How Many Shows Is Too Many Shows?

Reading the CCBill/Epoch debate has me thinking more about something that has been plaguing me since I put together my 2007 budget - who the He** can afford to go to all of these shows that pop up? And, more importantly, why do they all have to be at the same damn time?

When I started in this industry two years ago, the gay shows included Aee/Internext and Phoenix Forum - we attended others, but these were the two at which we met the bulk of our audience. Now, all of a sudden, Gay is the new Black in the adult tradeshow industry and we are expected to go everywhere (in force) and sponsor something at each event, and throw a party and, and, and...

What no one has convinced me of yet, is their ability to get the webmasters to attend their events (other than PF). The last few shows I've attended (although I've enjoyed each one and done good business at each) have been very much the same faces and very Business2Business with very few indy webmasters in attendance.

Why are the new GayVN Webmaster Retreat, the GPF and Webmaster Access West all within 4 weeks of each other?

I'd like to see a more regional focus, to keep travel costs down and attendance up, so that we are really maximizing our opportunities to meet and greet. I'd like to see the Gay-focused shows spread out over the year, Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 not all lumped together in January and October.

There is room for all of these shows in a yearly calendar, but the way things are set up now is likely just to cause the destruction of one over the other instead of helping our industry as a whole.

Thoughts?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mgillis

Now, all of a sudden, Gay is the new Black

---

In terms of the adult industry overall gay has always been the new black but it is really only in the past, id say 4 years that companies have started to embrace gay webmasters, companies and marketers, and in the last 1-2 years a lot of companies (primarily straight owned and operated) have started to seriously put gay offerings on the table as a part of their business plan.

Quote:

---

What no one has convinced me of yet, is their ability to get the webmasters to attend their events (other than PF). The last few shows I've attended (although I've enjoyed each one and done good business at each) have been very much the same faces and very Business2Business with very few indy webmasters in attendance.

---

Indeed, as a company we have made the decision to not attend any of the shows (with the exception of this years GPF) because of exactly that reason, why spend thousands of dollars in airfare, hotel costs and $300+ on a 'pass' to a show where the people we (as a company) want to reach arent in attendance? These days it seems shows have 2 purposes, to get salesmen together, trying to sell the same products to each other, show after show, and to let the hobbyist webmaster get drunk, laid, high on someone elses dime.

Unfortunately, if i want to sell my wares to someone at a show, its not going to be another salesman or program rep, i want to speak to program owners, the ones who make the final decisions, rather than wasting an hour talking to someone about traffic deals, only for it to be shot down by the program owner, despite being told 'yes we'll send traffic' numerous times by the programs rep at the show.

Likewise, those hobbyists that attend the show as freeloaders looking to get fed, drunk, laid and high, i have absolutely no interest in those people, they are the ones who are killing the industry and couldnt send anyone 1000 hits in a day if their lives depended on it. I want to speak to those webmasters that have thousands of hits to send to a program, resulting in sales.

I cant do anything with 1000 hits sent over the space of 12 months which might generate 12 sales.

Quote:

---

There is room for all of these shows in a yearly calendar, but the way things are set up now is likely just to cause the destruction of one over the other instead of helping our industry as a whole.

---

I agree, unfortunately, i beleive that show organizers have forgotten what shows were originally intended for, as a forum for like minded business individuals to get business done, however i dont blame the organizers for this (for the most part) i blame the industry as a whole, there was also a time where boards were used to get business done, instead they have become places where postwhores can make more money posting 1000 threads about pure crap.

As more and more hobbyists entered the industry, discovering at the same time that it actually meant they had to 'work' (novel concept huh? LOL) to make money, programs saw this new breed and started pandering to them, to the extreme.

Now it seems if you want to do well in the business, you have to lie, cheat, steal and pay an army of board whores $0.05 for each post they make, that way, when you get caught lying, cheating, or stealing, you are a 'top notch' or 'stand up' guy so your indescretions are forgotten about almost as quickly as they were discovered, and if you actually bought someone a drink at one of the 'shows' forget it, you could literally murder someone and nobody would bat an eyelid.

So to answer your original question (lol) right now my own opinion is that even 1 show is to many, as long as it follows the same format of all the others whereby it is stuffed with marketing reps, and no actual 'consumers'.

Regards,

Lee

If organizers like those of the Phoenix Forum keep running shows and the hotel books up in three days, then I take it to mean that they are making good money. If the shows are profitable, there will be even more shows.

Only when they start losing money will there be fewer shows.

Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by desslock

If organizers like those of the Phoenix Forum keep running shows and the hotel books up in three days, then I take it to mean that they are making good money.
Steve

---

Phoenix Forum has always been a "break even" event according to CCBill. Of course, I'm sure that there's some "funny money" included in that figure, such as staff time that's probably paid out of the Phoenix Forum budget, but they have always said that all of the sponsor money that comes into the event goes right back out to providing a better program.

That might be different this year... I notice the Phoenix Forum is sponsored by "Forum Partners LLC" rather than CCBill, so they may have turned it into a for-profit event.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mgillis

What no one has convinced me of yet, is their ability to get the webmasters to attend their events (other than PF). The last few shows I've attended (although I've enjoyed each one and done good business at each) have been very much the same faces and very Business2Business with very few indy webmasters in attendance.

---

Mary, once again I'm in complete agreement. One of the things that we worked with CCBill on last year was to try and get more "first time" and new webmasters to GPF, and in my book, that's why the AVN shows are so non-worthwhile for us. It's expensive enough to fly and pay for hotels (particularly when you host your event in San Francisco or in Vegas in the middle of CES) and meals. For many newer or up-and-coming webmasters, the cost of a $300 ticket on top of travel, lodging and food makes it out of reach.

When you compare the AVN events to an event such as GPF where the hotel is reasonably priced, meals are included, there's no admission fee... the costs are much more affordable and the event is therefore much more accessible to the growing webmaster, which, for the show organizers with a brain, are the very people that they should be courting, both because the established businesses of all types are looking for new or growing companies to work with, and because the newer webmasters will have opportunities to network with people they have probably never met before.

As for the gay shows being lumped together... you have AVN to thank for that. GPF was already scheduled for October, and AVN clearly knew that, and could very easily have planned their October show to be at another time, but they clearly are trying to squash Gay Phoenix Forum... never mind the fact they weren't the slightest bit interested in a gay show until GPF happened and was successful.

I believe that if the major players in the industry try to work *together* instead of doing petty crap like this, everyone will be a lot more successful in the long run. I just hope that the people making the decisions see that sooner rather than later. It would be a real shame if we lose good opportunities because of one or more company's shortsightedness.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by desslock

If organizers like those of the Phoenix Forum keep running shows and the hotel books up in three days, then I take it to mean that they are making good money. If the shows are profitable, there will be even more shows.

Only when they start losing money will there be fewer shows.

Steve

---

as far as I know, the Phoenix forum was always a non profit show, with all proceeds reinvested in the show itself.:thumbsup:

Our 1st 2 years in business we did 5 shows a year for 2 years running. This our 3rd year, we are only doing 2- 3 if the Gay Phoenix Forum is mounted.

The shows taken off the schedule were Vegas and Cybernet, the 2 shows that are more straight than gay.

Trade events are a huge chuck of our marketing budget, but for us, the best avenue for networking.

It would be nice to see some big shows in different areas of the world.
Europe, ect.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by samebb

It would be nice to see some big shows in different areas of the world.
Europe, ect.

---

They put up a bridge across the Big Pond yet? I can't ever imagine being in a plane for that long! Maybe a nice cruise over. Wonder how long that would take?

A bridge over the pond - no, no, no... my in-laws would visit more often. My only saving grace now is that they are too old to sit on a plane for that long...

I'm not sure why AVN thought that October was a good month for their show. My concern is that people will choose, and the LA people will choose the LA show (which is what I would do to save money) and the GPF will be left behind. OR, people will just stay loyal to the GPF and not bother with the new one (which I doubt). This year, I've added enough cash to my budget to do them all, but I'll be making some big decisions about what we ever attend again.

Decisions already made:
Although the networking at AEE/Internext and Internext Miami is invaluable, we won't take booth space again. We'll continue to throw our Cock&Tail, but no more big sponsorships as the value just isn't there in terms of new business (sorry guys!).
I'll continue to support the GayVN Summit and Awards. It is a show designed for gay businesses and webmasters, and I think they did a good job, especially considering it was the first year for the event.

What's left? Well, the Access shows, the Phoenix Forums, the new Retreat, XBIZ shows... We'll see what else I decide at the end of the year.

A gay-oriented show in Europe would be awesome. Venus Berlin has a huge gay presence, but it is such a massive event that it could never have the focus of a forum and the gay presence seems to get lost there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by samebb

It would be nice to see some big shows in different areas of the world.
Europe, ect.

---

AOE in Amsterdam this April and Webmaster Access in Amsterdam in September.

I will probably at both of those, and Venus Berlin in October

I am going to be at less than one show a month this year. AOE in Amsterdam this April, Webmaster Access Toronto in May, Xbiz in July, Internext in August, Webmaster Access Amsterdam in September, Gay Phoenix Forum and maybe Venus Berlin in October, then nothing for the rest of the year.

This schedule is too much. I think one every 2 months is more than sufficient

shows are a necessary evil when your'e trying to bulid up your program.

In the early days of Fratmen, John and I went with the intention of just attracting people's eyes.

It was a way of getting people to even think of us when deciding to promote pregrams. I used to show up to shows and hand out Full-length Fratmen movies like there was no tomorrow.

I'd be naked at every party dancing on the bar like any drunken, rowdy frat boy would do (to be fair, I do that on Tuesday Nights at the French Market).

I'd talk up our program and literally beg people to promote us.

Now that people know who we are and are talking about us, I can't let that momentum be taken by someone else. I'll show up, offer people help, find out what I can do, get advice and still have time to be a drunken, rowdy frat boy like God intended.

We're a small, independent company and we're there every time.

Of course, Jasun brings up a strong point.

By not going, what are you missing? Is it possible that a competitor scooped a deal or a partnership that could have been yours if you'd been there, networking like a fiend and dancing naked on tables (with my Warren, usually... huh, Jasun! I love the watersports story myself, but more on that later).

This year, my overall travel decisions were based around concepts like that. This year, someone or someones from my company will be at most of the events. We may not sponsor or throw a party, but we'll be there.

I'd like to see the industry as a whole take a smarter approach to these events and get them spaced out. To Chad's point, the constant schedule of 2 or 3 shows a month is too much!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by samebb

It would be nice to see some big shows in different areas of the world.
Europe, ect.

---

that is true. some good show in europe (amsterdam, prague or such) would most probably attract loads of webmasters.

as i stated in another thread. we havent attended any shows since more than five years, (and we still havent gone out of business:rip: :ninja: ) but we would definetly consider attending a good european event and maybe even sponsoring it

Here is a brief list of shows still remaining for '07

The Phoenix Forum - Phoenix, Mar 29 - 31, 2007
AOE Conference & Expo - Amsterdam, Apr 26 -30, 2007
JBM Does Cabo - Cabo San Lucas, Apr 26 - 28, 2007
Webmaster Access East - Toronto, May 16 - 19, 2007
Eurowebtainment - Mallorca, May TBA 07
Redneck Getaway - Fort Lauderdale, June 1 - 3, 2007
Cybernet Expoo - Tampa, June 7 - 10, 2007
Vancouver Adult Show- VancouverJune TBA, 2007
Xbiz Industry Conference - Las Vegas, July 11 - 13, 2007
Internext Expo - Hollywood Fl, Aug 3 - 5, 2007
Qwebec Expo - Montreal, Aug 24 - 26, 2007
Webmaster Access Europe - Amsterdam, Sept27-29,2007
Octoberfest Gathering 07 - Munich, Sept 30 -Oct 2, 2007
Venus - Berlin, Oct 18 - 21, 2007

Some months have 2 or 3 shows consecutively, how any could think there arent already enough shows is beyond belief.

There definately needs to be some thinning of the herd i think :)

Regards,

Lee

Great topic, Mary.

I would like to see a show that is really geared at the independent webmaster community. When I travelled the show circuit in my last job there were never a lot of independent webmasters at these shows. A few yes, but show after show I saw way more sponsors than anything.

And now that I'm an independent, I understand why. Shows are expensive. And with shows happening almost every month, I can't afford to pop off $2 to $3K per show. So this year I was going to blow my whole wad on the Gay Phoenix Forum, but now it's not happening. And frankly, I can't afford to take a chance on the Epoch show because it looks like it's mired in controversy. I'm not going to book a show that could very well be boycotted by most of the people I want to see. And coming from Canada, I need to book far enough in advance to get cheap airfares, like now!

I really appreciated that Pride Bucks and Naked Sword gave away some kind of financial award to an independent webmaster so they could attend the San Francisco show. I wish more companies would do that. I would sure forego the t-shirts, foam cocks, key chains, calculators, and other swag if the companies would pour that money into getting independents to the shows.

It's unfortunate, but these shows have become more big business to big business. And let's face it Sureflix doesn't need to go to Phoenix to meet Falcon Studios, neither does Pride Bucks have to go to meet Randy Blue. But you all need to see me because I can push traffic to your products. And you need to see lots of me's. But these shows are priced so far out of the reach of most independents that we just don't go.

I'd love to see a gay show in a reasonably priced city and at a hotel that isn't going to break the bank. The Venetian was lovely, but geezuz, I paid more in accommodations/food there than I pay in 3 months at home. Well actually, I didn't pay ... that's why I went.

Cheers
Michael

Michael,

Now that you brought cost of the shows up...

I was wondering what the 'ideal' price range would be for independant webmasters to attend a 'show'.

$500, $1000? Less?

A couple of the people ive been chatting to over the past few days are throwing suggestions about for a weekend retreat type setting and, trying to get everything priced as close to $500 (airfare and hotel) as possible by going through one of the larger travel companies and trying to sort out a 'group' price.

The problem is, what is cheap for one webmaster, may not necessarily be cheap for another.

Regards,

Lee

First and foremost, I don't think independents should have to pay an entrance fee to the conference itself.

That said, coming from Canada, airfare to anywhere in the US is probably going to be between $400 and $800 depending where and how much notice you get to book. For instance, booking with Air Canada for a Thursday departure in October to Los Angeles and staying until Sunday will cost me $760 CDN. That's the chepest and Los Angeles would be about the furthest away. American Airlines would cost about $801 CDN, so roughly the same. (Just as a point of reference that $801 CDN was $681 US.)

I figure a hotel just about anywhere is probably going to run you at least $150. So another $450 for three nights, plus taxes, tips, and travel to and from the airport.

If I don't have to pay for any food, I might be able to squeak through at about $1500. If I have to buy food, beverages, and maybe want to go to the baths, hire a hooker, or go out with friends, then $2000 is more likely.

My budget probably isn't a good rule of thumb. My impression is that Americans can fly within their own country for a lot less. Can't you guys fly Southwest for a song? In Canada we have one airline pretty much, so they call the shots.

So a Canadian attending a US show is probably going to pay around $2000 and Americans could pay considerably less. I think when I worked at Mancheck we pretty much always considered a show would cost about $2500 per person.

Cheers
Michael

One of the things that AJ and I really worked with CCBill on when we were involved with Gay Phoenix Forum planning last year was to specifically target smaller independent webmasters, and the many, many people who had never been to a show. In addition to free admission, I argued strongly for a very low cost alternate hotel, but then Sherri was able to get the $125 or whatever it was rate at the Best Western, and that seemed like a decent compromise.

The one thing that I didn't agree with was the fact that since admission was free, several companies brought a half dozen or more models, or a bunch of friends that were unrelated to the industry, which diluted the networking opportunities somewhat (not to mention raising the bar tabs!)

What we were going to propose for this year's show was something like 2 free tickets for each company, and each additional ticket some nominal amount ($50-100) that would offset some of the expenses of feeding and lubricating the extra people.

I would still like to see a GPF-type event housed at a nice property like the Mission Palms, but also have a block of rooms at a very inexpensive ($50-75/night) "official" hotel where perhaps there could be a couple of events geared toward the independent webmasters and newer players that can't yet afford the large expenditures.

Likewise, holding the event at a location such as Phoenix, LA, or San Francisco (or even Chicago or Baltimore) where there are lots of low-cost carriers that serve the market and have a bunch of flights would also help to make it inexpensive enough to dislodge the reticent webmaster from behind his or her monitor :)

By providing an affordable event and attracting the independent webmasters, everyone benefits... the smaller guys get a chance to meet people and become bigger players, the bigger players get a chance to meet new affiliates and create new business and opportunity, and the more people in the community get to know one another face to face, the more the community can begin to build a "web of trust" that facilitates larger scale cooperation, lobbying, etc.

Of course, now that we're stuck with a "quality, upscale" event, I doubt that many, or any, of those goals will be met.

btw, Michael, if you're coming from Toronto, you might consider taking a shuttle from Pearson to the Buffalo airport, and catching Southwest to Phoenix or LA. If you book early enough, you can get a roundtrip for about $315 US, and the shuttle is about another $100 CDN. When Jesse visited us for Christmas, I was already on the east coast, so I flew up and met him in Toronto and we drove down to Buffalo. It cost about half of what it would have cost if he'd flown from Toronto.

Just a thought...

Hey Michael,

I'll split that shuttle with you, myself. Quick trip to Buffalo, especially with good company!

I like an idea floated around in an earlier post...
Instead of my paying a massive sponsorship fee for a poster on a wall that nobody looks at... what if my massive sponsorship fee was used to subsidize rooms at a decent property.

15 rooms at the Mission Palms, brought to you by Maleflixxx...

I'd go for that idea - somebody do it and email me. I'll sponsor your event.

And I'll put porn in the rooms for the lucky inhabitants - free of charge!

Cuz, of course, we are all severely lacking in free porn...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mgillis

Hey Michael,

I like an idea floated around in an earlier post...
Instead of my paying a massive sponsorship fee for a poster on a wall that nobody looks at... what if my massive sponsorship fee was used to subsidize rooms at a decent property.

15 rooms at the Mission Palms, brought to you by Maleflixxx...

---

I think this sort of thing would be an excellent idea.

What might be shaping up here is the people in the industry who are disgusted with what the industry behemoth is doing working together and creating a truly industry-centered and sponsored event.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mgillis

15 rooms at the Mission Palms, brought to you by Maleflixxx...

---

See, this is the kind of stuff I'm getting at. And I don't know about other webmasters, but that kind of generosity and pay-it-forward stuff always gets my attention. And even if I had no way of repaying the people who gave me the Sureflix room or the Boyfunk room at the Mission Palms with actual traffic, I'd find a way to help them in other ways: kind and positive words on boards, sending interested webmasters their way, etc.

Sure, there are lots of people who would just "take the money and run" kind of thing, but that's the nature of business.

And what an excellent ice breaker, too. I'd certainly be seeking out the sponsor of my room at an event just to thank them, and that gives them an opportunity to meet someone that they may never have.

Excellent ideas, Mary. Now if you were on the organizing committee of a show, we'd be all set. And Chips thanks for the suggestions, and you're absolutely right about Buffalo. Way back in the 80s we used to go to Buffalo for those $19 and $29 People's Express flights to Neward for a wild weekend in NYC.

Cheers
Michael

Another approach would be for the show producers to do a series of smaller "traveling shows". Instead of one big show a year, spilt the sponsorships into 6 different events in 6 different cities.

Charge participants $100-150 admission, only give a few drink tickets instead of open bar, and everyone goes home at night.

Not sure how it would work, but it's just an idea to get more participation without travel involved.

I tell you something really interesting ;)

For the European shows, it would be VERY EASY for those guys, to book an aircraft from a central US airport, and fill it up with american webmasters, who could get a low cost flight to meet the US aircraft, and fly the bugger over the europe.

The COST of booking a WHOLE aircraft would make it SO CHEAP for everyone to fly over the atlantic. You essentially get the seats at the same price as the holiday companies!

All il say is, i wish i was on that flight! A few hundred adult webmasters, a plane, 8 hours, a TON of booze and a good few models floating about..

hmmm. Interesting ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by samebb

All il say is, i wish i was on that flight! A few hundred adult webmasters, a plane, 8 hours, a TON of booze and a good few models floating about..

---

And Jasun dancing naked in the aisles.

I dunno, though... 8 hours of a few hundred drunk adult webmasters where you're confined and don't really have any space to move around... sounds a little scary to me ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gaybucks_chip

a few hundred drunk adult webmasters where you're confined and don't really have any space to move around

---

I can only handle about 30 minutes of that at any convention party, much less 8 hours of it on a plane.

I'll just say I'm wary of it whenever someone throws together one of these shows and that someone makes their living off of doing it. As opposed to, say, a Phoenix Forum type affair where it's not meant to be a profit-generating event, other events that exist primarily to earn a profit for the organizer are oft lacking.

In a sane world, a company earning profits off of organizing a show would go out of their way to throw the best damn show possible, attract the most attendance, and thereby earn the most profit.

The adult internet show/convention world isn't a sane one, though, and it doesn't seem to work that way.

There are far too many shows out there, and far too few with anything good to offer those in attendance. If you're one of those webmasters who just want to fly around and stay at nice hotels and pat yourself and your buddies on the back a few times a quarter while getting wasted drunk, by all means hit up every show out there. But if you're very discriminating with what you spend your money on, you're going to find your show selection pretty slim pickings.

It's not just independent webmasters for whom all the shows aren't a good investment. At CF, we sat down and alotted a hefty sum for 2007/08 show attendance and sponsorship. After further review, though, we'll probably spend about 10-15% of that because we found ourselves scrapping show after show off the list the more and more apparent it became that they'd all be of little to no value. Sure, we could sponsor this and that and attend this and that and bring employees and models but for what? Total waste of money. We'll spend that money on direct-to-consumer marketing, instead. Rather than pad the pockets of those that throw the shows.

I do agree that it is hard to show the value of shows if you're established.
However, if you're trying to get your name out, it pays to be at the events and meet people in person so they know that you're not just a figment of the internet.
For business to business contact it seems like adultwhoswho.com could grow to the point where you no longer need shows. Especially if they act as diligent gatekeepers to the community.

Yeah I think there's this misconception out there that if you're not hitting every show people are going to think something happened to you or that your site is in trouble.

As far as using the shows if you're new ... I don't know. I think they can be a dangerous place if you're new. Sure, you meet lots of people, but you also meet a lot of other new people. And we all know how long the average "new" person hangs around this business. And you can also meet a lot of people who are talking a great talk, and then, you get home and two months later, you're thinking, "Why the hell did I put this guy's link on my site, he's not sending me any traffic."

I mean, let's face it, if you were new two years ago and talking to the new ibill at the Florida convention, you might have thought they were a great thing.

If you're new, my best advice is not to listen too hard to the "are you going" crowd. It seems like there are some people out there who are always asking you if you're going to the next show. And that's all they seem to have to say. If you listen to those people, you'll spend a fortune on shows because every show is going to be great.

Do research and ask people you trust about their experiences with these shows.

Michael

I echo a lot of the thoughts that Michael and Brian have shared. There's no question that the shows we've attended have helped us immeasurably in developing relationships with webmasters, sponsor programs, billers, etc., in getting the Gaybucks name out there, and establishing our affiliate program. And we've been able to give back some to the community by helping to sponsor parties and events and assist in planning events.

I think the value of sitting down with someone face to face can't be overstated. Even if you talk online all the time, there's something that happens once you've had a chance to meet in person... just the process of putting a face with a name or a screenname or whatever seems, for both parties, to make that relationship more memorable.

Of course, there are exceptions - we've never met a significant number of our largest affiliates - but by and large, the personal connections developed at shows are, I think, a little more difficult to develop online.

That said... in my opinion, what the industry does NOT need is an event with a big convention floor, or prepaid admission to a bunch of parties thrown by big sponsors to pat themselves on the back, or seminars that are largely infomercials for the people on the panels, or events where a company brings 15 people, most of which are models or otherwise know nothing about the products.

Events focused on networking, one-to-one interaction between business owners or reps, and genuine opportunities to do more business / new business are the ones that, in my book, are the most valuable, both for existing webmasters and program owners as well as new programs looking to grow.

Like Brian and Michael, I think it's getting harder and harder to justify spending the money to go to events like this when that same money could be better used to reach new webmasters online or through other means. And for newer webmasters, I can particularly see why the cost/benefit ratio may not make it a worthwhile investment.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lee

Michael,

Now that you brought cost of the shows up...

$500, $1000? Less?

Lee

---

Our room for Phoenix at the host hotel for 4 days is 1K. So this show should expense out at about 2-2.5 K. But we passed on 3 shows, we usually attend.

I do agree about meeting a lot of new people who talk really big. Doing a sex toy affiliate program I get a lot of people who don't have a site yet, but they're excited about building one. I do what I can to help some of them, but some are in way over their heads.
One guy with no sites wanted us to set him up with his own website to promote our affiliate program. He also wanted us to send him traffic, and give him a list of email addresses to spam.

I do consider myself to be new as a rep, but I'm with an established company that's getting into new fields. For me, the magic of conventions is that some people will actually respond to you after meeting you in person. In a way conventions work like a really expensive spam filter. You also meet people who you didn't know exist, and they turn out to be a great fit with your business.

I think that some of people ask if you're going to the next convention because they're afraid of being upfront about asking for your business. They're hoping to meet, form a long friendship, and maybe someday get you to sign up for their program. I like to get the business thing out of the way up front, so as not to have a hidden agenda. That way you don't have to pull the real estate agent fake friend thing.
On that note, for the record, "I would like you to join our sex toy program!" I would also like to thank those people who signed up or are interested in signing up, and those people who gave it a fair looking over and decided it's not for them. For those people who haven't looked it over, perhaps I'll meet you at Phoenix Forum.