I have been innundated by email and phone calls that basically echo those sentiments. Warren said he heard the same thing repeatedly in Las Vegas too.
While we aren’t particularly interested in creating conferences where people are bored to death by one talking head after another we will be expanding our affiliate “breaks” to meet the needs of the industry.
As has been stated over and over the true business value in conferences is the networking that takes place and the deals that get done, we also believe that when people also have fun it makes the total package a winner for all who attend.
We will be adding a CAP Fall Fiesta in Mexico next year around the time of G2E and CAC and a European Break in London that will compliment ICE. That will bring us to three breaks throughout the year and I think that is more then enough for us to ponder.
It’s important to note that our events are NOT meant to replace any existing conference. They are affiliate networking events and will be structured to reflect that emphasis. We will have the excitement of top notch social events like we have every year at CAP Spring Break, plus one day of educational seminars and round table discussions. Since our certified partners really enjoy having a designated place where you can find them to broker new deals we will add on a display hall for a day and half where they can have booths or hospitality areas.
Other key points are:
* We only select the VERY BEST venues to host our events so you wont find us at flea bag hotels or condemned properties.
* We produce these breaks as a means of promoting networking and growth of our industry, we dont tack on exorbitant mark ups on our social events. When a certified partner sponsors an event those funds are used to give you the best function possible not to pad our pockets. As a result YOU get better events and the certified partner gets the maximum bang for thier buck.
* We dont charge attendence for affiliates. If you are a CAP member you are invited and encouraged to attend. We dont put up barriers to attendence, we WANT you here!
I will keep everyone posted as we have more info available