"There's No Business Like Show Business," the musical refrain of all things brash and bawdy, was penned back in 1946 by Irving Berlin for Annie Get Your Gun, and eight years later the anthem was repurposed by 20th Century Fox for a starring vehicle for Ethel Merman and Mitzi Gaynor and used as musical proving ground for the bankability of a pre-Gentleman Prefer Blondes Marilyn Monroe. The Merm, a singing Marilyn, the irrepressible Mitzi - you do not need the mental image of the movie poster with our leading ladies glittering in sequins, draped in satin, and festooned with plume-trimmed hats against a red velvet curtain to realize that, in the chronicles of lavender evolution, paths did not get any gayer or more dramatic than that - until the planning for the GAYVN Retreat began, that is. Take those stars from the dressing room doors and use them to mark your calendars for October 25-27, 2007: The GAYVN Retreat is finally upon us. As the only gay-focused show on a very crowded schedule of webmaster events this year, this event is one of stellar importance to us all.
As gay webmasters, we are an emotional lot and while that may indeed be part of our nature, left unbridled that can sometimes work against us. The entire concept of webmaster shows seems to be innately divisive: some of us love them, some of us hate them, and never the twain shall meet. There are as many reasons for shunning shows as there are for attending them, and in the end it is up to each person to decide for him- or herself what is best. When we start trying to decide what is best for others and "different strokes for different folks" is replaced by "my way or the highway," that is when we do a huge disservice to ourselves and our community.
Before and after any show, each camp dukes it out in endless threads, turning message boards into tempestuous hotbeds of intolerance. When the topic is not just a webmaster show, but a gay webmaster show, even the lurkers prophetically chime in, sounding more like the sole surviving bodyguards for the last boatload of virgins to successfully escape Pompei than the shy, wallflowers they normally are. As gay men and women, if we want the world to be accepting of us, we need to start by showing tolerance for each other.
The most dangerous aspect of the drama surrounding the show is that it trounces the most salient truth of them all: The GAYVN Retreat is the only gay show of the year and the single opportunity for our community's voice to be heard. What a travesty it would be if no one hears it because we are too busy yelling at each other.
Like attracts like, and as diverse a group as we are, our collective experiences are more similar than they are different. We have all scoured webmaster portals to try to find any gay-related information at all. We have all searched content sources only to find their supply of gay content is ancient, if it even exists. We have all looked for new traffic sources from a broker and found that they have only straight avenues available. We have all read the homophobia in some of the big straight message boards. We have all wanted the chance to network, learn, and do business where everyone has the same agenda we do: gay and adult. That is exactly what the GAYVN Retreat offers: an opportunity where every conversation does not need to start with the question "Are you in the gay market?" but rather, "Which aspect of the gay market are you in?"
The GAYVN Retreat would be a great choice for those ready to attend their first show. For those who are already avid show-goers, I am sure you are looking forward to it as much as I am. I will admit to being a bit biased: I first met my business partners at a show, and later, at shows we all attended together, we met our director of IT, our VP of marketing, our director of affiliate relations, and scores of our affiliates, and set up many of the strategic alliances that have been, and continue to be, vital to our sustained growth. In that respect, we are far from unique; and while deals can be made anywhere, there is no business like the business you can do at shows!
See you at the retreat!
GayVN
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