Quote Originally Posted by chadknowslaw View Post
I look at attending shows as a cost of doing business-- for me it is really a marketing expense. If you are serious about being in the adult online business, attending a show or two every year should be part of the company budget -- even those companies that are just one or two people. With all the shows now dotting the calendar, there is at least one that is geographically close if you are in North America or EU. [sorry squirt. you chose to live in a former isolated prison colony] The webmaster who is serious about doing business and not just accumulating the most free drinks will find that a $2000 show can reap exponential benefits. The webmaster who goes for the parties will come away thinking that shows are a waste of time and money...

I think trade shows will continue to be an important part of the serious industry member's budget and calendar. The way trade shows function will continue to evolve as the industry itself evolves and matures. For the time being, shows are still a valuable marketing tool for those that adapt and use them properly.

Thanx, Chad, for a well-stated opinion about the continued relevance of the shows. Seems all I ever hear from webmasters about why they don't go is "It's not cost-effective for us."

One of my favorite things said on the panel of the Gay Phoenix Forum this year was what Brian Dunlap had to say about why the shows are important.

Dunlap later emphasized the continued validity of print advertising versus Web advertising (“Don’t overlook the value of offline advertising,” he warned), and spoke at length about the value of attending shows. “Showing up to shows is not always about the return on investment,” he offered. “It’s more of a branding aspect—a return on investment that you will see over the long run. If you’re looking at the numbers as soon as you get home, you’re forcing yourself to be disappointed. There is real value in showing and supporting these things.”

I think that about sums it up for me. Obviously, if you just don't have the money to go, it makes sense that you probably won't go. But for those who have the resources to attend, I think it's a no-brainer. The fact of the matter is that if you want business to get done at the shows, then business WILL get done. Any show is only as good as YOU yourself make it.

Internext 2006 wasn't perfect. Oh well. Let's move on. Everybody stumbles once in a while. It's good to stumble. It makes you reasses and reorganize. I'm confident that Internext 2007 will be a much more relevant show for webmasters -- even the gay ones.

Those who skipped the Florida show because they were disappointed with the Vegas show, however, truly missed out on a fun, productive (emphasis on productive) show that could have been good for business. Oh well. Your loss.

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