As the 2006 Internext Summer convention came to a close on Sunday, many people skipped out of town once the show floor had closed early in the afternoon. But, those who stuck around for one more night were treated to a couple more final gatherings.
Epoch – a continued presence throughout the convention with a series of company-sponsored events (including Saturday’s rooftop bash at Nocturnal in downtown Miami) – hosted its final shindig of the weekend with another networking party in suite 301 of the Westin Hotel. An open bar and tasty hors d’ oeuvres were served attendees who mingled on the suite’s balcony overlooking the ocean.
Although there were few in attendance (presumably because most were saving their energy for the GAYVN-hosted party that followed), the Epoch event did provide webmasters with some much-needed R&R.
“The show appeared to be much more intimate this year as opposed to years prior,” says Adult Chamber Director of Marketing Cynthia “Cyndalie” Ashlock. “With the amount of shows in 2006, the decision to attend was tough, [but] we felt the mixture of exhibition space and relaxed networking areas fit our needs. Though attendance was lower in general, the quality of the attendees was right on.”
While the Epoch mixer provided webmasters with a much-needed chance to relax, things weren’t nearly as quiet later on at GAYVN’s Bon Voyage Bash in suites 319 and 320. Party dwellers were not only treated to the usual open bar and munchies buffet (stocked with jumbo shrimp, chicken, fruit, and cake), but also tons of swag—including the V.I.P. DVD box set of Showgirls and Badpuppy.com T-shirts—and a trio of male go-go dancers from the Fort Lauderdale bar The Board Walk.
One of the most-attended parties of the convention, the Bon Voyage Bash drew both gay and straight webmasters, who came together for one last night of frolicking and festivity. It also gave many webmasters the chance to reflect on the quality of this year’s show.
“I think that the small show floor freed up a lot of people, which ratcheted down the manic element during the day,” said PrideBucks’ Harlan Yaffe. “People were free to have conversations—where in the past, when we had a booth, the people that we ultimately needed to do business with were three rows down with their backs to us.
“With the whole independent tier of webmasters getting forced out of the business, it was more about companies making deals and finding opportunities of trading traffic with each other,” Yaffe continued. “The lack of attendance on the show floor spilled over into more people looking to make deals, and we did it. On Saturday, we had seven meetings, which is probably more than we’ve ever had in one day at a conference. And, it was both quality and quantity. I could not be happier.”
