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Thought a play by play account of things might be fun. Here goes:
….it’s 1:10am and the night has pretty much winded down here for a lot of people, myself included.
The night started of with a great dinner at Spago (thanks to all the sponsors for a great dinner!). Met a bunch of great people!!!
Randy, Antoine and myself continued on to a bar at Excalibur that had a great band doing cover tunes from the 50’s onwards.
At the bar we had some good discussion about SEO, PPC etc. The Magaritas, Gin and Tonics and probable jet lag took its toll and the night is now over.
Looking forward to Day 1 of the conference in about 7 hours.
Thats the prelim update… stay tuned.
thanks … I was there last year and I couldn’t make it this year so
it is appreciated …anybody bring a digital camera ?
:bigsmile:
The speakers today did a nice job in general. Truth is, there wan’t much info that established affiliates wouldnt have known. Most the info was found in the networking breaks when the affiliates who attended shared ideas.
Apparantley the turn out was huge from an affiliate view. Myself, time was spent with Islandman (Brian), Randy, Antoine and a few newbies who’s names I cannot remember at this time.
Las Vegas is cool. So much so that I extended my stay by 2 days. Anyways, the sponsors have been great, people have been nice, but the content is geared more for beginners than those famiiar with the market.
It’s 3:42 and time to sign out. Good Night.
Hey Everyone,
Patty and I will be in Vegas leaving Oct. 8th. It was great seeing all my good friends here in Vegas. When I get home I will post more about the trip. Patty and have alot of sight seeing to do and more shows to go see. My cell phone number is 1-276-494-6554 and we are satying at the Mandalay Bay suite #7807. :bigsmile::cheers:
P.S. Somebody help me get away from these fucking slot machines. There killing me. :bigsmile:
Truth is, there wan’t much info that established affiliates wouldnt have known. Most the info was found in the networking breaks when the affiliates who attended shared ideas.
Agreed – as an experienced affiliate there was NOTHING in the seminars worth while! In fact a few of the speakers didnt know their arses from a hole in the ground!
The meeting and greeting that went on was worthwhile and the gaming, shows and site seeing were top notch!
Arkyt –
I would be interested in knowing which speakers were not that good as I missed nearly all the sessions…
Arkyt
The people that speak at this event do so to stay on the cutting edge of internet marketing. If you are more advanced than them, then I suggest you show them how far behind they are.
That being said, why don’t we get you to speak next time at the event.
Give me a call so we can discuss a topic.
Marc Lesnick
Conference Organizer
Casino Affiliate Convention
http://www.cac2004.comI don’t think that it really matters whether the speakers themselves know more than the attendees or not.
The truth is, did anyone expect to attend a conference and be given the “the magic bullet” to internet riches? I don’t think so.
For me I had a pretty good idea that I probably wouldnt learn a whole lot, and that has nothing to do with the knowledge of the speakers. It may have more to do people not being so willing to give away all their own hard earned knowledge for nothing. For instance, I enjoyed the SEO presentation but didnt have any illusions about learning how to beat the Google sandbox or anything like that. No one, is gonna give it up for free, and I mean no one.
There is an inherent flaw (for a lack of better words) with these types of conferences, and people should be aware of it. The “flaw” is that there are generally two types of people that attend these conferences.
1) The affiliates, who are competitors with one another
2) The exhibitors and speakers. They are there to either sell you on their program or promote a service that you may use
Both of these groups are in business to make money. They are not there to share every cutting edge idea or technique they have for a greater good that benefits everyone, that is not smart business.
So for me the conference is a great meet and great where you can meet the casino partners, learn a little here and there, and form some friendships and possible alliances. My expectations were realistic and therefore I thought the conference was worth the price of admission.
Yorkton (Marc), put on a very well organized show that met my expectations. The only suggestion I would have is to get as much feedback from affiliates as possible regarding the content of the presentations and go from there. This was probably done, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyways.
* Disclaimer – The views expressed here is my personal opinion only and may not mean $%&** to anyone, lol
I think the presentation from the two gentleman on Monday about SEO was one of the best presentations i have seen in any show. That says alot as I have been attending gaming shows for nearly 7 years.
Good job mark, these speakers were forthright and it was refreshing to listen to them.
Brian
I always come away with something.
It’s not necessarily that the speakers tell me something new I want to use – it is that I sit there for hours thinking about things – and something will take shape while I sit there. Something will trigger a train of thought that leads to a new idea. It happens to me every time. And usually the idea is sound and works for me.
So while the individual speakers may not be giving me the idea, it is the amount of time spent thinking about the business that does.
And I agree, the SEO presentation was good and very refeshing.
I would like to see these guys in Miami next spring.
The networking still is the most attractive part. I always come home with some new deals and new friends in the business.
I also like the beer session – I wish more people would speak up because that is where we can directly communicate with managers about what we want to see. I was quite disappointed that BB1 was not there for that.
The Alexa presentation did let me know of a competitor comparison tool they offer, but other than that I was already familiar with the other items in the presentation. Maybe I am lost, but I believe Alexa is and has been insignificant to me and this industry.
And sure the SEO discussion was professionally presented by good speakers, but unless you have never heard of SEO or have been living under a rock nothing new was presented – NOTHING!
Another of the presenters came under fire by several audience members – he was representing a contextual marketing firm – potential SCUM. Several times he answered with an “I don’t know” to audience questions and had numerous in the crowd chuckling with amusement!
The Empire Poker presentation seemed more like a player recruitment presentation than anything of benefit to an affiliate.
There were several discussions I did not attend – most seemed geared toward affiliate programs and actual casinos and NOT affiliates. DDOS attacks, TV advertising, Web communities, etc
I found it funny that you’ve got Casino City suing the DOJ because their TV ads were pulled yet 3-4 presenters were talking about TV advertising as a feasible option. Several online SE and Directories stopped accepting Gaming Ads, yet 3-4 presenters presented them as feasible options for advertising! How long ago was it that they stopped accepting ads/sites from the gaming industry? WHY were these presenters not aware of this?
Even more annoying were the dating, pharmaceutical, and other unrelated business cards stuffed into my “casino affiliate” handbag! If that wasn’t enough I had to hear Mark verbally push those industry events on me when I should have been listing to casino affiliate content ! All of that just reinforced the feedback I was getting from numerous affiliates and programs alike.
This was my FIRST event – I truly enjoyed the networking but IMHO the seminars could have been a LOT better and moreover more geared toward the casino affiliate. To me it seemed like there were a lot of sports books there – which in North America is more touchy than general casinos – I was told this was unusual, but none-the-less it was the case.
Since this was my first conference I have nothing to compare it to – I can only say considering the potential it could have been a lot better …
Good info Brian – if you think it was good, it must have been, because I know you’ve definitely seen it all
Thanks everyone for the kudos and the comments. I only got 3 feedback forms. When I get few surveys, that means the event went well.
Arkyt…how was your delegate bag ‘stuffed’ wiht 5 business cards when there were a slew of magazines, brochures, hats, cameras and other nick-nakcs? 5 Business cards listing other events ? And it completely must have overflowed your bag….. The shame of it all
The majority of attendance at the event are casino managers. Not only are they interested in advertising options (ex: Television) as well as other management issues (DDOS attacks), but believe it or not, they are entrepreneurs and many are interested in the other conferences I run. That’s why the business cards were there. And many attend.
Sorry to give you the Bad news Arkyt, but business cards for my other events will be in the delegate bag for the Amsterdam event April 7-8……and yes they will be in the delegate bag for the Las Vegas event Sept 11-12 as well. You can ‘unstuff’ them from your bag and give them back at the front desk.
But alas, Arkyt, you haven’t answered my question……since you claim to know so much more than the speakers that presented, why not we have you speak next year? You can show us alll your level of expertise. The speakers at my event are all very interested in knowing how far behind they are from the cutting edge. You can do so without giving away secrets.
For all who read, my rules are simple. Speakers are not allowed to make a sales pitch or a commercial with the allotted time they are given. They present a neutral and objective topic on the subject. If they don’t know their salt, the delegates are encouranged to ‘destroy them’ with questions. The industry does not want non-perrformers, and neither does this conference. Speakers are aware of this in advance. Those that accept are excited to speak and want feedback. They are open minded: they want to improve on their weaknesses and know their strengths.
I’ve invited many “internet casino marketing experts” to speak at this event. Many decline. The reason why: They don’t know their salt and they are afraid of being exposed at the event to the industry. As a result, many casino clients would no longer use them for thier services and see them for the great rip-offs that they are.
Also, a surprise to me….Affiliates stand to do well marketing via web communities. That’s why we gave Franz Winner the chance to speak. Aww, heck, what do I know Arkyt? I’m just the conference organizer and have been in the business since 1998. But lets get you up on the soapbox next year in Vegas…. OK? Contact me so we can arrange a topic.
Marc Lesnick
Conference Organizer
http://www.CasinoAffiliateConvention.comwell I seem to recall (and I’m sure I will be corrected if wrong), but didn’t Mark say in one of the earlier threads, that this event in particular was going to be aimed at the more experienced aff.
and not the newbie?
my take from reading posts and talking to those that actually went to the deal, was that there was very little for the seasoned aff to have learned.
Personally I agree with Kevin that if you’ve any experience at all; you would likely be saying to yourself; what the hell can they tell me that I don’t already know? – that is worth $550?
Man that’s a chunk of change to put out to find out that you’re every bit as smart as you thought you were.
Hey Mark,
It was great to see you again in Las Vegas. Next event I would be willing to speack about how to drink massive quantities and still be a success. :bigsmile::cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
