data center had a lot of interesting stuff in it. I remember the fights we got into with MCI trying to get them tossed out for not paying their bills for the gear they had in there.

miz_wright · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetT

Now that is a challenge that I am up for...I would love nothing more than to be your mostest favourite person ever!!! I will have a coffee maker in your room if I have to bring one from my house!! LOL!!!

--T

*cracks up*

Dig it! 'cos I really hate having to try to get on clothes and fix my hair 'n all before I can get coffee *laughing* I'm surpised I didn't scare anyone, trying to get caffienated

TheEnforcer · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by LizAEBN

*cracks up*

Dig it! 'cos I really hate having to try to get on clothes and fix my hair 'n all before I can get coffee *laughing* I'm surpised I didn't scare anyone, trying to get caffienated

You'd never be able to scare anyone dear!!

miz_wright · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEnforcer

You'd never be able to scare anyone dear!!

Psh.

Y'all just tryin' to make my poor lil' head 'splode.

TheEnforcer · 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by LizAEBN

Psh.

Y'all just tryin' to make my poor lil' head 'splode.

I'd be happy to see ya in the morning before coffee..

Hell Puppy · 09-25-2008

Yeah, I forgot to mention the data center tour.

And I'm not even going to say who was entertaining us with hair lipped midget jokes on the way back to the hotel.

I've now seen Natnet when it was over at 230 p'tree. Again a few years later when it was in the space the corporate offices now occupy. And then just this week across the street in it's current home.

Really amazing to watch the growth. It's quite impressive.

I diversify my hosting much same way as I diversify my billing and pick out a couple or three of the best players and spread business around. But as I told Bill at the show, anything I have that absolutely positively has to be up all the time goes to Natnet.

I'm a qualified *nix admin and developer in my own right, so I do my own monitoring above and beyond what the host provides always. I'm not only checking simple pings, I'm looking at things like database query latency to see how the box is performing. And Natnet is the only host who I have never once seen have a problem where I caught it before the NOC did. Major kudos.

Only single point of failure I saw at National Net is the city of Atlanta itself. If they ever go down, there's probably nothing else in the southeast or probably eastern seaboard online either. And we'll all have bigger fish to fry.

09-23-2008	#1
Hell Puppy Fat Fucking Nobody Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 6,523	Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Here are my thoughts on the Atlanta Forum... First off, I've never been to such a smoothly run show. Big props to NationalNet and especially Kathi as I know she worked her ass off making sure that was the case. Sweet T does everything first class, but one of the few secrets of his that I've figured out is that he hires top notch people with the same eye toward quality as he has. Nit Picky Bitch List I have only one. The volume on the music and bands were at times too loud for a conversation. At the clubs, we expect it. But for the smaller events and especially around the patio, pool, etc, it's nice to be able to sit with someone and not have to yell at them to attempt to do business. The Hotel The Atlanta W was not originally built as a W, but they did a good job when they converted it over, it has all the luxuries you'd expect and a funky vibe with the decor. It was about the perfect size for this event. I was expecting the normal first time freak out from the hotel staff. We are in the south afterall. But they were delightful. No problems at all. Security This is another tough one to get right. You either end up hassling the attendees or if you go too far the other way you get normals mixed in when they hear they might get some free booze and see a porn star. Bubba's crew did great. Never a line, never a hassle, and I dont think anyone got in who shouldn't be in. Attendees We had the entire hotel. No idea how many attendees, a bit larger than Cybernet in San Fran for sure. I would call it good attendance for a first time show especially in the current economic and industry climate. But here's the important part. The mix of attendee's was excellent. I dont think I talked to anyone who I wouldn't consider a decision maker. We also saw a lot of attendees who dont normally do west coast shows. And let us know forget, with Sweet T in his home town, there's no sausage fest. All of the events and parties had lots of local party girls in addition to the beautiful ladies in the industry. Let's call it "stocking the pond". I cant help but wonder how much the show being so close to Miami and Amsterdam impacted attendance. Weather Props to Sweet T, he obviously called in a favor at the Weather channel. The weather broke into beautiful Atlanta fall cooler temperatures as the show started, but stayed just warm enough to make the pool usable. Food Ok, fess up, how many of you cheap bastards made meals out of the 24 hour snack bar? It was that well stocked. I dont know who catered lunch, but it was great southern cuisine. And Waffle House? Pure genius, they literally bused us over to Waffle House who amazingly kept up, as one group would finish, bus would unload more hungry drunks and load up the previous batch for a gaseous ride back to the hotel. The hotel restaurant was weak, but there was plenty of great restaurants in easy walking range. Booze If you couldn't get drunk here, you weren't trying. Open bars available almost the entire time. And even if you try to hide on the patio behind the hotel's cash bar, Mojohost's Brad Mitchell was trolling like a shark and would send these potent little fruit drink shots to make sure your liver got no rest. Parties There were lots, three of them really stood out: PussyCash took over the Oasis, one of Atlanta's best strip clubs. Not only was it open bar, but they even gave us each a wad of money to buy dances with. I've never seen that before. Started a bit slow, but it picked up. Bubba had to drag us out to get on the last bus. GFY Warm Up Party is a tradition. This one had a twist. Heavy Metal Karoke with a live band. Ok, that scared me, I had William Hung visions in my head. But ya know what? We have some people in the biz who can actually sing and have the sack to do it in front of a crowd. I have video to prove it. Biggest surprise to me was Tony404. Our timid little flower Tony who is so shy this is only his second show (and both had to come to him!) can wail. National Net Closing Party at Opera. Holy shit. Best club in town, we had the whole VIP area, and again the pond was well stocked. And it was my first time to experience DJ Roonie G. Club music isn't my thing normally, but this guy is an amazing talent with those video mixes. Seminars and Keynote Ok, here's where I messed up. Seminars looked great and different from the typical industry stuff. I fully intended to go to some. That damned Westin Heavenly Bed combined with late night partying took care of that. I did make the keynote though with Mark Klein. That guy is entertaining and could work in front of ANY audience. I laughed my ass off. But at the same time he had some really good underlying messages about things such as life and freedom of choice which tied in very well. Business My agenda was very very short as usual. I accomplished what I came to do. I also got the usual show inspiration buzz and renewal of energy. That's something you wont understand unless you go to one. And one thing that was unique, almost everyone I talked to had at least one deal, discovery or hook up fall in their lap that can increase their income fall in their lap that they weren't expecting. That's representative of a good show mix that is conducive to business getting done. Conclusions I definitely hope this one happens again next year. My guess is good word of mouth will make it grow. I went by the seat of my pants this time, I would plan my schedule better next time. I enjoyed the slow pacing, but given it to do over again I would've taken advantage of some of the down time instead of sitting on the patio drinking or hanging out.

09-23-2008	#2
Toby Fat Fucking Nobody Respin bullshit press Your Comments Are Welcomed Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Houston Posts: 2,624	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum I think that covers my thoughts pretty well too. No big surprise since HP and I have very similar outlooks on life. Just a couple of things to add from my perspective. Nit Picky Bitch List Besides the volume issue the only other thing that I grumbled about each morning was the absence of a small coffee maker in the room. I had to get my sorry ass showered, dressed and downstairs in order to have my morning cuppa. Fortunately everyone I encountered treaded lightly until I'd been properly caffeinated. Weather A very pleasant change from the hot and muggy I escaped in Houston. This was my first trip to Atlanta and to Georgia. A beautiful city and state, very green, reminded me alot of being back home in Oregon. Food The hotel restaurant was more than a little too "California" for my taste. Asian Fusion Cuisine would be just fine, if I could still get nachos or similar fare off a bar menu. The local Atlanta peeps more than took up the slack with their choices for places to eat. Gonzo & Hell Puppy, some day I hope to be able to do the same for you on my own home turf. Booze I know that I drank far more than I normally do. My liver aged a couple of extra years over the weekend. It now qualifies for an AARP card. Seminars and Keynote I caught two of the seminars. Unfortunately I'm not the target audience for either topic that I attended. I have little need to negotiate and bargain, but found out that I was pretty much doing it the right way. I also have no problem organizing my time or managing the clutter, but for those that do have issues in those areas there were some great tips given on how to improve things. Mark Klein is a funny guy, and much of his "middle aged" humor hit pretty close to home. Business This was an "extra" show for me this year, so I went in without any specific plans on doing business. Gonzo introduced me to a couple of people that may lead to enough business to pay for my trip. Conclusions Definitely a bit more down time on the daily schedule, especially late afternoon and early evening. Nothing wrong with that at all. If I do go to this show again next year I will definitely make some pre-show plans to talk to a few people, in a location where we don't have to shout over the music. Major kudos to Kathi and NationalNet. Ya done good! __________________ My TGP's: Bevy Of Babes \| Bevy Of Boobs \| Babes In Boots \| Well Heeled Women \| Dressing For Sex \| Latex Vixens \| Stocking Vixens

09-23-2008	#3
tony404 Members Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 926	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Excellent post Hellpuppy. I agree with everything, next year we got to talk to kathi about the volume. Way too loud we arent 20 anymore.Also thank you for the nice words on my singing it had been a long time wasnt sure if I still had it in me. lol __________________ www.creamycandy.com yum yum.

09-23-2008	#4
TheEnforcer Scored VIP to Anton's Piss Tank Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 8,781	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Damn.. sounds like it's one hell of a show.

09-23-2008	#5
bluemoney Right HERE . . . BITCH! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chronic Town Posts: 1,295	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum I echo Hell Puppies thoughts (as always he ties things together nicely) This only leaves me to say Kathi and Sweet T are magnificent people. They went the distance to make sure everyone was well taken care of and having a good time. I thank you both for making my first show a great one __________________ True Beauty Cash For High Quality Erotica \| Certified Hosting Is Da Fucking Bomb "Don't Get None On Ya"

09-23-2008	#6
Hell Puppy Fat Fucking Nobody Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 6,523	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Good catch on the coffee. I heard that all over the place. And I woulda expected a coffee maker in a W as a normal thing. Hell, I had a suite and still didn't have a coffee maker. Though I did have grey goose and just about any other liquor. And having a real fridge instead of a 'weighted' snack bar is a plus. Woulda been a better investment had i actually spent time in the room. Did have a couple of business meets in there though, so it's all good. Plus my "crow's nest" balcony had a great view of the patio. Did I mention how powerful the optical zoom on my video camera is?

09-24-2008	#7
SweetT Members Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 236	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Hey Guys.... Thanks for the honest and candid feedback. As for the music...I HEAR YA! That will never be a problem again. I think it was a misunderstanding between me and the head DJ dude. He is used to playing for "my" types of parties and I should have been a LOT more specific when I told him I wanted some "light house" playing through the lobby. Trust me, you only have to tell me about 10 tiimes and I get it I will also check into the little coffee makers and see what it would take to get them into the rooms for next year. Even if we have to buy 50 of them and just give them to the people who ask for them or something. I dont know but I think it is worth asking them for. Again, thanks for the feedback....we are listening --T __________________

09-25-2008	#17
Hell Puppy Fat Fucking Nobody Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 6,523	Re: Thoughts on the Atlanta Forum Yeah, I forgot to mention the data center tour. And I'm not even going to say who was entertaining us with hair lipped midget jokes on the way back to the hotel. I've now seen Natnet when it was over at 230 p'tree. Again a few years later when it was in the space the corporate offices now occupy. And then just this week across the street in it's current home. Really amazing to watch the growth. It's quite impressive. I diversify my hosting much same way as I diversify my billing and pick out a couple or three of the best players and spread business around. But as I told Bill at the show, anything I have that absolutely positively has to be up all the time goes to Natnet. I'm a qualified *nix admin and developer in my own right, so I do my own monitoring above and beyond what the host provides always. I'm not only checking simple pings, I'm looking at things like database query latency to see how the box is performing. And Natnet is the only host who I have never once seen have a problem where I caught it before the NOC did. Major kudos. Only single point of failure I saw at National Net is the city of Atlanta itself. If they ever go down, there's probably nothing else in the southeast or probably eastern seaboard online either. And we'll all have bigger fish to fry.