Internext as a business show; my thoughts

[gaybucks_chip]

My understanding is that CCBill will be sponsoring a gay version of Phoenix Forum in October. Pridebucks was also talking about organizing an event (as were we) but honestly, I think it will take someone with ccbill's resources to pull it off and fund it for the first couple of years until it takes off.

There's also a school of thought that says segmenting the gay industry from the straight industry is a bad thing because there is an opportunity for cross marketing and cross selling, but for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be very much on the minds of a lot of the straight business operators.

[haganxy]

My understanding is that CCBill will be sponsoring a gay version of Phoenix Forum in October. Pridebucks was also talking about organizing an event (as were we) but honestly, I think it will take someone with ccbill's resources to pull it off and fund it for the first couple of years until it takes off.

There's also a school of thought that says segmenting the gay industry from the straight industry is a bad thing because there is an opportunity for cross marketing and cross selling, but for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be very much on the minds of a lot of the straight business operators.

i know back in the day badpuppy was gonna try to do a gay webmasters thing...but it fell through...i guess we'll just have to see what happens...

[desslock]

Steve's Citiboyz and David at D&E both innocently make an observation that I find important. That is the fact that you both make movies as well as operate internet enterprises.

My FriskyFans crystal ball tells me that the two operations - filmmaking and internet are merging together. I think over the next 5 years this will become even more evident.

To any group that is putting on a trade show for this industry --- it would probably be most visionary to place all this under one canopy.

Another aside - I would be interested in the trade shows that are in San Diego and Montreal. It would be neat if those operators used some of this feedback to sharpen them up, and make them more attractive.

Steve

[allboysvideo]

Hey Guys!

What about the GayExpo that is held in New York and in LA...I know that its more geared to the public but what about if they incorporate the same type of theme to the Expo but also have networking seminars and/or meetings for the owners/producers of gay porn. Perhaps open the GayExpo to the gay trade only in the morning and in the afternoon open to the public.

Hey Desslock~ I have to agree with you nowadays...in this business you have to diversify. More webmasters are now producing DVD's and selling the DVD's in the retail market and DVD producers are opening online stores, PPV and selling content and opening websites.

Oh! by the way...if any webmasters out there is interested in DVD distribution for their content...please let us now...we can replicate and print your artwork and package everything for less then $.080 cents per DVD We will be at the Phoenix Forum this year so if you like to meet with us and discuss about distribution just let me know!

[nickbaer]

I just can't get into the hype of the expensive party of Las Vegas.

I spent the weekend earning pretty good money from editing/authoring DVDs for my sites, for another studio, and shooting 3 scenes for my next DVD.

If companies can't do business by e-mail, by phone, all year 'round, why would I expect that any business could be done if I had $2000 to spend on a vacation in Las Vegas of all awful places?

$2000 buys me 5 new scenes to package and re-sell!

In 2004 and 2005 I went to the Gay Erotic Expo, and 2005 the LA Erotic Expo in downtown LA. I live in Hollywood and the prospect of going downtown isn't pretty: I have the choice of driving for an hour or taking the bus/train for an hour.

Last August, the Gay (non-Erotic) Expo was held here in Hollywood - MUCH more accessible and fun. Smaller venue, looked and felt busy.

If people need to haul ass to a trade show to do business, and help us all if that really is the case, then have them in easy to get to, CHEAP places.

[collegeboyslive]

I also think that the show floor was a waste of time. I bought 1 pass and to be honest I completed the whole floor in under an hour. A lot of the booths were empty , save for a table and some flyers, which seemed that a load of other competing companies had taken advantage of the absence of anyone by placing their flyers on the same table. Quite a few of the booths only had models there who really could only answer very basic questions and hand me a card to contact the owner / webmaster.

I was organized in that I got my passes to CES and to internext well in advance and I also went to registered the day before the show, thus avoiding any lines at all.

I wonder if they will lock down all the parties and the show this coming summer at Internext Hollywood and how that will affect attendance. Even though we brought all 13 of our guys and support staff for this one, we couldn’t justify the cost for $250 a ticket for everyone just to get in the door THEN the hotel costs on top of that, that would be required at the summer show.

I did enjoy the parties and meeting people, in fact at one point I had my guys bringing me cards of people who wanted to talk to me so fast I just could hardly keep up. I hope that I got round to you all. Maybe I need to take a leaf out of Badpuppie’s Lisa’s book and just find a spot and let people come to me 

I did spend a part of my time helping several newbies, one guy who wanted to be a porn star I found almost shivering with fright in a corner, I introduced him to several companies and badpuppy and generally gave him some advice on how to handle the parties and talk to people, to which he seemed really grateful. I remember who I felt my first time at internext and I was lucky enough to come with the badpuppy staff that first time.

I am glad though, that next year it WONT be the same time as CES the hotel and air fairs were really high, boosted by all the conventions happening at the same time.

Glad I got to meet Lee though.

[kcwebwerks]

At first I was rather bummed about not being able to go to Vegas, I had been looking forward to attending. But after talking to a couple of friends who were not attending and listening to their reasoning, I decided that it was probably not the best event for me to attend to try to get any networking accomplished. So I chose to use my "Vegas" money and purchase a new laptop. After reading how disappointed you guys were with the event, I'm feeling better about not attending.

I attended the Forum last year for the first time and felt that it was a great venue for networking. So I plan on attending again this year. I think this year will be better because I have had a year to chat with others on the message boards and look forward to being able to put faces with names. As well as meeting those that I have been working with and spent a year speaking with on the phone in person.

While I have no problem dealing with clients through email, via the phone, ect... I don't think there can be a substitute for meeting in person, shaking that person's hand.

[collegeboyslive]

My one complant that I didnt realize till nopw was the cybersocket awards show. Many of the models nominated in the individual classes and soem owners and a LOT of the general models are under 21. then WHY have the awards show in a venue that wont allow people under 21 in? thats saying, you may have won an award but you cant come and claim it. I understand the drinking age, but the club was rented out totaly, so why no just band people 21 and over and at least allow those 18-20 to attend and pick up theire awards.

[nickbaer]

I've seen, and hope to meet, more industry faces here in this forum thread than I have seen and met in the past 2 years at any trade show.

Now, if we all can do business with each other...

Let's pass aound e-mail "business cards" here, and put the big party shows to shame.

To start the ball rolling: I am in Hollywood, I shoot pics and videos, and I am interested in working for and with other studios. I am in an acquisition mode for my sites at present, more than I am in a shooting mode, so I am interested in working with shooters who have video clips.

E-mail is always welcomed. I am nickbaerhollywood on YahooIM.

[chadknowslaw]

I am still using a paper calendar and rolodex. Fork out the $0.39 and send a card :-)

[kcwebwerks]

I am still using a paper calendar and rolodex. Fork out the $0.39 and send a card :-)

What a novel thought! I'll drop a card in the mail to you tomorrow Chad. Never know, you might hear of someone looking for an editor.

[XXXWriterDude]

the moral of the story: although you might not talk about actual business topics at Internext, you meet people, develop relationships, and from there a wide variety of opportunities will come.

Thank you, Hagan. Finally, someone who gets what these shows are really about!

[hdkbill]

This year about 6 companies that I'm associated with who were at Internext last year, didn't come. They thought last year was bad.

When I got back home I got on the phone to them to assure them that didn't miss a thing and that this would most likely be our last year attending.

It was disorganized, poorly laid out and signage absolutely sucked. For gay attendees....walking the floors, well, in an hour you were able to see everything that a gay webmaster would have any interest in.

The seminars always seem to stay the same. Obviously with the advent of 2257 we had some new topics, but the best was put on by the FSC with little involvement from AVN.

Want to network and do some business....go to Phoenix.

Bill

[XXXWriterDude]

The seminars always seem to stay the same. Obviously with the advent of 2257 we had some new topics, but the best was put on by the FSC with little involvement from AVN.

I would have to disagree with you on this one, Bill. I thought the topics for this year's seminars were excellent. My editor bent over backwards trying to introduce new topics, and I think he did an excellent job balancing familiar topics with new and challenging ones. The "Mind F#ck '06" seminar was, in particular, extremely topical and interesting, and the ones on branding ("Brand Slam!") and blogging ("Blogging, Podcasting and Beyond") were also very lively and full of information. People were lined up for 30 mins following both of those to keep asking the panelists questions. I couldn't even get up to shake their hands.

I'm hearing a lot of sweeping dismissals from a lot of people, and I just have to keep wondering: how much did people really explore beyond their cursory and immediate impressions? 'Cuz my experience seemed to be a lot different than everyone else's, and I managed to find a lot of stuff to do that kept me busy while I was there, even when I wasn't "technically working." Perhaps this is b/cuz this was my first time actually covering the expo as opposed to just attending it, but I really don't think it was as bad as everyone keeps saying, and that's not b/cuz I work at AVN either. I learned A LOT up there that I was not aware of before, and I walked away with a new-found respect for the industry that I did not have before.

There was a lot of effort put into Internext this year. True, there were problems, as there most undoubtedly always will be for a show of this scale and scope. With the two other shows going on, we were up against a lot, but we worked with what we had available to us, and personally, I think it was a valiant effort. Not the best turnout we could have hoped for, but not every year can be a grand slam.

Anyway, I will certainly pass your feedback along to the powers that be in hopes that we can plan a more inclusive and exciting show for next year.

[hdkbill]

Ken,

I will give you that one. The "branding" seminar was outstanding. Kudo's for that one. And, of course the FSC 2257 was good, well attended and good info.

The problem, when fighting the throngs, was trying to figure out where the heck they were going to be held.

When we arrived to pickup our badges we were directed to the registration line for the Expo. Couldn't tell from the signage. After standing in that line we were then directed to the proper line so we got to stand again. While going to that line we say the signage for the "Internext Seminars". But then, they weren't held there so we were late for the first seminar.

After finally getting registering we then had to to back upstairs, down the hallway, around the corner and then back down a long corridor to find the Internext. Hell, by the time we got there I was pooped. Keep in mind, I'm the guy who broke his leg in 11 places a year and a half ago so walking long distances still isn't in the cards.

After going thru the Internext hall, which was a big dissappointment, we then decided to go to the Expo, figuring of course it was back where we originally tried to register. So, back we go, fighitng the computer geeks, back down the long corridor, around the corner, back down the long hallway, back down the stairs and into what, as far as we knew, was the entirety of the Expo. Again, fairly dissappointed with the exhibitors on the floor for a gay webmaster.

Finally, someone told us to go check out upstairs for the rest of the Expo. So, back up the stairs and FINALLY onto the floor. Another dissapointment. Looked all over for the "gay" area and finally found them stuck back in the rear corner. A few booths there, but almost seemed like the gay side of the industry was being treated like the ugly step sisters.

I just think that all in all it was not organized well, very confusing, distances way to far between the floors and just not much there for adult webmasters, especially gay webmasters.

Bill