$250 For Your Florida Internext Badge

[Lee]

Your thoughts on this?

Will you be attending the Florida show now you have to spend $250 to get a pass?

Its doubtfull we'll pay $750 for 3 badges, just isnt worth it.

Regards,

Lee

[RyuLion]

What! it depends what we'll get for it? at least one dinner? open bar every night? :nowords:

[Daymare]

seems like a huge ripoff to me if it's just for a couple seminars, but if there is booze and some meals in it, it might be worth it.

[Tala]

Yikes! $250?!

That's insane. And yet there are a lot of people who will pay it.

[coy]

As much as I learned and as much fun as I had ... there's no way in HELL I'd pay $250 for one pass.

[Radical Rick]

The first couple of shows I went to I walked the floor & attended every seminar. IMO, it's pretty much all the same at every show, I'll go to FL but I don't think the floor and seminars are worth $250

[BDBionic]

The format of this year's show is going to be quite different than at FL shows past.
It's $250 not just for the pass, but that's also the registration and the entire cost (apart from hotel) of attendance, is it not?
How much would an individual have paid to simply register in previous years? And thus was it that different costwise?

If they're charging $250 to attend the event, register, get access to the floor, and that's what I'm paying to support the event that brings fellow businessmen and women in the industry from around the world to the same place so that I can meet with them and get way more than $250 worth of business done, it's an easy decision to pay the $250 far as I'm concerned.

[coy]

My trip to Florida was a bit ... intimidating to say the least. I didn't know more than a handful of people at the time ... that coupled with my shyness doesn't help one network.

I did meet up with Lee and Gary-Alan and learned a good bit from them in the short time we were able to chat.

BDBionic, you make a good point... but I remember my registration price was one fixed price for the Hollywood, Fl show and that got me on the floor and in the seminars. So... if they're covering everything but hotel, does that mean they're gonna feed me? I'm gonna hafta check it out now *snickers*

[coy]

well after dabbing around at http://www.internext-expo.com I'm let down a bit. I sure hope I'm just blind as a bat ....

They have no information listed and I didn't even know the price of the expo until after filling out forms and reaching the payment page.

Are they planning on listing some information regarding the "brand new format" I'm sorry, but I am a product of false advertisments and I don't trust anything is "New and Improved" until I at least can read about and compare from prior experience.

$250.00 is a bit much compared to the price I paid last time... and $250 is the EARLY BIRD price.

Without seeing what's being offered... I'm not even going to give it a second thought.

[Madame0120]

Yikes! $250?!

That's insane. And yet there are a lot of people who will pay it.

Man I thought I'd pop a gasket when I had to write the check for Vegas. Pretty soon only the Very Established will be able to afford to attend some of the important functions.

I really don't get it, maybe cause I'm used to mainstream tradshows where the buyer (me in this case) is admitted to the floor without charge- well except for the bleed your wallet food Service consession. So, I suppose I don't understand where the entrence fees are applied.

Yeah the parties are smokin' :francais: - but don't the specific sponcers carry those costs? The nut and dings must be HUGE to vend at a BIG Vegas type event. The costs must be the same if not greater for most any for -the -trade event- yet this is the first industry I've ever known, that charges the customer for the privlage of being sold.

Now please, I'm not bitching, that's just my Long Island accent coming through. I'm really just trying to understand the workings of event planning in the adult entertainment world, for both my education and a project currently in the works.

Any insight ya'll can impart, would be apperciated.

Unless of course you have to kill me afterwards. :signhere:

[Lee]

Any insight ya'll can impart, would be apperciated.

They are trying to remain profitable, its no secret that attendance to the AVN shows has dropped significantly over the last 3 or 4 years even this Vegas show was much smaller than the one previous which, was smaller than the one previous to that.

This Florida show has been 'reinvented' as a conference and not a tradeshow, in the 'mainstream' world, 'conferences' tend to cost a lot more for the attendees than tradeshows do so i think they are trying to use that to their advantage unfortunately though, you are right in your assesment that only those who have already 'made it' will attend the AVN shows which, IMHO defeats the entire purpose of the tradeshows, bringing newbies and old timers together to get business done.

I do beleive that for us, we'll attend the Florida show but we wont be paying for a badge or staying at the Westin, there is just to much redtape to be toyed with so far as AVN goes.

You are also correct in that the event sponsors cover the cost of any of the 'parties' during the AVN shows however, despite a drop in attendance over the past few years, the costs of these have been increasing show after show, to the point where several companies (ourselves included) are organizing events off-site to ensure we can still remain profitable whilst holding a sponsored event.

To give you an idea of the type of costs involved in throwing a party for one night at Florida for 3 hours from midnight to 3am, you need to rent a hospitality suite for 24 hours, minimum charge for the suite is $3k up to a maximum of $5k. Then you need to have a minimum food and beverage costing of $5k which goes directly to the hotel.

Now, compare those rates to the 'non convention' prices which we got from the hotel several months ago.. A suite for 3 hours will cost $1500 to rent, no minimum food and beverage charge. Its clear that AVN are hiking the prices up so they can skim more profits off the backs of those companies who are already forking out thousands of dollars to advertise with them during the tradeshow, sorry, convention itself.

The one good thing about this show is that in order to host an officially 'sanctioned' event, you dont need to spend an additional $3k for a booth which was a requirement for the last 3 tradeshows so, all in all, to throw and event for 100 webmasters, over 3 hours, previously you had to spend a minimum of $15k with AVN this show, without a booth, you still have to spend close to $15k for exactly the same thing.

Many are predicting that next years Vegas show will be the last that AVN schedule because of the drop in attendance year after year and, unfortunately, i personally feel that this is going to be one of the last Florida shows also especially once companies start to realize that the newbies arent attending because of cost restrictions.

Just a little insight from my point of view on things.

Regards,

Lee

[djdez]

I'm sure Internext will be releasing more information on this soon. However, it is my understanding that the format will be totally different from what you are used to. This show will be catering to show attendees and affiliates... including gift baskets pretty much everyday to your hotel room, free food, cocktails and slew of really cool memorabilia (rafts, water bottles, beach towels etc).

While I admit there are some short comings of Internext as of late, let's give them a chance with this new format which is what many of us have been asking for quite some time.

[JustMe]

Greetings:

including gift baskets pretty much everyday to your hotel room, free food, cocktails and slew of really cool memorabilia (rafts, water bottles, beach towels etc).

As a business man who's been to dozens of conventions in many different industries, it's IMHO that they're catering to the wrong crowd if they're trying to impress people by giving away gift baskets, water bottles, and beach towels. The people that are easily impressed and overjoyed by those things, are not the type of people that pay $250 to attend a convention, and are also not the type of people that any serious business person would be actively trying to hunt down.

When I go to conventions, I go to get business done, plain and simple. I want to meet people, and have the opportunity to look them in the eye and shake their hands. I want to collect and pass out business cards. I want to pick up and hand out literature. I want to lay the ground work for business relationships that can then be fostered away from the convention via telephone conferences, e-mails, and chat sessions.

What I do not want, is to be made to feel like I won the grand prize in a carnival game of ring-toss.

:juggle:

[Aly_AVN]

There has been quite a lot of response to the new format and pricing of Summer Internext in Florida this year.

Indeed, the event now charges a flat admission fee to all attendees, as opposed to those just going to the convention floor or seminars.

It's understandable that such a change is going to cause a strong response from all sides. Some love it, some hate it...

So, I'm here to outline a few of the key benefits to the new format.

Feel free to email me - aly@avn.com if you want to communicate personally.

**
Here are some of the key features and benefits the Summer Internext Conference has added since last year:

- They've paid the hotel a lump sum for wireless Internet access to be turned on in every possible corner of the property. Meeting space, the exhibit hall, seminar rooms, the lobby, restaurants, swimming pool....etc. This allows for all attendees to do get online freely.

- They're building up the Seminar program so that it is on par with what is now done at the Vegas show. Typically the summer event has only had 6 or 7 seminars. This year there will be a full seminar program, designed to deliver the same educational value that people have come to expect from the larger Winter event.

- They will be providing complimentary Breakfast (in the Feature Pavilion/Exhibit Hall foyer) and Lunch outside the seminar room.

- They are shutting down the entire Diplomat Resort for Internext. Other than the convention center lobby (registration area), no one will set foot on hotel property without a badge. This is a tremendous benefit to all show participants. This is an exclusive Industry event. Only those individuals who are looking to do business will be there.

- As requested, they are mailing badges out prior to the event to all pre-registered show goers. This will cut down the wait time on-site.

Overall this event is about ACCESS.
Participants pay for a badge that grants them access to the market they want to reach – the people they want to do business with, access to the seminars, access to parties, access to do business without restriction anywhere and anytime. The point is, once you get the badge - the entire resort property becomes your business forum. You are paying for access and Internext is creating the optimal atmosphere conducive to your business needs.

- There are also other networking events currently being designed to offer additional benefits to all attendees.


Changing the show is a risk, but it's one that's been built around feedback from the Industry. In my opinion, that's worth trying.

[LiveBucksKarl]

We will be attending the show also but definately arent too keen about the price of the early bird badges. The daily baskets and beach towels are sponsored by the way....even the toilet paper!