[Hell Puppy]

So what about the show itself?

Seminars -- AVN is doing a better job of picking topics and getting a mix of knowledgeable people to speak. The problem is who is the audience and what is really accomplished? Noobs are not really the target now. And the seminars are not attended by true industry movers and key players who could bring about change. And that's a cat herding exercise to begin with. So seminars are basically a bitch session IMO.

Show floor -- What's the point?

Attendance -- This is tough to call because everyone was scattered and tough to see everyone in one place. My hunch is badged attendees were probably about same as last year but attendance may have actually been up overall because Vegas rates are so cheap right now.

The mix of attendees was still very heavily oriented toward larger business owners and employees of the big companies. This is becoming the norm for shows. The independent webmaster is a shrinking group. Though there were more at this show than any of the other handful I attended in 2008.

Parties -- Wow, those sponsorship dollars are getting tough. Looks as though both the welcome party and players ball were undersponsored so they merged and moved to rain....head to head with another open party at the Ghost bar. And other than private invite only parties, everything I attended was cash bar.

I'm quite alright with cash bar and buying my own drinks. My tips at open bar are often as much as what I'd spend at a cash bar anyway. But here's a pet peeve that will turn me off on a party and make me leave in like 15 minutes. Not to seem like an unappreciative fuck, but if you reserve every single place to sit in a club for the entire evening including the 2 hours before the "VIPs" you're holding them for make their grand entrance, I'm leaving. It's vegas. People are on their feet all day, when it's time to relax, they want to sit the fuck down. Rant over.

I also noted that at least one of the suites on the block party floor folded and didn't have their party. That left three. The whole floor was active last year.

The good parties were all private...expect that trend to continue.

Sponsors -- Remember AVN made a big deal that you could sponsor about anything this year. Skin the tables, light up the side of the hotel, etc. I saw ONE table skinned. The registration area did have some sponsors. That was about it as far as out of the ordinary for Vegas. Also of note, very few traditional affiliate programs are sponsoring right now, this is indicative of who still has a lot of cash, and it's cams, dating, vod, b2b, etc.

Circle Bar -- Active as usual. This is where everyone went to meet because AVN failed to provide anything else. Typical for all shows I reckon. I just wish it were at a better hotel with a bigger center bar area. Venetian circle bar is also too small and packed. Of the Vegas bars used in recent years, I loved the one at mandalay....about the right size and layout. Lots of pits for private conversation. Huge area that could accomodate a lot of people, and a staff that had a clue and you could actually get a drink.

Business -- If you went to do business, had an agenda and a plan, you likely got alot done because people were in town. But it required work and some organization. People who setup their meetings in advance or at least capture people's cell numbers to hook up, and had a plan about what they wanted to achieve, likely got a lot done. This has become true of most shows of late as well. Not a lot of off the cuff deals being struck.