Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Heres the bottom line after 10 days inclusive of AEE.

AEE exhibitors were totally full BUT there was all shorts of bullshit on the main floor including 2 teeth whitening booths , a bong display , some golf bullshit and now the fake church people on the floor scamming for prayer donations.

I have pics but I havent loaded them up yet.

The ATTENDEES were a bit off from last year and the room of dildos downstairs is now infested with the B2B room with programs and Ynot even had a table.

It was a good show for me on many levels... then we move to Internext.

The Palms was consistant... consistantly clueless when it came to no service.

Many people were bumped to another hotel due to overbooking. I even saw the "mighty"12clicks screaming for a room but then again that was the last I saw of him.

The rooms there were nice. I stayed in the other tower in the Oprano suite away from all the cool kids. The Kingpin Suite that AEBN had was a solid investment.

I wouldnt be so happy if I were in any of the other ones.

John Albright...why did you rent the celebrity suite only to have it locked down even thru the open house?

As a client I was disappointed not to be able to speak with you in private about the past security issues. I did find it curious that when I did see you that you were hobnobbing with Corvette from CCBill.

The show floor? If you can call it that. Couches in a nightclub scattered around isnt what I would call a show floor. However they needed to try something new.

What did work was a pure networking format. It worked well for those of us that chose to use it for what it was.

The seminars sucked pure ass. Ive never seen so much misinformation spread out like shit on a cracker for uninformed people to gobble up.

Hey Top Bucks... are you really that clueless about whats going with VOD to recommend that everyone convert all their video content over to FLASH? Aint no spin on this one. I listened to your girl preach that shit thru an entire seminar.

And if you think your going to Vegas on the cheap for either of these shows... not unless you walk to every venue, eat and stay at the imperial palace.

This show has become expensive.

Even had me considering becoming a dinner whore for a minute.

Bottom line if your looking to expose yourself to consumers AEE is a solid investment...if your looking to do some networking with people you might only see once a year then the new Internext format could work out for you.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I only went for Internext and not AEE, but I largely agree....

Palms
They apparently dont do a lot of convention type business, and it showed, they were not prepared for the crowd. The property itself is pretty nice, rooms and suites are well furnished and large. But they are trying to be upscale yet hotel operations just was not on their game this week.

Everyone I talked to checking in Sunday had a hard time, me included. They didn't have the room I had reserved, which made me mad as hell, and pretty much insures I'll never be back. The poor kid they had in charge of the desk while this was going on knew nothing about service and prioritization, he just defended the hotel position and quoted policy.

They did try to fix it by giving me a free night and the moving me into a suite better than the one I had reserved the next morning. The room I ultimately ended up in was great, but I'm not the type of customer who money means much to. I planned the trip in October and made my reservations then, I expect what I had reserved to be available or if not something better IMMEDIATELY, not the next morning. They coulda comp'd the whole trip and I woulda still been annoyed. Hard for me to ever want to come back if I know my room might not be available when I get there.

And it was more than that, I've never seen a casino floor that had slots shut down at anytime of the day or night. I went down at 4AM one morning and couldn't find a slot that was online to take my money. Also no matter the time of day or night I seemed to constantly be dodging trash carriers....you'd think they'd know what "back of house" means.

Food on site was mediocre to bad, with the exception of N9ne. Slots were the tightest I've ever seen. Only thing I found remotely loose was video poker, which was obviously a draw for the locals. Oh, and in their wisdom, during a porn show, they run a free pull promotion on megabucks. The blue hairs were lined up out the door while the porn lords were running around.

Even the wait staff didn't seem to get it. I settled in to drink at Pai Gow one night, tip the waitress like $20 on the first free drink figuring I'd be hooked up. Didn't see her again for 45 minutes.

All this is stuff that just doesn't happen at any of the other properties i"ve stayed at.

Sorry, I had a rant brewing there....more about the show itself in a moment...

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

The Show

Overall, I like the format change. Bt I think they need to learn from the issues at this show. I also think they need a better venue. I'll have a hard time going next year if it's at the Palms.

One of the things I liked about the format is it did do a better job than previous vegas shows of getting everyone in the same place at the same time as there wasn't any other decent accomodations nearby. But that's the problem, I am not happy with the Palms, and I think it's just a tad too small for the show. They're on my shit list, and I'd hate to end up staying with the rejects over at the Gold Coast, Rio, Caesars or Wynn or wherever.

The show floor in a night club was kinda odd. There was no natural traffic pattern. I think I missed a half dozen or more sponsors cuz I didn't notice they had them stuck up in the rafters. I do like the more casual show floor approach though, just needs to be something in there to lure everyone in at the same time so you can actually see everyone.

Therein lies my big fault with the show. There are quite a few people I know were at the show that I wanted to talk to that I never bumped into. I hit the show floor a handful of times. I spent time each day at the circle bar. And when it came time for the parties and suites, I pretty much opted to stay in one place and enjoy the hospitality of the AEBN crew, since I know a few of them well, as that seemed to be where everyone passed thru sooner or later.

But still I missed a few folks.

The seminars, well, I've never gone to the shows for those to begin with. I attended a couple, that probably doubles the number I've attended in last 5 years. They were better than in the past, but that still doesn't say much. The problems with seminars in general are two fold...

1) The people on the panel have their own agenda, they are marketing their product.

2) The people in the crowd are like squirrels hunting a nut.

GonZo already pointed out the chick telling everyone to convert VOD to flash. I cant even begin to tell you what's wrong with that. But we'll start with the fact that VOD by it's nature is one business model that can afford DRM and DRM is tailor made for it.

But I digress. My favorite question from the floor was why can you pay the original referrer of a surfer to a site the payout instead of the last one to send him over. This guy reckons that if he sends a surfer to xyz.com and that surfer buys nothing then, but hits the site again 8 months later send from some other affiliate, then he should get paid as the original referrer who turned the guy onto the site to begin with.

Forget the technical issues of that. And let's forget that the guy is a moron because he doesn't realize he failed to sell the surfer whereas the second guy sold him on signing up. The real tell here is this guy is hard up enough for his $30 that he wants it even if it is a year later.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Overall Thoughts

Hated the hotel. See some potential in new format with some polish and a better location. Seminars were what they always are. Decent parties.

Oh that reminds me of one other thing I hated. On the suite floors they did not do a good job of keeping non-industry people out. It could've gotten bad on a busier week in vegas if word about free booze and partying with porn stars was available. I always get nervous when non-industry mixes in because they have perceptions about what is and is not ok with the girls in particular. It can be a little dangerous.

But anyhow, I personally got a lot of business done.

I hooked up a few new deals. We have a lot of new things we're going to do and roll out in the next few weeks and months. We even made a couple of strategic hires and will be looking to do more of those. We'll make some announcements and introductions at the appropriate time.

I'm also reworking a lot of my business and will be removing quite a few sponsors and adding some new ones, ditto for some of my vendors. I laid some good ground work there. And for those who seemed to be ducking us, oh well, I'll point it all elsewhere.

A lot more work than fun this trip, though I did get to spend some time in the company of the lovely miss Trisha Uptown. If she'll go to a couple of more dinners with us, we'll fix that problem she was having with her pants being too loose. But seriously, there's a lot more than just a pretty face and hot body there guys. She's the real deal, doing her own site and taking care of her customers first hand, not just a front for some big company.

And big thanks to AEBN for all of their hospitality. The Kingpin suite was about twice the size of the others and AEBN was by far the most hospitable of all of the sponsors. Looks like a few jackasses tried to take advantage of that, but no harm was done as it was very professionally run with good security on hand. I think everyone who went in there had a great time.

For the record, even as jaded as I am, I dont think I've ever seen naked bowling before....

We'll see what I have in the camera later...it was dark in there, dont know what I was able to pull out.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

HellPuppy - It was good to meet you, though I wish I could've had a little more time to actually chat! Thanks so much for the kind words about our suite and staff - it's always nice to see effort and hard work appreciated!

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

considering I never noticed any fat guys in bad hawiian shirts, I can only imagine when you dreamt this story up. As all of my fans and admirers know, I have no need to ever raise my voice

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I upgraded to Tommy Bahamas!

How was the Monte Carlo?

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Really?? Shit... I saw a whole bunch of em!

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I'll add some comments as well here about the shows. All up my thoughts are pretty favorable. Save for a few bumps here and there I think both AEE and Internext will both prove to be very profitable for all of my interests. I closed some deals at both shows and have my follow up cut out for me for a good 2-3 weeks here.

YNOT did a booth at the AEE b2b show floor and we got some good traffic and prospects. We have upcoming launches that warranted our presence there and I'm glad we did it.

I like the daring changes with Internext and prefer to be off the strip. All up I liked the Palms and thought the showfloor worked. I like quieter and brighter venues though when it comes to the showfloor but kudos to AVN for mixing it up.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

:clapping:It was great to hang out with you as well.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

The show was good for us in general, I like the changes that AVN made. The Kingpin Suite was pretty damn cool too.... thanks to AEBN for giving us a place to party, and the substances to MAKE it a party. Meaning... all the vodka I could drink. LOL

As for The Palms.... it's a split decision. I liked the facilities, my room was decent. The suites were very cool. BUT... I couldn't help shake the feeling that serious assholes ran that place. Overbooking the rooms was just criminal. And I understand they turned up the heat for the entire hotel because the owner's mother was staying there and she wanted it warmer. Unbelievable.

I didn't attend most of the seminars, but whoever moderated that legal panel... now HE did a fantastic job! :waving:

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Years of nobody paying attention finally sunk in?

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I liked the kingpin suite, it was consistently the friendliest suite around , well except for Gonzo, who looked at me sideways:rolleyes:

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I thought it was your brother!

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

he he he, pleasure seeing you sir :okthumb:

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Hey, HellPuppy....is she really that cute?

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Just be careful NOT to reach for the soap.......


EJ Being Directed to the donut table====>>:1buttkick<====Gonzo showing EJ where it's at.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I was wearing my LederHosen:unsure:

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I did not attend, but based on comments here and elsewhere, here is a couple of things I gathered:

The biggest screwup in this whole deal is having the show floor in a licensed establishment. The idea is cool, the idea is great, but with Nevada's 21 year old drinking age, it pretty much kicks the crap out of a certain part of the business, from some webmasters or employees to talent. That is truly a huge negative in the deal. Some may take it as a plus as it "keeps the kiddies out", but in the end the kiddies pay the same price to get in and are legally allowed to be in the business.

Having stuff shoved off into skyboxes and whatnot meant that the flow of people wasn't as good as it could be. I am sure some companies got great exposure, and others got none at all.

I understand the concept, in the past AVN has lost a huge percentage of attendance to people who would just set up at the hotel bar / the round bar / whatever and work the show from there without ever paying to be in the event. They fixed this in Miami by doing a whole hotel takeover and being snotty about the badges, and in Vegas they are trying to fix it by taking over the hotel's biggest bar.

I haven't attended an AVN show since 2004, and I don't have any overwhelming urge to break my duck.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

If you didn't see any fat guys in hawaiian shirts you MUST have been at the Monte Carlo. I would suggest the Wynn, but I dont think anyone could be convinced to go down there.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I even saw Wolverine at the show....

He's put on weight...

....and a really cheap Hawaiian shirt....that he wore all week.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Smells like AVN signed a two year deal out of the gate or already executed an option at the very least. That's a shame. The format could work, but I'd really love to see 'em try it in a hotel with a clue.

Right now I really do not like the idea of returning to that property. Bad food, bad air circulation, small casino, tight slots and a hotel operations staff that does NOT have a clue.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

She is, but everytime I saw her all she wanted to do was talk about Rcourt and ask questions about him. She's quite enamored, the rest of us dont stand a chance.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

The 21 factor never even occurred to me. I didn't hear anything about it being an issue. But then again I generally dont hang with the guys slinging porn from their dorm room.

The "show floor" in a night club deal was funky because of the traffic floor. I'm sure the guys with low booths loved, the guys up in the ceiling VIP booths, maybe not so much. I know I didn't even notice they were there until someone told me.

That's easily fixed though, you just have to do something to route the traffic. Or at the bare minimum put some signage on the stairs to let people know who is up there.

That's a "tweak".

Another tweak is to keep non-industry off the suite floors during parties. Easily done, you do a badge check at the hallway. Both of the fantasy suite floors were bought out for the show by industry, so non-industry had no business on those floors.

Most of my complaints are around the hotel, not the show for a change.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Goddamn! . . . . Anybody get laid? I mean . . . shit! :D

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

DAMN!
:grr:

But, then again, she hasn't met me "in person" yet......
:okthumb:
:yowsa:

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

poor sick girl

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

*blushes and snorts*

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Well, why not?! :P

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Someone mentioned photos? Click, there's more!

http://pic.xpeeps.com/socialkink/ima...bce4542b_l.jpg
http://pic.xpeeps.com/socialkink/ima...9260cfd4_l.jpg
http://pic.xpeeps.com/socialkink/ima...11db7ebc_l.jpg

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

A few thoughts;
1) the 21+ thing was pretty poorly handled, regardless. ID was required to get a badge to enter the show floor... but if you're me, apparently, the badge was not enough - I was asked several times to show my license to gain admittance to the floor, despite the lanyard badge I was wearing and myriad other people flooding in around me, not being asked to verify age. In theory, I am flattered. In reality, I am annoyed. I had always presumed it was due to the number of open bars at these things.

2) The booths... I think the idea was to mirror the cabana idea at xBiz summer forum and the Miami show - the cabanas worked really well in that setting. In the club format, though, it was unfortunate that the higer-priced boxes were the most difficult to see and get to.

3) I've been to a number of shows, and so far, the Miami show was my most productive show, because it created a captive audience with no "outsiders." I knew anyone in that hotel was going to be someone I could or do work with, which made it much more effective with regard to meeting people and hashing things out for new directions.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Nice AEE pics. I need to dump my camera one last time and post some myself.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I was generally pleased with Internext.

I thought the last two years in a row the Vegas show sucked.

I feel this year was a major improvement.

Yes, there is still some bullshit in the seminars, but imo, they were tremendously improved from the last two years. I thought the seminars were decent.

I liked that there were no overlapping things going on during the day. In the past you had different seminars at the same time and the show floor too.

I appreciated that there were 1 or 2 seminars in the morning, one after the other and the show floor was closed during.

Then the seminars stopped and the show floor opened.

I think that was great and appreciated that they tried something different by having the show floor in the Rain Nightclub.

However, why the fuck did they include the loud night club music? How the heck can you talk business when you have to yell over music?

To me, it seemed like they were trying too hard to be cool.

Overall - good show for me. Good contacts and prospective deals.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

The over 21 thing isn't as much about webmasters as models, booth girls, performers, etc.

A porn convention where Micah Moore, Bree Olsen, and Alexis Love can't get in is certainly a weird idea to me.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Never heard of 'em, do they have any traffic to send?

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Badge on a lanyard without a pic will never serve as proof of age. All too easy to let someone borrow your badge.

It sure smells like AVN already decided to do Palms again next year. That kills me just because i still have a case of the red ass against the hotel. But if they insist, I have to wonder if there's a better venue somewhere inside the place for doing the cabana kinda thing. I didn't make it to the Ghost Bar.

Agree on keeping people out. Even with the hotel sold out just for internext though, you'll never get a vegas property to turn away people wanting to gamble off the street. But I think they could do a better job of making sure areas of the property where the show is at do not have "normals".

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I went to fall Internext and NOT vegas this year...'cause I was an honored speaker.

And I was just all showed out by January.
And I still have a factory to finish....
And it was my birthday......
And, well, I didn't have a date.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

your dog ate the show badge.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Well the AVN show was great for us, of course being across from Aiden and Shane for two days, well that really is priceless.

What suked is that we did stay at the Imperial Palace, just thank gawd we didn't eat the food.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

I saw your whole booth rivited during the Tim and Roma show.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Oh, agreed! The part that chapped my ass was that no one else was being asked for ID - or stopped. If I entered with a crowd, I would inevitably be stopped and ID'd whilst the others were waved through.

I mean, I know I look younger than my years, but fer serious: I know I don't look like I am under 21.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

It's vegas, when it comes to their gaming or liquor license they'll always error on the side of caution.

Seems like every female we went in there with got carded, while we sailed right thru. But then that might be a reflection on us being dirty old men. We just tell 'em we have a lot of "nieces"...

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Did it ever occur to you that the guys just wanted to stop you and talk to you?
Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but men actually believe, especially with adult industry people, that this simple interaction may result in "Gee Mr Security guard/ rent a cop....yer the hottest guy I've seen here. Wanna come up to my room for a quick romp?"

It's pitiful, I know....but sadly, true. This is called: "little brain reasoning."

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Possibly... I dunno. It just seems if they wanted to be cautious, they'd hit everyone. But there I go, with my crazy "logic" :p

... Well, no. That didn't occur to me, 'cos that's just silly. I mean, I know GonZo likes to make out like I have some crazu fanclub, but... No. I just can't buy it. I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but it does not compute.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Wow...how can you be that good looking, been in the adult business, and NOT understand the ability of men to be this shallow?
I'm really not kidding.
I'm telling you, in the spirit of being vegas, I'd put money on my evaluation of the situation.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

You tell her EJ!

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After thousands of years of the Neanderthal man walking among them, you'd think they'd eventually figure out that men REALLY Don't have "touchy feely," or "care about her feelings," or any other Dr Phil Bullshit you want to fit in there.

But no, they keep thinking men are "deep and caring."
This is why we will never let them run the world, or have their fingers on "the button."

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

You may live to eat those words. Do they have CNN where you live? LOL

I can't believe guys like you still exist. But I believe you do live in a rather unenlightened part of the planet, so I can't totally fault you. Peer pressure and all that. My dad felt the same as you. I think its a generational thing or something.

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

HEY MAN !!! ....
I want a fucking refund here dude... :mad:

http://myadg.com/op-2007/present2.gif

"This thing is starting to show feelings, ....Showing feelings of almost a human nature... And this will not due !! :nono2: "-ROGER WATERS

Re: Some thoughts on Vegas
 

Now THAT is funny!
:clapping: