I believe that had this been the only mis-step made by Marc (leading up to the conference), there may be a bit more tolerance shown. Unfortunately, many feel this is the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.
If you recall, the first hubbub was over the addition of Hayden Hewitt, co-owner of Ogrish.com, speaking on “niche advertising.” This caused quite an uproar by those who found Ogrish to be offensive and having little if anything to do with the online gaming industry. Marc’s early replies were flip (at best), informing affiliates that “niche marketing is the wave of the future.” This may very well be, however, most affiliates with so much as a hint of consciousness were offended by the notion that Ogrish would be representative of “the future.” Fortunately, Marc saw reason and removed Mr. Hewitt from the speaker list. Unfortunately, this thread has since been removed, however, those who were so outraged by Marc’s adding of Mr. Hewitt, along with Marc’s subsequent early replies, have not forgotten this mess occurred.
Days later, Marc came up with this thread: http://casinoaffiliateprograms.com/bb/free-cac-passes-contact-your-affiliate-manager-now.14102.html?
MANY affiliate managers were mortified and angered over this and justifiably so. Imagine spending thousands of dollars to exhibit and attend CAC, only to have affiliates threatening to drop exposure, should an affiliate manager not provide passes (or hotel rooms, transportation, etc.). This was a bad idea all the way around and for those already dropping considerable $$$ into the CAC coffers, it was as if they were being “squeezed” further and in a very uncomfortable and embarrassing manner.
Next we have the most recent uproar involving Marc’s initial “sissies” comment, followed by his persistent “guts” and “men from the boys” barbs. Marc has continued to remain defiant and insulting in his position, without so much as an acknowledgement of at least a slight bit of understanding towards those who felt it necessary to pull their participation.
Compared to other industries, the marketing of online gambling is quite casual and relaxed. Because this is so, it should not allow for a lessening of professionalism and certainly not by those who perform a service for payment. Imagine if River City Group were to behave in this same manner…
When the “stress” argument is presented in relation to Marc’s insults, I find it difficult to accept this as any sort of forgivable excuse for what he has done. Was it “stress” that drove Marc to bring Hayden Hewitt on board for the CAC line-up? Was it “stress” that caused Marc to press Affiliate Managers for freebies? Nope…and nor was it stress that caused Marc to alienate those who held legitimate concerns and chose to err on the side of caution.
River City Group continues to do great ‘in-depth’ conferences and Lou has created an absolute phenomenom in his approach with the CAP Spring Break. Both Lou and River City Group have the professionalism, respect and the vision to continue to grow. It cannot be denied that the CAC has evolved into a worthwhile industry event, however, I question whether the CAC can remain viable with Marc at the helm. Judging from the past week, my guess is no.