Vid, I think almost everyone in the place came up and asked me at one point or another about parties... my answer pretty much was "Platinum Bucks has a suite in the hotel, 2818 or 24 something... I don't know" and "Tonight's party that we know about is..."
Had the party sponsors been a little more proactive in letting everyone know what was going on, they would have had more info posted on the website, distributed at the show, whatever. Parties are cool, the companies that decide to sponsor them are cool, and the show tries it's damndest to make sure everyone knows about the events as they happen.
Vid, until you have tried to do one of these things, you haven't seen what an honest to goodness clusterfuck it can turn into as people change plans, places, and situations, and don't let anyone know until the last minute. Because people are often somewhat out of communication, it is hard to spread the word on changes. The webmaster tour was well communicated, early in the going, and was well attended and VERY MUCH appreciated by everyone who went out on it. Other events were put together at the last minute, and results varied. I am sure that any event that was set up and communicated to Fay would have made the website and everyone would have known about it.
Even with "last minute" we pulled some things off, like getting space set aside and stuff for Guru & Brandy's wedding.
There are always things that could be better, and it is always a learning experience. The lack of booths at the show reflects the industry adjusting the economic times, not wanting to mess with the border, and generally prefering to do more social / instructional stuff and less "big dicking" on booths. I would need both hands and both feet to count the companies that have big dicked booths in the last 2 years at shows only to disappear out of business... Less and less companies are willing to spend to show, and are more than willing to send the right people, mingle, and make the business deals in social settings and seminar rooms.
Get use to it, the business is going this way in the US.
Europe, well, that is a whole other situation... :-)
Alex
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