So whats the point of a booth...

Not sure how many of you visited the Gay section of the Adult Entertainment Expo this past week in Vegas, but it was kind of...well...lame.

I understand that at Internext you have a booth to promote your affiliate program, etc. But it seems that the AEE show is mostly fan oriented...and straight for that matter.

Is there an aspect that I am overlooking that would make a studio with a small website (like mine) want to partcipate in a show like this...or should we save our future money for stuff like gay Phoneix Forum.

Your thoughts please...

Nothing to add to what you have said, attendance at the shows has dropped and prices for booth space have increased steadily over the past 3 years.

Sponsors that used to have MASSIVE 50x50 booths no longer exhibit, and if they do, they tend to go for a simple 10x10, the type of 'webmaster' the shows attract these days are not even worth catering to.

For that reason, a lot of the money sponsors used to spend on glamorous show booths and amazing after hour parties are now spent on primarily invite only or one-on-one private dinners.

Im not sure what the costs for a booth are at Internext this year but a couple of years ago we had a booth (that we never even used) which ended up costing us $5k. That didnt include furniture ($300 for a plastic chair for 3 days, $1200 for a tv for 3 days), internet connection ($800 for 3 days), the list goes on.

Needless to say, you need to have something pretty spectacular to make having a booth worthwhile at an industry event these days.

Im actually looking forward to seeing pictures of the Internext show floor this year, as i predict that yet again, the floor attendance will have dwindled even more as more and more attendees are realizing the show floor is of no use to man nor beast when it comes to getting 'actual' business done.

Regards,

Lee

My thought on this I think that they want them all to be at the GayVN Summit. Who knows? I was disappointed that it was not sectioned off like it has been in the past. but I did make some good contacts so far, lets see how Internext goes now...


Cheers

Chris

Lee, $800 for internet for 3 days. That is outrageous. Unbelievable really. Oh forgot the tv. jeez.

The AEE Show is a way for producers and distributors to connect with buyers from within the adult industry itself, and less importantly as a fan event. If your distributor is doing his job, the studios really don't need to be there because the buyers would already know about you. But, either way, it's good for branding. Some studios go for political reasons. Some out of ego. But it's certainly not a "must-do" event. We were there 3 years ago when our distributor had the mother of all booths. That was a really expensive 4 days for us! There's my $0.02 worth.

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Originally Posted by TropixxxStudios

Not sure how many of you visited the Gay section of the Adult Entertainment Expo this past week in Vegas, but it was kind of...well...lame.

I understand that at Internext you have a booth to promote your affiliate program, etc. But it seems that the AEE show is mostly fan oriented...and straight for that matter.

Is there an aspect that I am overlooking that would make a studio with a small website (like mine) want to partcipate in a show like this...or should we save our future money for stuff like gay Phoneix Forum.

Your thoughts please...

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We opted out of both AVN/AEE and Internext Vegas this year. By all indications, looks like both will be small shows eclipsed by other shows.

I'm going to post a separate thread on GayVN summit next month. I'm curious how many are going to go.

Like everyone has already said, booths are a waste of time and money. All productive business is done behind the scenes, with meetings setup prior to the show.

I guess the only real productive purpose of the show is a common vacation spot where the industry is pretty much gathered in a single location. But aside from that, they're a fucking waste.

Edit: Webmaster parties might be the exception to the rule. I've met some great people at some of the parties I've gone to, and I'm sure the branding potential is superb.

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Originally Posted by Huskyhunks

$800 for internet for 3 days

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WHOA!!!????

Last year we spent about $15,000 on the show (Booth, models, hotels, airfare, etc.) and we picked up at least $150,000+ in new business from new people we met and new deals we made.

This year we spent almost $25,000 and I expect to pick up at least $250,00+ in new business from our presence. We always meet at least 2 or 3 new people/companies that lead to new and additional business for us.

We also got alot of press and marketing from the exposure. It's one of those things that you either "do it and do it big" or don't bother doing it at all. A 10x10 booth with no fanfare is not worth the time and energy.

For a smaller web-based gay studio I would not suggest a booth, but I would suggest attending to see what everyone else is doing and to schmooze. For companies with worldwide multiple distribution channels, both online and offline, you really need to have a presence at the show.

When you are one of the bigger brands in the market you have to have a presence at these shows. Could you imagine Mercedes or BMW not showing up at the big Auto shows? It's part political, part big picture branding and part "whose got the biggest dick" showmanship. It's all part of the game. ;-)

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Originally Posted by Titanmen

It's part political, part big picture branding and part "whose got the biggest dick" showmanship.

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Industry politics, who would have thought ;)

Regards,

Lee

What are peoples thoughts about the 2007 Phoenix Forum? Do you think it will be as popualr this year as it has in the past? Does it have a big gay turn out?

well, to tell you the truth, i really do not believe in an offline event for an online business. if i wanna buy traffic, it´s in the web! if i wanna buy or sell content, i do this through the web. and so on...

i have been at the internext 4 times, and the outcome in business was very disappointing.last time was 2002 though.

the internext is great, if you just want to socialize, have a couple of drinks at some parties and get to meet the people behind the sites.

but there is no relationship at all between investment and profit.

if i really want to do intense busienss with a company, i make an appointment for a meeting, book a flight ticket and get my ass into their company. at the meeting the people aren´t distracted by any big fuzz show. you can meet all the people and really talk busienss. but thats only my personal opinion.