I have..

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh Good One.

The stench of desperation is always a great turn on and tons of fun.

It's basic math, there is a reason these girls are working at Glitter Gulch and not at Rhino, Sapphires, Club Paradise, Penthouse etc etc. And it isnt the convenient location.

I did really good business. I have a few suggestions, there should have been a few parties or something for people to do at night. I know it is hard to do this without sponsors (trust me working at Cybersocket I know) but you could have arrange an outing with a no host bar in that case we did for the gays and it was packed! Also get some new faces on the panels. And yes the Gold Coast is a nice alternative, I stayed there and loved the quiet of it!

Thank you.

Everything you write down as a benefit you can get from NOT buying a badge is a benefit that was delivered by the people running the show. It's something that you SHOULD be paying for, so it doesn't work to take that off the list of benefits of buying a badge.

Shows COULD just be badge police... they could be really aggressive about making sure everyone has a badge, and just have the hotel kick everyone out who doesn't have one. Then make sure that every sponsored party is in the hotel. Then, you'd list those parties and networking and everything else on the "badge benefits" list. But show organizers don't like to make things a pain for the people who do contribute, and they like to keep things loose. But people who freeload make it hard for organizers to do that.

I'd like to see the show move to a smaller hotel, without a casino, that's still upscale. That way you can rent out the entire place, and do a lot more business. The Palms' "casino" is a joke anyways, and anyone that wants to gamble can just play 2 less hands of BJ for a cab to a big casino. Something like the Artisan hotel would be perfect - it reminds me of a classier Roosevelt.

Try to put more value into the badge-required events...hire some big mainstream SEO guys to give keynotes or workshops, and have actual events during the day instead of just the show floor. As it stands now, there's really no point in buying a badge, or even attending the show for all the days; you could get all your business done in one day at the circle bar, with no badge or room fee.

That would be impossible. lol

The Palms is going to throw the thousands of people who are staying at the hotel or who are there gambling out of the place for the 100 or so that have badges?

I don't think that would ever happen.

You could have fit everyone that was there for Internext in one small room. As D$ did so well for the Players Ball. How the heck could a show that is one of the smallest things coming to Vegas these days, possibly kick paying customers out of a big casino?

I've always bought a badge at any show I have ever went to.

However, I agree with the increasing number of people who do NOT buy a badge, and their rationale behind it. I have seen a big change in the shows, and what is offered for my money over the years.

So they have a valid point.

Organizing a show is a business, and the show is a product. If it isn't worth the price tag, people are not going to buy. If the area outside the show (circle bar, casino) are more interesting than the area inside the show (overpriced drinks, billing companies of the month), why should people 1) bother going inside or 2) pay for that privilege? Because they don't want to "look broke"?

The way you do it is... you simply find a smaller hotel, and you buy out the entire venue. For example, the hotel in Phoenix has just over 100 rooms, I believe. A casino is a problem, yes, but that's only a problem for the January show. Internext did this with the Summer show once or twice, so people who didn't buy badges were at a major disadvantage. The downside is, it's a pain for the rest of us... cause if you forget your badge, you get hassled trying to get back IN to the hotel, etc.

You know... the entire reason that the area "outside" the show is "interesting" is because of the money and effort and time and energy that the show organizers put into getting a lot of people from the industry in the same place at the same time. Try going to the Palms circle bar right now and see how much business you get done. lol

This is the perfect time to be having this debate because the show situation is not improving. It could even be argued that industry B2B shows are in a tailspin which wont recover until a complete reinvention of the show format is embraced.

Connor, I respect the effort you and Jay put behind hosting Cybernet. It is a show I truly enjoy. However much like brand advertising it is all about the perception of value, with critical mass being a big component of any event's perceived value. I'm not sure I agree with your summation that attending a show is a 'take it or leave it' proposition though. Modern day sales and marketing is not about forcing your will on as many 'marks' as possible; we both know you survive today by intimately knowing what your target audience wants and satisfying that need.

If anyone puts on a show, and doesn't understand or listen to the wants of the community, it is not the fault of anyone but that show owner if the community's commercial participation (or lack there of) does not align with the show's ability to break even (or make a buck). Besides no one wants to support a business which doesnt truly represent or support their own agenda or ideals.

I hope I get to go next year!

Chris it was a pleasure meeting you at the Playboy event during Internext.

I think AVN is doing what it can to continue putting together one of the best known tradeshows in adult, however, it?s time the tradeshow model for adult B2B changes. Over all Vegas for me was very productive but I can?t say the cost of a $300 badge was worth the expense. Personally, I had a badge but I can see how some people opted for not buying one.

Seminars: It?s Vegas, everyone is out late enjoying endless entertainment. Move seminar to a later time, around noon or so. Instead of having sponsors as panelist, have people with something real and informative to say not just some sales pitch. Don?t let the big sponsor rule the show, it?s AVN-Intenext not ?so-and-so's show? Lastly, asking people for seminar/panel ideas rather than reusing the same topics over and over and over again would be ideal.

Networking: During Internext about 90% of my time was spent at the circle bar. Sadly it wasn?t just me or a few others hanging out there. It seems everyone decided to go out there due to the lack of networking events. The problem is not the cost of the badge but what the badge provides. We need new fresh networking events. In addition I would really like to see an outdoor networking event. Yes it?s winter and it?s a bit cold, however, it?s Vegas and we?re all stuck indoors with a ton smoke, artificial lighting and loud ass music. Nothing an outdoor heater can?t fix.

Location: Like everyone else, change location! Vegas has such a great variety of big and small hotels; Why the Palms? For the amount of people attending Internext, we need a smaller hotel OR a hotel well suited for conferences. This year there had to be about 400 -500 people attending Internext. The only way to find people at the Palms was by going to the circle bar. Changing venues would be a very smart move for AVN-Internext in so many levels; it allows attendees to network efficiently and most likely be cost effective for AVN.

People, including myself, go to these tradeshows to educate themselves, find new sources of information, network and find new business opportunities. However, the show itself was not what it was put out to be even though it had the attendance.

Thank you!

...and perhaps thin out this over-saturated representation by charging billers more to participate in these types of events. Its just my assumption but it would seem billing companies signing a new company as a result of these specific actions would result in more value for them then the typical adult company participating for more business development reasons than just sales.

I am headed there right now coincidently :1orglaugh

OK , lets Cyber :Graucho

Good points:thumbsup

100 Feedbacks:thumbsup:thumbsup

Nice! Let me know how it works out. Hahaha. :1orglaugh

Let me preface this by saying again that I did buy a badge, but I do see Fuzebox's point. It's not just that the economy was doing better in 2003, but in 2003 Internext was a different animal- a huge show floor at the Sands convention center, a prime location on the strip, and tons of attendees. Since then the show has slimmed down considerably in what it is and what it has to offer, but the price of admission has stayed the same- that's an issue.

I don't think AVN is going to go away, I still love the Miami show and I want to see them do well, but I do think they face some considerable challanges moving forward for Vegas. IMHO something needs to change. :2 cents:

OMG, 5 dollar non alch drinks? Are you fucking kidding me?!? Maybe I will stay with the XBIZ conferences in L.A....:2 cents:

No industry people in sight :1orglaugh

There's a valid point there about the show bringing the people together. Then again, I fly to Vegas to meet with large groups of webmaster friends even when there isn't a show.


p.s. Connor your show is great, and unlike the AVN shows I don't feel taken advantage of after paying for it :winkwink:

i clicked this thread thinking there would be pics.
thanks for nothin buddy :321GFY

Thanks again to all who participated in this thread with feedback.

We're going to weigh it all and hopefully come up with something that better suits the majority of your needs for a trade gathering. I look forward to seeing you at other upcoming gatherings.