I would say my best memories of the player's ball go back to IA2000 (for those old timers of us before it became InterNext) circa 1998. I was in the biz maybe 7 or 8 months at the time, and things had really started getting good --- so of course the natural progress was to hit the show and see what it was all about.
This year the convention was at the Monte Carlo, and had such an energy to it because so many people were new. Aside from that, the business of the adult internet was still quite new as well, and there wasn't a negative vibe in the house. It's funny to think back to that show - the convention floor was soooooo small compared to later years, and really in such an infancy.
The opening party was at the brew pub in the Monte Carlo, and the little schoolgirl chicks were floating around everywhere. Forgive me for not remembering which company sponsored these girls, but they were some damn good eye candy
Andre from picpost was taking pics of all his buddies and getting them up on the web that night, which was pretty cool.
I believe the Player's Ball that year was in club Utopia, but I could have my parties mixed up
But we did hit the Player's Ball that year, and afterwards my group and the AdultBuffet guys partied it up in the Houdini bar in the Monte Carlo until about 5am. Man oh man I was drunk until like 5pm the next day! lol Good times... good times...
I've been to the show a number of times after that year, but none of the experiences can live up to that one. Maybe it was because it was my 1st year in the biz, or maybe it was because money was rolling in like wildfire.... I don't know. But whatever it was, that was the best for me!