AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands—The recently-concluded Webmaster Access Amsterdam adult webmaster trade show, which included the AWMOpen 2011 and the Dutch Webmaster Meeting, attracted upwards of a thousand attendees to the accommodating Park Hotel for four days of jam-packed business, events, dinners and parties.
From all accounts, the show was successful beyond the expectations of even the show organizers, who worked hard to build upon the success of last year’s event to make this year’s even more attentive to the needs of sponsors and attendees alike.
As everyone knows, the venue is a key ingredient to the success of these shows, and the Park Hotel, with beds to die for and enough meeting rooms and quiet places to satisfy the most discriminating networker, was a hit. But WA Amsterdam 2011 was also a bona fide success as a genuine international gathering of industry professionals, with 300 Dutch, 200 Russian and 500 other webmasters of various nationalities. The proof of this was exemplified by the lobby area, which was often impassable due to the crowd of people mingling and networking in a cacophony of languages. Oh, and the cigarette smokers, who milled in front of the hotel day and night, only coming inside during the brief rain squalls that interrupted the normally brisk and beautiful Holland days and nights.
In terms of organized events, intense involvement was the order of the day. Speed networking took place daily, and each time, people needed to be turned away and were asked to return the next day when they would hopefully have better luck procuring a seat. As far as the seminars went, even the one panel that convened at the ungodly hour of 10 a.m. was full, every seat taken for a fast-paced discussion of tube sites.
As more evidence of the international make-up of the event, translators were available for all of the seminars so that the Russian webmasters could follow along, and were also utilized to provide English translations for the Russian panelists who spoke little or no English. The service was seamless in its efficiency and did not cause the slightest delay in the delivery of information. To the contrary, it only underlined the value of this unique global gathering.
WA Amsterdam also featured the first annual GFY Awards and party, which took place Sept 17 at the Buddha Bar, located across the canal from the hotel. Packed to the rafters, with an open bar and music loud enough to wake the dead, GFY’s longtime zookeeper, Eric M. announced the winners to hoots and cheers from the crowd. The winners are available here.
The last day of Webmaster Access featured a sponsor’s brunch and various tours of special Amsterdam landmarks, all with the purpose of lowering the blood pressure of attendees still looking forward to the other webmaster events taking place in other European cities. As the jump-off event, though, WA Amsterdam more than fulfilled the expectations of a thousand or so webmasters looking for love and business in all the right places.
Of course, special thanks go to the sponsors of the event, including Corporate Sponsors AWE, CommerceGate, PussyCash and Manwin; Media Sponsors GFY, MasterX, IQ69 and Fubar Webmasters; Lunch Sponsor EroAdvertising: Meet Market Sponsor AlertPay; Hangover Sponsor Webzilla; Free Refreshments and Cocktail Reception Sponsor Saboom; Lounge Sponsor Brazzers; Speed Networking Sponsor CCBill; Canal Tour Sponsor Verotel; Brunch Sponsor AVN; Marijuana Museum Tour Sponsor TrafficShop; Heineken Tour Sponsor promociones web: Museum Tour Sponsor UpForIt; Spa Sponsor TemaCash.com; Traffic Dinner Sponsors TrafficJunky, Adult Centro and Saboom; and Seminar Sponsors SexGoesMobile, Webbilling, SexMoney and Moniker. Additional thanks as well to Reporo, Webzilla and EroAdvertising for their sponsorship of Friday night’s Webmaster Rock Party; and also to AdultCentro, PornBanana, BrokerBabe and CSCash for their sponsorship of the GFY Party and Awards, which were hosted by PussyCash.
