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08-10-2003 07:44 PM |
Internext - Business Opportunity or One Big Party?
Received this in my inbox today, what do you guys think.....
Article from hahahahahahaha Newsletter
Internext - Business Opportunity or One Big Party?
I have a good business friend who's been looking forward to attending the January Internext in Vegas. I've been gushing about how the conventions are a great opportunity to network, make some business deals, learn some new things and have some fun.
Then the stories from Internext Florida come out, and album after album of public sexual activity, vandalism, drug use and even urinating on a multi-million-dollar yacht were being posted on the various industry boards.
My friend's mood quickly went from anticipation to dread - why should he bother spending the money for a transcontinental flight only to watch adults act like high-schoolers who got into Daddy's liquor? As he put it, "I can see people break things, piss on walls, and get falling-down drunk at home. Why pay to come there and do it?"
The events at this Internext were no less daring and even stupid than past conventions - but the difference is that along the way, someone forgot that this type of debauchery is best left behind closed doors. Just because we're pornographers and we're thought to be perverted, irresponsible scumbags doesn't mean we have to go out into the world and prove those naysayers right.
Last year's Internext in Florida was well-received, and even got good press from a local reporter who attended some of the events. He was impressed at the overall business atomosphere of the convention, and the surprising (to him) lack of public orgies and immature behavior. I wonder if the press will be so kind this year?
The Westin-Diplomat is a high-class hotel that hosts many international diplomats (hence its name) and normally caters to big spenders who know how... or at least where... to keep their pants on. Against heavy local public outcry, they accepted our convention with one simple rule - no public nudity. With no less than 998 rooms and suites, you wouldn't think this would be a problem. After all, we're all adults, right? Even more than that, we're businessmen and women looking to present ourselves professionally.
Apparently though, following that simple rule and acting professional in public is just too hard for some people to manage. Photograph after photograph of couples and threesomes in the hot tub, nude women performing sexual acts on the beach, and breasts on display at every turn prove this. At one party, held aboard an extremely expensive yacht, a few well-known webmasters thought it would be fun to urinate in cups, beer bottles, and even the floors and walls in front of everyone present. This was followed by acting as if they were drinking their own urine. The glorious 60-foot glass atrium in the Westin is the only one of its kind in the Southeast, yet some webmasters thought it would be funny to throw beer bottles at it until they succeeded in breaking it. Never mind that anyone underneath that glass could have been hurt or even killed, or that the heavy rainstorm coming in through the now shattered ceiling would make the marble floors below a deathtrap waiting to happen.
The actions of some webmasters at this event were not only unprofessional, they were childish and disgusting. The tales of this debauchery completely outshined any positive news coming out of the convention and left many webmasters - such as my friend - wondering... why bother? Is this what Internext is really all about?
Even industry Veterans such as Mike AI and Brad Shaw were taken aback by the activities, and had no qualms voicing their opinions on the matter. Sadly, though, their posts were met with an apathetic and even defensive attitude. After all, we're pornographers. We're supposed to be and act trashy. What right do these veterans have "moralising" over what went on?
The point is, the industry has enough of a stigmatism wrapped around it and negative press to last the next 200 years. With the current Attorney General vowing to "crack down" on the adult industry, Visa looking for any reason to stop doing business with us, and processors dropping like flies, this is the time that we should be putting our best foot forward and acting like professionals. After all, you are running a business, are you not?
There is a time for business and a time for partying. However, even while you're at a party, you are still representing your business. Having a good time and being the life of the party is one thing - getting falling-down drunk or disgusting your potential business partners is another. What you do and say can and will affect your business.
I think AcidMaX said it perfectly: "You could be the best businessman in the world, but if I saw you drinking urine during a public function I would never do business with you."
Run your business as a business - or you may find that you don't have a business to run anymore.
On a more positive note, this type of behavior is not what Internext is all about. The roundtables at this event are rumored to be the most heavily-attended, with plenty of webmasters taking the time to pick the brains of industry leaders such as Aly from Python (Grumpy Old Bastards roundtable), Benjamin from SexMoney (traffic roundtable), and Chris from Epoch (billing roundtable). These discussions are the prime opportunity to find out where the industry is headed and how you can prepare for it, as well as having open discussion with the best in the biz.
ARS and AdultPayMaster also joined in, treating webmasters to a fun Lounge Lizard 2 party in the Satine restaurant. Epoch also held a fantastic opening night dinner, and the Spread4U suite was open every night to kick back, relax, and have a few drinks while powering up for the next day. Lightspeed Cash gave new meaning to "good clean fun" with their speedboat rides on the open water. Leading Edge Cash gave new meaning to the term 'guerilla marketing', enticing webmasters to have a Polaroid photo taken with a throng of beautiful - but fully clothed - women. The point being - if you want to enjoy Internext without the high-school antics or public sexual acts and simply hang out with good friends and good conversation, there are plenty of after-hours events that will let you do just that.
All in all, the industry conventions are hands-down the place to be if you want to open avenues for your business and meet up with old friends (even those you've never met in person), as well as providing a much-needed break from the routine. With Internext, AVN provides a setting for some of the most spectacular happenings in the business. Don't let the stories of a few overaged children cause you to shy away from attending - those are the exceptions, not the rule.
And in all likelihood, the people who treat these conventions in such a way won't be around next time to ruin it for those around them. Let's face it - if they'll make decisions like this concerning the way they carry themselves personally, most likely the decisions they make concerning their business activities aren't much better.
Cheers everyone, and we'll see you January 5th-7th in Vegas!
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