Having been going to the shows since 2000, I'm not exactly an old-timer yet but I know I don't fall into the newbie category. It's always a pleasure to spend time with friends at every show I attend... but with every show that I attend I feel quite a bit less interested in reaching out to so many of the new faces that I see. For many it's a party and there's no sincere interest in growing their business, at least not enough interest that they'd actually make an effort.
I know that my first few shows I drank too much and probably got out of hand on occasion. I can't really say that I see things changing from show to show though, there's always a bunch of idiots doing stupid stuff. I know that I'm still likely to stay up until 5am or 6am at least one or two show nights, but I'm alot less likely to be heavily drinking or surrounding myself with people I liken most to idiot frat boys.
I don't think there is a single thing that the coordinators can do because ultimately it's the guests of the convention that set the tone. With the 'herd' thinning out due to lower revenues for many it will be interesting to see if the group of idiots at each show gets larger or smaller.
...dollar for dollar, a trip to Internext is the cheapest party ticket in the country whether you're in the industry or not.
Brad
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