Qwebec-Expo kicked off today in Montreal, Canada. The expo is a trade show and technical conference serving existing and prospective online adult entertainment professionals across North America.The conference unofficially kicked off Thursday night with a warm-up party held in one of Montreal’s famous strips, the Rue Crescent at the Mad Hatter Saloon. The event was sponsored by Too Much Media. Attendees and exhibitors took over the rooftop terrace of the casual sports bar and enjoyed spirits and cigarettes before the start of the expo.
“This is a great spot to start out the expo,” says Norton Burah, president of online billing company Paymonde.
The expo is being held through Sunday at the Montreal Marriot Chateau Champlain, a boutique-style hotel located in downtown Montreal that boasts suites overlooking Mount Royal and the St. Lawrence River.
The four-star hotel is an ideal environment for the expo, given the intimate and elegant setting. Exhibitors and attendees agree that one of the key benefits of the small conference is the quiet, relaxed atmosphere, which is more beneficial to conducting business than some of the larger expos.
“[Qwebec-Expo] is giving me to the chance to really sit down and meet face-to-face with business contacts,” says Derek Meklir, whose site AdultWhosWho is the directory sponsor for the expo. “It really gives attendees the chance to get a lot of business done.”
The seminar began with back-to-back seminars held on the exhibit floor.
Panelists for the New-Bee seminar included Nancy Moore from Pornication and GammaCash (which sponsored the seminars), Robert Warren from Webmaster Paradise, “Evil Chris” from Teen Revenue, and “Panky” from Adult Net surprise. YNOT Bob from YNOT Radio moderated the seminar, which offered newbie adult webmasters advice on everything from marketing to living a life in the adult world.
The second seminar of the day included panelists “SleazyDreams” from Sleazy Dreams TGP Marketing, YNOT Bob, Joe Sterner from PrideBucks, and Evil Chris. Meklir, who flew in from Chicago for the show, moderated the panel.
Friday’s seminar on content production and management included panelists Vid Vicious from Video Vicious Photography, Uncle D. (known as the Canadian “Buttman”) from Touch Your Toes.com, and Franca from Montreal Studio Multimedia (MSM).
The seminar, moderated by Qwebec-Expo organizer Michel Plante, covered one of the hottest topics for online adult producers: model management.
“Keep models happy,” says MSM photographer and model manager Franca. Pampering models and being their best friend are crucial elements to keeping good relationships with models, Franca said during Friday’s seminar. “Make her feel like a million [dollars], because she represents a million, and she can most likely bring you a million. She’s giving you what you put in your pocket.”
“The most important thing in dealing with models or anyone in this business is respect: If you maintain it you can have longevity in this business,” echoed Vicious. Vicious, a 17-year broadcasting veteran (with six years in adult) and creative director and director of photography for MSM is the director of Porn Star Academy 2, the No. 1 selling adult DVD in Canada.
“Stay respectful and you’ll go a long way.”
Seminar attendees also had questions on the scouting of models and the best places to find them. The panelists’ response? Everywhere—from strip clubs, escort agencies, back-ads of local weeklies, and CraigsList to local community colleges, potential models are everywhere.
Coincidentally, the expo has garnered some attention from the mainstream, by way of exhibitors, at least.
Turnkey streaming solutions company and expo exhibitor Stream the World launched new software at the conference that allows users to convert video into instant flash streaming video, a tool the company says can be very useful for online adult business owners.
“Our company has been streaming radio for years,” says the company’s business development manager, Pascal Cardinal. “Currently, we stream several radio stations for CBS, but we’re also really looking at the adult online market for business.”
