Internext 2015 Sees More Attendees, More Networking

LAS VEGAS—The 2015 installment of Internext started off with a bang, and is quickly proving to be the biggest version of the expo—and perhaps one of the biggest internet-based shows anywhere—in the past several years.More than 1,400 registered attendees and sponsors gathered at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas for the show, which opened Saturday, January 17, and continues through today. The presenting sponsor is BitterStrawberry.The show schedule featured several staples that make it a favorite among attendees—speed networking sessions, educational seminars, special presentations by exhibiting companies and, of course, parties.Those who got in on Friday were able to make it to the Mojohost Suite Party. (Click here for photo gallery.) Brad Mitchell and his Mojohost crew welcomed the early-bird arrivals with cocktails and lively chat in their pool villa suite. The next morning, registration (sponsored by Pussycash) got started at noon, and soon a long line snaked out of the Paradise Tower back into the hall leading to the casino. Once in, Meet Market exhibitors hustled off to get their booths and marketing material set up, while show vets caught up with old friends. (Click here for a photo gallery.)For the many newbies there was a seminar on Internext A to Z, with advice offered by AVN staffers. The most salient suggestions, aside from using gallons of hand sanitizer, were about the importance of networking. Appropriately, networking took on a few forms this year, with the traditional speed networking version seeing a packed house every day. The “Elevator Pitch” version of the networking event proved to be a popular, if not quieter, affair. The sessions were sponsored by CamsPower. Listening to the voices speaking in the hallways and the seminar rooms, it’s clear that this show has an international reach. Attendees had come from all around Europe, and there were also visitors from South America, India and eastern Asia. Some had traffic to sell or buy; others were hawking their own content or looking to buy into new niches. And there were many brand-new attendees. Some were looking for providers of traditional services like billing, chargeback help, hosting and advertising; others offering a service themselves—often something innovative. They got a chance to interact with all the big players at the Meet Market, sponsored by Etology, which took place in the early evening of the first day. (Click here and here for photo galleries of all the exhibitors.) Internext wouldn’t be Internext, of course, without unforgettable parties. The first night featured a bash in the Penthouse Suite of the Paradise Tower, sponsored by TrafficHaus and Badoink. And in the Casino Tower’s Real World Suite, Affil4You and JuicyAds teamed up to sponsor a bowling party, where in addition to tossing a few frames, attendees were also treated to Vegas-style entertainment complete with little people and a sexy magician. Check back later today for more photos from these parties as well as the big happenings of the second night: the House of Slam, sponsored by Grand Slam Media; the Traffic Dinner, sponsored by UpForIt, Sextronix, Camspower, Traffic Stars and AdultCentro; and GayVN's Hustlaball Las Vegas, sponsored by Flirt4Free. Next up for today: more seminars in the business, affiliate and GAYVN tracks; the keynote speech by Laszlo Czero of AWE; the Bitches Business Lounge; and the GFY Awards, taking place at Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club and sponsored by PussyCash, WebcamWiz, BitterStrawberry and GFY.com.