With the economy the way it is, everyone was wondering how the InterNext show would fare, being at the huge Western Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. I write this the day after the show, tired and literally worn out. So, clearly you can get a hint from my condition that the show was far from being what the cynics thought it would be. Actually, it was the exact opposite.
Let’s see if I can put this into perfectly understandable terms. The InterNext show was exactly what they said it would be on their website www.InterNext-Expo.com, it was a smashing success. First we need to talk about the InterNext AVN staff who made it their business to help us get situated; Renee Johnson, Megan Sheehan, and Chris Lebrun. They were great. They made themselves available when needed, and if they did not get the message personally from me, let me take this time, on behalf of the businesses that exhibited at the show, THANKS!
Here is what happened in a nutshell… The weather was PERFECT! The sun was shining and the beach was beautiful. Everyone seemed to hand around the resort’s huge swimming pool, where businesses had cabanas and tons of food. If anyone put a hand in their pocket for food, it was only because they did not keep their eyes off the bikini-clad girls and take a few minutes to stroll into the cabanas.
The MEET & GREET
There is no question; the webmasters in attendance were there to do business. Yes they frolicked in the pool, participated in the contests, and soaked up the rays, but InterNext had a SURPRISE for everyone; bring us all together to discuss BUSNESS. They called it a MEET & GREET. At 5:00pm a grand ballroom filled up with both vendors and attendees. The room was packed with vendors displaying at simple draped tables, and giving away literally tons of give-a-ways. The room was huge. The MEET and GREET was supposed to end at 7:00pm. That did not happen. It was funny when I saw the hotel staff arrive at 7:00pm to clean up and quickly realizing no one was leaving. There was a wealth of business being discussed and few left at the 7:00pm ending time. Clearly, the InterNext staff brought everyone back to focus with this Meet & Greet function; allowing additional businesses to acquire a table and interact with everyone in attendance.
The nighttime parties can be best described by me from comments made at the AdultChamber Internext Cabana, following my question “Did you enjoy the parties last night?”. Here are some responses: “Marc, I had the time of my life.”, “Let’s just say, I stayed up later than I have in years. What a fantastic time!”.
Saturday had us working at the AdultChamber Cabana where we were so busy, it was difficult to enjoy the food that was being shared with everyone. Being on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool, it was pure eye candy, mixed with business. I’m still smiling. As a businessman, there is one thing I must say to all those who decided to put off exhibiting this summer at InterNext, it was an opportunity passed. Not only did we get the chance to meet a wealth of webmasters, we intermingled with other exhibitors and made deals with handshakes. The list of those connections can go on and on but the fact that we crossed paths with so many of our current clients, as well as having understandings with other, well, I can only say that missing InterNext would have been a huge mistake on our part.
