$250 to attend Internext...why? (My Final Post On GFY)
 

First off, I will say that I am leaving GFY....not entirely, but more or less as a promotional source and as a daily fix. I will not be here anymore like you all have known me to be, GFY has become a huge nuisance to the online adult world and in my opinion it has barely any business value left when you compare it to the other resources/forums available....anyone who is professional in this biz knows it, and I have spoken to a lot of them and they agree, the only reason they stay here is because they are paid to be here.....I have a new found life in this biz and I am so much more focused and professional than anyone has ever known me to be

with THAT said......

My wife and I made the decision to start hitting conventions again. We didn't for a while just because of the overall value of the convetions, but we feel that the life has been breathed back into the conventions again and it is SO worth it for anyone who is someone in this biz to learn to work the shows again.

My question, and it is a public one, is for AVN....There have been many questions for AVN over the past few years, but I feel the admission fee is one that needs to be seriously addresses. AVN runs Internext, one of the largest Internet shows in the United States, and I have to question why someone that has top sponsors such as Epoch, Platinum Bucks, Silvercash, Video Secrets and PussyCash needs to charge $250-300 for people to enter the event?

I wouldn't question this that much except for the fact that while researching other shows I have come to discover a slew of other shows this_year_alone that have covered all costs for the show from the show sponsors. Once you touch down on the ground in the location of the show all your activities, food, drinks and relaxation are covered in terms of cost....this does not make sense for AVN to charge $300 for a show that, while it is a GREAT time for networking and relaxing, doesn't really churn the brain of a typical webmaster in terms of learning and potential....the topics of the seminars are ranging from Moving Offshore to The War On Porn....and then there is Gambling and also something on Mobile Devices.

Yes, the seminars are wonderful, but come on, 9 seminars doesn't a good convention make?

I guess my final point is that in the world of online adult, with the new breed of shows/conventions/gatherings that are coming up, some people that have been in it for years need to involve. I will be attending Internext 2006 with my wife, it will be the first gathering that we have attended since 2002 (unless you count me getting arrested in 2004 atlanta webmaster access), but I won't be happy supporting AVN and anything they do, I feel they need to change and no one is standing up to tell them that, instead all the larger companies keep shoveling money in their pockets in hopes that someone else will do the standing....but because of standing obligations, I will be there, and I will be drunk :)

Anyway, this is my last post on GFY....well, for the most part, I may get drink and suprise you all...LOL

peace out...I won't be responding to this thread, but I hope it sparks a good conversation about a topic that needs to be addressed.

Bye bye :)

so many good points..

I know how to get in touch with you ;)

good bye , i hope you have a great time

perhaps the fee exists to help weed out the 'non' webmasters from the real ones...people will do anything to make a buck off you these days.

i'll miss yer posts

sorry to see you leaving, i dont know any strictly biz oriented forums today though

Enjoy yourself man

Hmm...yah, the high fee does tend to keep out the riffraff non-webmasters. Considering that the convention is in Vegas and there are tons of tourists walking around that know there are porn stars there, if it was a cheap admission, there'd probably be a ton of nonwebmasters at the show.

As for the seminars, aren't they just there so whoever is holding the seminar can try to sell you something? Like whoever gives a seminar on SEO is actually trying to sell you their SEO toolkit or something?

If I am not mistaken, I think he might be talking about Internext Florida, just because the seminars and info for Vegas have not been released yet, and if you look on the Internext site, he mentions a few of the seminars by exact name

what about all the conventions that are free as long as you register on their site, and as long as you have airfare and hotel everything else is covered by the sponsors?

Goodbye and good luck

avn does the shows to make a profit

I can't help but see a contradiction here. You say GFY no longer has pull as a webmasters/business board and then post a business thread. Anyone else see the irony?

As for the cost of entry, double edged sword. Who can afford to go to Miami can afford $300 entry, the locals who can't can always network in the bar.

But here's a thought, for Vegas and Internext at the same time as the CES. Next year it will not be, but how long before it is again and this side of porn adopts the AVN approach. A day for the professionals and the rest for the general public?

Seems strange to me that shows aimed mainly at consumers going into a porn shop open their doors to everyone and the part of the industry aimed at anyone with am Internet connection, and badly in need of establishing consumer trust, closes it's doors to them.

We do everything we can to bombard surfers, yet when we have a trade show keep them out as if we do not want to meet them.

Bye man and Good Luck!!!

Bump. I definetly agree with Jace. The Internext shows are way too pricey considering they're sponsored out the wazoo.

This place is what you make it..Entertainment or a way to kill some time works for me