Hi Michael,
As it seems that none of the other show organizers wants the job, I will step into the ring with you, and let myself get beaten up
· First of all, money is relative. If you expect to make 1.000 USD in revenue, I do not think you mind paying 200 USD to get into a show. If you expect to make 50 USD in revenue, you will mind paying 100 USD to get into the show. And if you are convinced to make 5.000 USD in revenue at a show, you will not mind to pay 1.000 or 2.000 USD to get into the show. And if you expect to make zero revenue out of a show - why even bother attending? Math 101.
· So, the show prices are NOT the issue!
· It's the RETURN ON INVESTMENT of the shows that is the current issue!!
To improve that you will need:
· First of all you will need an INDEPENDENT show
· Only an independent show organizer will go out and try to bring in good business for EVERYONE, not just for himself.
· Then that independent show organizer will have to actively go out and analyze which companies own the TRAFFIC currently (and those are less and less webmasters but rather large corporations nowadays)
· Then the show organizer has to try to bring in additional traffic from related Online Entertainment industries (Gaming, Gambling, Betting, Dating, Social Networks, etc.), which currently do not send traffic to our industry. Lots of additional business to be made there.
· To be able to deal with those non-adult corporations and industries the show has to present itself with an extremely professional image (no nudity, etc.). Because if the Adult Online Industry does not present itself as what it is, a professional industry with lots of business opportunities, the big traffic drivers from other online entertainment industries will NOT attend the show. Big dating, gaming, gambling, betting, social network corporations will NOT join a pure Adult show. They have a brand to protect. Visa, MasterCard, Google, Yahoo, MSN, FHM, Maxim, PartyPoker, BWin, etc. will always have an issue with showing their faces at an event with live fucking going on in the background. So the event has to NOT be a pure Adult Online event but rather an event open for all Online Entertainment Industries.
· The show has to lose it nationalistic touch. The Internet is global. So is the Internet business. So needs to be the show. The major Online Entertainment companies from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia have to be present. There is still a lot of business left on the table there.
· The various Online Entertainment sectors have to meet, get to know each other, learn to trust each other, and ultimately start doing (new) business together. Therefore excellent, working networking opportunities have to be provided by the show organizer.
· The independent show organizer has to classify each participant (What does the company offer? What is the company looking for?), and pass that information on to all the other participants, so that people can start the networking BEFORE the show. So that people only have to meet at the show to FINISH OFF deals.
· Like that people can start making bigger traffic deals again - and ultimately start making more money.
· Last but not least you will have to RAISE the price of the show, to insure that the show only attracts C-level decision makers. Better 2-3 really relevant significant big deals than speaking to 50 people who like to speak about business, but unfortunately got none.
So, to answer your question in a line: To make shows/conferences worthwhile for business again, we will all have to start building professional, independent business shows/conferences together. And that is not a job for a single show organizer, but rather for our industry as a whole - in the benefit of the whole industry. Some real team work is needed here.
This includes for the show organizer
· Stay independent
· Go actively out and bring in new Adult biz
· Motivate the other Online Entertainment Industries to get to know the Adult Online Industry
· Bring in the professionals
· Keep out the freeloaders
For the industry it means
· Tell your show organizer what you like about his shows
· Tell your show organizer what you did not like about his show
· Help the your show organizer to become better - it's in the interest of everybody
· And: Support your show organizer(s). In the end they are setting up those shows for YOU.
I also believe that not ONE show can please EVERYBODY. The target groups are too different. There should be excutive shows (type Island Gathering), professional B2B events (type Summit), webmaster meetings (type Dutch webmaster meeting), offliner shows (type Venus or AVN), etc. One event will never be able to cater to all those various target groups. That idea is deemed to fail.
Looks like quite a fun job to me ;)
Hope someone is crazy enough to take this challenge on any time soon!
Kindest regards,
Andreas
P.S.: And sorry, again, it's not about the entrance price of shows. If someone does not have a couple of hundred Dollars or Euros to invest in his new business idea or business network, what kind of business man or woman is that? People can spend a hundred dollars on drinks in a weekend, but cannot invest the same amount in their professional growth? Sounds weird to me. Sorry. You will only attract uninterested, unmotivated people just wanting to "check out a porn conference". That is all you will attract. Just my 2 cents.
P.P.S.: And please send me your presentation whenever it is done. I am open for discussions about how to improve my show.