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Thread Index RE: [isp-marketing] ISPCON - Don't feed the Parasites!
Robert, This is our second year with a booth, and I admit fully that our first year was a bit harsh in design, but it was an experiment and one we fully enjoyed. I don't regret anything we have ever done at this show, and we had a sex doll in our booth at one point. Bad ethics, maybe but we enjoyed ourselves and learned a great deal. We decided this year to be more professional but added what we felt was a down home touch, something we could relate to and so we are giving out shot glasses. Unique, yet memorable. While I may agree with you on a personal level that the booth babes are not professional, many people do not remember a show based on what babe gave them a ring of flowers or who signed them up for a marketing list. They more so remember the networking, the good times and the people they met. I can tell you here personally that while I do not do business with Brand X Networks that Guy Decatrel is one class act. No matter what they would do at any booth he was affiliated with, I would still remember I got the chance to meet Guy and many of the other people at each booth (sorry had to pick on you old friend). I would hope they had the same to say about me. For every person that has our opinion there are 2 others who love the scantily clad gals. It's just a fact of life and any press good or bad still is press. You brought up the fact you hated ISPCon because of the moral issues raised, but I'm sure a few who read this board think now of a chance to get away for a few days and get to feel like they are wanted by a hot woman. We pony up for some conference passes every year for our clients. It's only the right thing to do as a business is to show a good time. Now I have a personal policy never to buy something from someone at the show that doesn't have a booth. I always support those who spend a little to make a little like I am sure you would too. I met a few ladies last year who did not enjoy those certain booths, but as of today's first 3 hours I saw more women than I did all of last year. Was that a mistake? No, I think this industry is changing a little and we will adjust accordingly. This ain't Comdex, this ain't the 80's and this ain't Vegas. This is ISPCon, and if the booth babes don't work now, then a few companies won't be hanging around long based on their lack of leads. Remember the demographic for this industry though; it's a geeky guy ages 25-49, so something may work here where it won't elsewhere. Stephen Klein Eltopia. Anything to Everyone. 866-211-8119 sklein@... -----Original Message----- From: Robert E. Spivack [mailto:isp@...] Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:37 PM To: isp-marketing@isp-marketing.com Subject: RE: [isp-marketing] ISPCON - Don't feed the Parasites! As long as you still have exhibitors renting booth babes, putting them in the skimpiest hotpants this side of a g-string, and parading around like idiots, the show won't get the respect you want and the attendees will not be coming back. I'm sorry, but I think you might tell that exhibitor that this ain't Comdex, this ain't, the 80's, and this ain't Vegas. (Even in the heyday of Comdex, the sell-sex instead of the product promos were milder and also never succeeded.) I realize that an exhibitor showing toward insensitivity to current ethical and reasonable business conduct isn't your fault, but perhaps some "code of ethics" is needed to keep these idiots from infecting anyone else. I'm male, but personally, if I was a woman professional in our industry I would have made an immediate U-turn and marched up to the show desk to complain. -----Original Message----- From: Jon Price [mailto:jprice@...] Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 10:59 AM To: isp-marketing@isp-marketing.com Subject: RE: [isp-marketing] ISPCON - Don't feed the Parasites! Jeff, all - a word of caution: Just so you understand, free hall passes won't get you in to see people like McKown, Elliot, Doug, Guy, Cassidy or Stapleton and the CEO session is ONLY open to the conferees. The show and these guys (just ask them) that I've mentioned above, among many others here are not about the pure connectivity business and there's a ton of hosting content well worth checking out. You might be wise to at least consider a 1 day conference pass if nothing else. Besides, you get breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few hundred peers along with it on Wednesday. Last year, you may have gone to a free "vendor education session" in the conference area thinking it was the conference itself. Assuming the vendor is bright enough to "educate" rather than "vend" during their paid session timeslot, they can and do present excellent free sessions for attendees. But those are not part of the general conference programming. The CEO session was not policed as tightly as it probably should have been last time, but as it was in the Spring: A) we won't run out of drinks this time and B) dinner is served. At $30K+ for a cocktail reception tab and serving meals at $10K a pop, we either need more sponsors to cover the costs or at least make it part of what you get for your $199 that day. Admittedly, I run a very small business too and I can't afford to keep covering the tab for everyone - as much as I'd like to. imho, it's a pretty reasonable value considering the business impact from just about any one single aspect. It's really your choice to make though and depends on the kind of business you run if the $200 is remotely justifiable. Hopefully we have a match with the requirements of your business and an overwhelming supply of sound advice on how to grow it. If not, no harm done - at least we tried and you can check out what's on the exhibit hall floor.:) There can be some free rides out there like the keynotes and walking the exhibit hall. In fact, I'm headed over to pick up the car we're giving away on Thurs - so there are indeed some "free" elements. But everyone PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't show up expecting to sneak in to the conference sessions, lunches or the ISP-CEO session or dinner without the appropriate badge. Sorry if this is a bit OT - just want to make sure this is clear and nobody is left out due to a misunderstanding. Thanks all - looking forward to seeing everyone again! cheers, Jon Jon Price Managing Dir, ISPCON CEO, The Golden Group, Inc. P: 720.221.7225 F: 720.221.7477 www.inboxevent.com www.ispcon.com Inside ISPCON Blog: http://ispcon.blogs.com You make some good points, Guy. Now let me point out my position... I have a tight budget, just like many of us "small guys" do. The show is good for me, but perhaps not as good as it is for others; we do hosting and not connectivity. Last year I paid for a full ticket. And I enjoyed every minute of it. But I saw a lot of people getting free tickets from exhibitors and attending the same meetings I paid to attend. So guess what I did this year? Actually you don't have to guess; it's fairly obvious. Now, unfortunately it's too late to add the full ticket cost to my budget; if I don't get a chance to attend some of those meetings I'll only be attending the exhibits. Last year, and this year, I invited some of my consulting clients to the show... to buy from the exhibitors. They did. It's important to find the right mix and the right value add. I don't think the show is too expensive, and I would not have bought at any price (save maybe a token price) this year, because I honestly expected a freebie once I got to the show, as I saw so many people get last year. I'll budget now to attend the show at the going price next year... that's how much I get your point. (I used to attend Comdex free because I wrote a magazine column. I no longer do so, and I don't pretend to do so, so I no longer qualify for press passes.) Jeff -- Jeff Lasman, Nobaloney Internet Services 1254 So Waterman Ave., Suite 50, San Bernardino, CA 92408 Our blists address used on lists is for list email only Phone +1 909 266-9209, or see: "http://www.nobaloney.net/contactus.html"; ** ISPCON Fall 2005 - Santa Clara, CA www.ispcon.com ** ** THE EVENT for ISPs, WISPS, CLECs and WebHosts ** ** Get Smart about your Marketing. ISPCON will show you how. ** To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. Copyright 2005 Jupitermedia Corporation All Rights Reserved. ** ISPCON Fall 2005 - Santa Clara, CA www.ispcon.com ** ** THE EVENT for ISPs, WISPS, CLECs and WebHosts ** ** Get Smart about your Marketing. ISPCON will show you how. ** ___________ ___________ To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. Copyright 2005 Jupitermedia Corporation All Rights Reserved. ** ISPCON Fall 2005 - Santa Clara, CA www.ispcon.com ** ** THE EVENT for ISPs, WISPS, CLECs and WebHosts ** ** Get Smart about your Marketing. ISPCON will show you how. ** ___________ ___________ To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. Copyright 2005 Jupitermedia Corporation All Rights Reserved. ** ISPCON Fall 2005 - Santa Clara, CA www.ispcon.com ** ** THE EVENT for ISPs, WISPS, CLECs and WebHosts ** ** Get Smart about your Marketing. ISPCON will show you how. ** To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. Copyright 2005 Jupitermedia Corporation All Rights Reserved.
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