The eighth incarnation of the Cybernet Expo, held June 12 to June 15 at San Diego’s Shelter Pointe Hotel, quickly turned into something more than your typical webmaster convention, due to the air of uncertainty and fear surrounding the industry as the new 2257 regulations and .xxx TLD moved closer to reality.
"I think the seminars were better this year than last year, even, and last year was a tough one to top," said YNOT’s Jay "LAJ" Kopita, whose company is now in its second year of marketing the Expo. "I attribute the success of the seminars and attendance to major issues like .xxx and 2257 that surfaced over the previous few weeks. I think this show was a little bit wilder than last year."
Wild and wooly, my man.
The show checked in at more than 600 attendees, which is down from its 1998 to 2000 heyday, leaving founder Fay Sharp missing the boom years of the online adult industry.
"Of course ’98, ’99, and 2000 were really the top years for a show. You had a lot more people involved both as attendees and companies. There are less people attending and being involved in tradeshows nowadays. This one was on par, even just above last year, but if you go back to the golden years it really doesn’t compare," she said.
That may well be the case, but going back to the issues facing the industry and the banter that took place, this show had to be one of the most relevant in recent memory.
The sky is falling!
There were really only two issues at hand, and they dominated just about everything that occurred at Cybernet—except for the sheer enjoyment that is an ice-cold Pabst Blue Ribbon. But more on that later.
The highlight of the first official day of the conference was the Niche and Fetish Marketing seminar. During the panel discussion one webmaster, who shall remain nameless, spoke up when confronted with the possibility that the Bush administration may well decide to come after hardcore sites like his.
"We’re going to take a stand," he replied. "We’re not afraid."
The room erupted in applause, but the rest of the day was filled with a lot more confusion than anything else.
A standing-room only crowd took in attorney Eric Bernstein’s Legal Q&A, which to no one’s surprise turned into a 2257 Q&A.
"Some people, unfortunately, are going to be casualties of this war, and some people should be casualties in this," Bernstein said, referring to those companies who didn’t bother to prepare for 2257."[The government] isn’t going to kill this industry unless we let them," he continued.
The second full day of Cybernet took a bit of a turn. While 2257 remained a hot topic, the possibility of the .xxx TLD took center stage during the Hot Issues and Problems in the Adult Internet seminar. Another standing-room only crowd took in a panel that included outspoken anti-.xxx forces Tom Hymes, the Free Speech Coalition communications director; Connor Young, editor of YNOT; and Bernstein, as they debated the issue and exchanged some rather heated words with Adult Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) executive director Joan Irvine, whose organization had stated a neutral position but is largely perceived to support .xxx.
Young openly asked the ASACP, whose advisory council members vote on whether to support the TLD, to join his fight against it.
"I would hope the ASACP would back down from this letter and give us their support," Young said, referring to a letter Irvine submitted during the .xxx open comment period professing her support to help the applicants, ICM Registry, in child-pornography reporting if the TLD became reality.
Obviously, things have changed since Cybernet with, most notably, inspections and prosecutions of FSC members under 2257 being put off until a decision on the organization’s injunction hearing or 30 days from that hearing have passed, but the mood of the conference was best summarized on the final day in the Future of Global Adult Business seminar by HotMovies.com director of business development James Seibert.
"Run for your lives, the sky is falling!" he said. "It’s been falling and it will be falling next year. We’ll just keep going."
Cock rock, Mike Hawk’s mullet, strippers and Grey Goose
Hey, if you thought it was all doom and gloom and attorneys trying to scare pornographers into their pockets, you’d be a fool.
The other half of the Cybernet Expo was the parties, fittingly started off on Sunday evening with the White Trash Bash, sponsored by SmashBucks, AdultFriendFinder, Jupiter Hosting, and Cams.com.
If there were a place in Southern California with more people wearing fake mullets, drinking Pabst, and listening to an all-female AC/DC cover band on a Sunday night could be found, it’s certainly not on the map. There was also the sugar- and alcohol-fueled Jesus Juice, which left a few folks with heavenly headaches.
"Purple Jesus Juice, it rocked the house and hurt some heads at Cybernet," said SmashBucks’ owner Mike Hawk, who was sporting a mean mullet at the party.
Monday featured a slightly more upscale event—the Porn Poker Tour Party, sponsored by CamZ.com, Netbilling, Eroticy.com, PluginFeeds, and SammySmack.com, where Mervyn from HonestPornReviews.com walked away with first place and $1,500 in cash.
The following evening featured a double-dip highlighted, or lowlighted depending upon your affinity for washed-up rappers, of the Player’s Ball and the Tuesday Night Bump and Grind.
The Ball, which was held by the hotel pool and sponsored by MobBucks, SunnyDollars, DanzaBucks, and RealityCash, featured none other than Tone Loc of "Funky Cold Medina" fame. Fortunately, it also featured a wet T-shirt contest and some strippers, who quickly made it a topless contest.
Hoo-ah!
Later in the eve, webmasters retired downtown to the Martini Ranch for the usual dance and drinkery at the Tuesday Night Bump and Grind, sponsored by Herbal Revenue, The Content Store, Juicy D. Links, Oc3 Networks, OPS Billing, ModelCash, and 995 Pays.
Those who managed to stay around until the end of the conference – the number of attendees dropped steeply on Tuesday night – probably found the best and most relaxing party of the week on Wednesday. National Net’s closing party in the Gaslamp District’s Sidebar, featured nothing but the best—free drinks, phat beats, beautiful women, a VIP area, and tables stocked with bottles of National Net owner Tony Morgan’s staple: Grey Goose.
"When we set out to do one of these parties, our number-one priority is that we want people to enjoy themselves, have some drinks, talk to the hot local girls we invite, and forget about the Internet for a couple of hours," Morgan said.
Done and done!
What’s on tap?
Already looking forward to the 2006 edition of Cybernet, organizers have some decisions to make. First and foremost is where the event will take place.
The Shelter Pointe Hotel has offered its facilities to host the event in 2006, but organizers are debating if they want to return, or even if the show will be in San Diego next year. Other items being tossed about include the possibility of having the show over a weekend rather than Sunday through Wednesday, and if Cybernet returns to the Shelter Pointe, there might be some sort of sponsored transportation around the grounds for those too lazy or drunk to walk.
"We’re taking everyone’s constructive criticism to heart and we really, firmly believe that Cybernet Expo is a show for the webmaster community, so anything we can do to make it better overall, we’re certainly going to make those efforts," Kopita said.
So pick up the phone, send an email, or write a letter because Sharp is always looking for ways to improve upon her event.
"I’[ve] yet to be pleased with the show, but I’m my own worst critic," she said. "Things can always be better, whether that’s realistic or not, but you always strive to do better."
