So How Was Cybernet For Those Of You Who Attended?

[Lee]

Spill the beans and post any pics you may have too :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

[Hammer]

I thought it was a great show, although the gay community did not seem well represented. I know there's a picture of Scott Vogel and me floating around out there though. :wtf:

[Bec]

What who when was this Cybernet thing? I don't recall seeing it announced here ...:crybaby:

[Lee]

Originally posted by Bec
What who when was this Cybernet thing? I don't recall seeing it announced here ...:crybaby:

Actually from what i recall there was one post announcing it several months ago however it was lft at that

I can understand why a lot of the gay webmasters who would usually attend these conventions wouldnt go if they were not made aware of it to begin with.

Its a shame to because the Traffic Dude party in San Diego last year was a blast and it could have been the same for Cybernet.

Regards,

Lee

[mansites-craig]

I always come back from the cybernet expo shows saying the same thing. "They always pick a hotel far from anything with poor service, the parties are unorganized, but the networking opportunities are Outstanding."

This show was no exception, and as we all know, the typcially loyal gay community tends to shy away from this event. But we made several new business contacts, and further built relationships with those we don't get to talk to at internext shows as they are too crazy. Ynot Jay did a lot of work, and I am not sure he was given enough kudos.

I know Darren, Scott and I put together a nice idea or two, and I am excited to move forward. Several other deals were also done, so I really can't complain on the business side.

Note to sponsors: Be at your own parties, especially at the front door, and maybe you won't have the hired security turn your customers away. (I will save the details for another thread if asked)

Note to Hotels: You would think you would staff your bar better, and not run out of alcohol. This hotel bar lost a fortune by taking advantage of webmasters coming to town.

Thanks to the sponsors that did create this opportunity, and who picked up the slack with the impromptu parties.

[RainGurl]

The show was a good one for me. I think anytime you get a group of industry professionals together, you can get something valuable from it if you're willing to put in the effort.

There was a lack of a gay presence, but that was expected. I represent both gay and straight programs and was able to do business in both markets.

It was great to see my old pals and make some new contacts. Thanks to those who showed up to the little gay cocktail hour! It was a good way to kick things off for me.

[LAJ]

Originally posted by Bec
What who when was this Cybernet thing? I don't recall seeing it announced here ...:crybaby:

This show was promoted heavily in many places, so if it wasn't found out about here, there were at least 30 or 40 other boards that talked about the show ongoing since February. Despite the fact that one announcement was made about it here, I do feel that many regulars on this board knew about the show months in advance and could have very well talked about it here. Especially those who knew that they were going and wanting to set up business deals in advance. No disrespect to GWW, but you really should make it a habit to hit a few boards in the industry since each one is different for news.

[LAJ]

Originally posted by Lee
Actually from what i recall there was one post announcing it several months ago however it was lft at that

I can understand why a lot of the gay webmasters who would usually attend these conventions wouldnt go if they were not made aware of it to begin with.

Its a shame to because the Traffic Dude party in San Diego last year was a blast and it could have been the same for Cybernet.

Regards,

Lee

I gotta say, I met a lot of gay webmasters and webmasters of gay sites... there def. could have been more there... I certainly put out the invitation to many. Many of whom chose to ignore me or blow off the follow up.

It was a pleasure hanging out with Hammer and Craig... wish we had more time together Rainey since we barely caught each other in passing LOL...

[Lee]

Many of whom chose to ignore me or blow off the follow up

Hmm... what about those who only wanted to blow you off

I gotta say i do know you put some effort into getting some gay webmasters to attend from what you told me on icq a few weeks ago its unfortunate we had to much other stuff going on otherwise we would have all gone

Hopefully next year we will have the time to attend as apart from the theft of a couple of peoples property the show sounds like it was a huge success overall

Regards,

Lee

[LAJ]

Originally posted by mansites-craig
I always come back from the cybernet expo shows saying the same thing. "They always pick a hotel far from anything with poor service, the parties are unorganized, but the networking opportunities are Outstanding."

This show was no exception, and as we all know, the typcially loyal gay community tends to shy away from this event. But we made several new business contacts, and further built relationships with those we don't get to talk to at internext shows as they are too crazy. Ynot Jay did a lot of work, and I am not sure he was given enough kudos.

I know Darren, Scott and I put together a nice idea or two, and I am excited to move forward. Several other deals were also done, so I really can't complain on the business side.

Note to sponsors: Be at your own parties, especially at the front door, and maybe you won't have the hired security turn your customers away. (I will save the details for another thread if asked)

Note to Hotels: You would think you would staff your bar better, and not run out of alcohol. This hotel bar lost a fortune by taking advantage of webmasters coming to town.

Thanks to the sponsors that did create this opportunity, and who picked up the slack with the impromptu parties.

Some great feedback there Craig... thanks tons for taking the time to post it and for the kudos. I'd love it if people emailed me stuff like this as well. I always try to aim to please as many as possible and Cybernet Expo was a great learning experience for me. I heard similar stuff on the hotel, but ya gotta understand, most American hotels aren't too interested to host adult conventions, and many underestimate our drinking ability. I've yet to attend a show where everything is perfect.

I'm hoping next year that several in the gay community will let bygones be bygones with issues that date back several years, and just realize that Cybernet Expo has changed and is still a killer event.

[LAJ]

Originally posted by Lee
Hmm... what about those who only wanted to blow you off

I gotta say i do know you put some effort into getting some gay webmasters to attend from what you told me on icq a few weeks ago its unfortunate we had to much other stuff going on otherwise we would have all gone

Hopefully next year we will have the time to attend as apart from the theft of a couple of peoples property the show sounds like it was a huge success overall

Regards,

Lee

Thanks Lee. Yeah... I do know that some prominent gay companies are wrapped up with Pride events this month and others are traveling too close to Cybernet Expo. Others spent a lot of $$ on sponsoring Phoenix. Hopefully next year for Cybernet will be different. I'm always available to handle complaints and gripes from shows past to make it better for everyone.

But to those of you who ignored my emails and sponsorship opportunities for Cybernet, I'm not the enemy. Anyone who knows me knows I focus on customer service and excellent business practices. Hopefully next year my support won't fall on deaf ears in a few sectors of the gay community.

[Ounique]

Well, from a content providers standpoint, I usually go to meet other industry people, get some one on one time with my regular clients, promote my content and a few other business related activities. The fringe benefit is that I get to hang out with the friends I've made in the industry and have a little fun.

I had an excellent time at the Expo this year. It was a total pleasure getting to meet (in person, that is) 123Jason, Rainey, and Hammer, you guys are even more awesome in person that you are on the boards (and you're pretty damn awesome around here to begin with). LAJ, in all your running around like a madman still made it a point to stop and chat a little here and there. The GWW Coctail party was a blast. It came and went so fast because of all the other stuff going on, I wish I had more time to spend with everyone who was there.

I'm afraid I didn't make it to too many of the parties but it sounded like they were a lot of fun.

Overall it was a positive experience. I don't think that gay webmasters were excluded, but it was that time of year. My one comment about the seminars is actually a question. Would you do better for all of the seminars to have the less popular ones at the better times. The less popular seminars had almost no attendance as the last ones of the day, while the really popular ones were crowded. Would more people have stuck around late in the day if the seminar they really wanted to attend was at 4:30? Would more people have gone to the less popular ones if they were right in the middle of the day, just to check them out? Just a question.

[Hammer]

Good point about the seminar timing Don. As you know, I was on the Gay Crossfire seminar. I had a great time and thought Patrick from ccBill and I kicked ass, but the seminar was at 5:00 and by then most webmasters are well on their way to dangerous blood alcohol levels, so the attendance was disappointing to say the least.

[LAJ]

"Would you do better for all of the seminars to have the less popular ones at the better times. The less popular seminars had almost no attendance as the last ones of the day, while the really popular ones were crowded. Would more people have stuck around late in the day if the seminar they really wanted to attend was at 4:30? Would more people have gone to the less popular ones if they were right in the middle of the day, just to check them out?"

That's a great question Don... but before I answer it, I just want to say that regarding the gay seminar Hammer, to my recollection, that was the only poorly attended seminar out of 15. If someone cares enought about a particular seminar, they are going to go to it as long as the timing is reasonable enough. The gay seminar conflicted with no other sponsored activity, and in actuality, despite the glaring lack of support I received from many in the gay community, I positioned the traffic seminar right before it, because I had a hunch the traffic seminar would play to a packed house (I was right) and henceforth, was planning on some of the audience sticking around for one more, but unfortunately that wasn't the case in this instance. The other end of the day seminars on Thurs and Sat (Women in adult and amateur panel) were both well attended...

Which brings me to Don's question and as you can see there was a method to my madness IMO, you need to start out each day with a very strong seminar (strong meaning speakers who have proven to be able to get butts in seats and/or topics that typically have drawn large crowds in the past). Then you have to shape the day out alternating topics and strengths... it's like a big puzzle really. But IMO also there are also no better times than others with the exception that it's tricky to schedule anything before noon. All afternoon times are good.

[Ounique]

Good point LAJ! That's why you are putting on the expo and I'm not, LOL!

It's easy for people to see one part of a whole and talk about thier own feelings without seeing how the whole thing fits together, and it's good that you are open to constructive criticism because then you can take all these individual viewpoints and apply them to that whole. Don't feel you have to defend yourself against each viewpiont. They are only opinions. You did a wonderful job and I know you will continue to do so.