Guess what folks? There are just about two weeks left until Cybernet Expo kicks off in San Diego, California! Frankly I?m nothing less than jazzed about this gathering. California is my home state, and lately I haven?t visited it as much as I would like. San Diego is a bit more conservative than its Los Angeles neighbor, but it still falls into that broad category of ?Southern California? city; let?s just say that I?m not expecting to see groups of protesters from the local church holding up signs that decry the sinfulness of pornography. The weather is usually great this time of year, and the city of San Diego is beautiful. Even better, Cybernet Expo will bring some of my favorite people from the online adult entertainment field together under one roof. I?m certainly expecting good times and a fantastic environment for both learning and networking. Everyone needs a break from the office routine once in a while. Cybernet Expo is both a reward for hard work and an opportunity for more hard work.
Yet attending trade shows costs money. Whether your business is just getting started, struggling to make money, or doing quite well thank you very much? if you are planning on attending Cybernet Expo then you should do so with a carefully thought-out game plan. Sure, you can stroll into Hyatt Regency Islandia on the 9th, pick up a show schedule and then play it by ear; if you take this casual approach, however, you might miss out on some important opportunities. If you instead arrive in San Diego with a clear mission and a mind as to how you might accomplish your goals, you stand a better chance to come away from Cybernet with more bang for your buck. So much of your experience at any trade show will be what you yourself put into it.
People attend adult industry trade shows for a variety of reasons. Still, most attendees fall into one of two categories: people hoping to promote their company?s good or services to other businesses, or people looking to learn how to make more money with their business. Maybe you are a Webmaster who wants to learn more about getting lots of traffic to your adult sites, or maybe you just want to meet face to face with the people who run the affiliate program that you use. Perhaps you work for or own a company that offers goods or services to other adult Webmasters and you view trade shows as your chance to land some new customers. Either way, you can certainly achieve your goals at Cybernet Expo if you attend with the right approach. Let?s take a moment and examine these two types of attendees and how they might start planning for the San Diego event.
Most of the people who attend Cybernet Expo will have something ? be that content or software or Web design services or an affiliate program ? which they would like to sell to other attendees. If you fall into this category then now is the time to start thinking about your sales or networking goals. What exactly do you hope to achieve? Of course you will want to be realistic, so a good place to start is break even. How much is it going to cost you, after tax write-offs, to attend this event? Factor in plane tickets and other transportation expenses, hotel costs, food and drinks (although some of that you?ll get for free at parties and the Silvercash-sponsored bar), any entertainment expenses, any parties or event sponsorships you might be paying for, and promotional materials such as fliers, free giveaways and business cards. If one of your primary goals is to brand your business then you might not expect to come away from San Diego with enough sales to pay for your expenses. For everyone else, the total of all expenses is a good number to set as a base sales target. If it will cost you 2k to attend, then anything over 2k in sales should be considered a complete success. After all, even if you just break even, the trip cost you nothing and the exposure for both yourself and you business is truly valuable in the long term. The more other businesses get to know you, the more comfortable they will be to do business with you in the future? assuming of course that you present yourself well and make a positive impression.
Keep in mind that you may have more than one goal, but try to keep your expectations realistic. If you are running an affiliate program, for example, your goals might include landing new affiliates, finding some original content for your pay sites, working traffic trades with other affiliate programs and finding new ways to advertise your affiliate program to other Webmasters. Prioritize your goals beforehand, and be prepared to pursue any of these goals at any time, depending on who you run into. Imagine you?re standing around at a party, tossing down a few drinks, and a friend introduces you to someone from MongoWongoCash, or whatever. In this case you probably want to start thinking about how you can convince this person to send you some of his company?s Web site traffic. With each person that you meet, be prepared to analyze what that person does, and how your business might be able to profit from a business arrangement with that person.
If you are attending Cybernet Expo as part of a company team then remember your comrades in arms! Perhaps your job is to locate some fresh sources of content but you keep running across people who are looking for traffic trades. Well, who in your company is responsible for this aspect of your business, and how can you put that person into a conversation with all of these traffic seekers? If nobody in your company is interested in traffic trades then which one of your best business partners are looking for traffic? Thank about it and arrange the meeting. Look out for your brothers and sisters and fully expect them to look out for you in return.
One more tip for you business-to-business attendees: always place yourself in the best situations to achieve your goals. Spending all night in your best friend?s hotel room getting drunk, eating pizza and playing spin the bottle with the gorgeous model he or she brought to San Diego might be a lot of fun, but chances are you won?t secure many business deals in the process. I?m not suggesting that you shouldn?t take any time whatsoever to enjoy yourself, but whenever possible do so in a manner that still gives you access to other show attendees.
How about the Webmasters or other professionals who are attending Cybernet Expo to learn more about their craft? You too have to spend a little time coming up with a plan of attack. Your broad goal is to learn, but what areas of study are you most interested in learning about? Perhaps you have the traffic game down pretty well but you?re concerned about legal issues. Maybe you are thinking about shooting your own content but don?t know how to find models. The first step here is to get a look at the show?s seminar schedule and mark the seminars that are a ?must attend,? the seminars that are a ?might be interesting,? and the seminars that are a ?no thanks.? You can find the complete list of Cybernet seminars here:
http://www.cybernetexpo.com/seminars.html
Of course seminars are just one aspect of Cybernet Expo; you will also want to attend the parties and visit some of the sponsor exhibits. Exhibits are not the focus of Cybernet Expo, but those companies that do exhibit are generally the cream of the crop, so this will be your chance to meet some of the industry?s most important companies and pump their reps for information. Parties are also a great way to meet new people and forge new business relationships. Take a peek at the party schedule and plan on attending as many parties as possible. Here?s the schedule:
http://www.cybernetexpo.com/parties.html
Keep in mind that sometimes important but unexpected opportunities will surface at trade shows. If you find that you have made an important new business relationship and need time to nurture it then try to be flexible with your schedule. YNOT will be covering many of the most important seminars in the weeks following Cybernet Expo, so if you miss a seminar you can at least read about it later. Perhaps that?s not as good as the real thing, but it helps make up for any unexpected schedule changes you might be forced to make.
One last bit of planning advice: spend some time right now taking a look at the list of exhibitors. Do a little bit of background research about the companies that will be exhibiting so that you can hold an intelligent conversation with their representatives when you arrive in San Diego. Instead of asking, ?Who are you and what do you do,? you can instead ask, ?How can your company help me make more money, and how are you better than other companies that offer similar services?? You might even pick up a few clever traffic tips if you ask the right people and you ask nicely.
There you have it folks, my challenge to you to start getting ready right now for Cybernet Expo so that it will be a productive trip for your business. If you weren?t planning on attending but are having second thoughts, it?s not too late, but the longer you wait the more expensive that plan ticket will be. For those of you who are definitely attending, make your plan now, think about any work that you will need to do before you leave, and enjoy yourself in San Diego.