Negril Net 2003: Pace, Presence, and Personality
- by Cynthia "Cyndalie" Ashlock
There is something about the pace of Jamaica that has taught me a few things about our industry, and how to bring warm enticement back to discouraged clientele. There is something about how one bad experience will make you never want to come back to a certain place, or how having the wrong expectations (too high or too low) can be either pleasing or detrimental to your experience. Somewhere there is a common ground, a plane we all come together on. I was there when that plane landed, at the NegrilNet Bash in Jamaica.
2003 celebrated the fourth year of the Negril Net Bash , and I personally celebrated my 5th year in the adult Internet business the same week. Starting on Tuesday, February 4th, webmasters from all around the globe came together to simply get to know one another, network, and have fun- all at their own pace.
I have attended six of the past eight Internext/IA2000 shows, and come home sick and worn out every time. When you are shouting over blaring music or five feet away from someone you'd like to talk to yet never get the chance, how well can you really get to know the people with whom you do business? NegrilNet was the complete opposite of every other webmaster event I have attended. I returned home on Saturday feeling refreshed, relaxed, and better than ever. And even though I did not return home with a stack of business cards, I know the name, face, and company of almost every person who attended, by heart. I met about 50 webmasters attended this gathering, and it was a great mix of personalities, talent, and a broad representation of our industry. However, according to Dokk of Albumside.com, organizer of the NegrilNet Bash, the attendance total was actually around 300. Due to late registrations and booking, many webmasters were scattered around the island, mostly doing their own thing. The 50 mentioned in this article all stayed at the Mariners Beach Club Condos.
No Hurries, No Worries
After getting off the plane with Matt from PSWBilling.com and Twinkley and Buran from TheAdultWebmaster.com, we met up in Montego Bay with Amanda from Python, Dokk, and several others. We took a shuttle from the airport to Negril, which was a beautiful and scenic hour drive on brand-new smooth roads. Jamaica appears to be healthy, with clean water, beautiful seas and green mountains, and everyone we met was very friendly and courteous.
Something about Jamaica that struck me was the tempo of the people. Nothing happens fast in Jamaica, nor do you really want or need anything to anyway. Does it really matter that you wait an hour for your dinner when you are watching the sunset over the water, enjoying outdoor dining and great company? Not for me! I've found that when everything you do is rushed, you not only lose quality, you lose much of the enjoyment in what you are actually doing. People can tell a rush job from quality work. In your Web site design, think about creating an atmosphere that makes your visitors feel relaxed and unhurried, where they can sit back and take things at their own pace. Simply by letting one know what is available, and will be available when they want it, will make a person feel more encouraged to re-visit and possibly come back for repeat or up-sell business.
Faces & Places
Upon arriving I was a bit nervous (Who? Me?) as to who was who from where, but quickly got over all that as everyone ended up being very friendly, and it was just a matter of time before having a chance to meet almost everyone. Wednesday, LightSpeedCash.com's Steve and Tanker sponsored shuttle, dinner, and drinks at Rick's Café for sunset and cliff diving, which was absolutely phenomenal! Dinner together was a great chance to play musical chairs to the sound of live reggae music, and get to know each other a little better. From YnotBob, to Poppy and LaurieX, Brian from Insite, VirtuaMike, HotlipsHooligan from Hotlipscash, Amisha, Tim, Miss Bunny, Laurel from Hustler Content, and many others were in attendance.
The following day was Bob Marley's Birthday, and Hazel and Barry from Spread4U.com provided a few passes to use any watersport for free! This included Jet skis, snorkeling trips, banana boat rides, and parasailing - which I got to do, and it was a total rush. Imagine seeing green mountains meeting the ocean while flying about 100 feet over the water! Later that night Spread4U also sponsored a trip to a Reggae concert and pool party.
I didn't go to the concert because I had a unique opportunity to check out Hedonism II , which sponsors vacation prizes for the WebmasterOfTheYear.com contest. The Hedonism resort is so beautiful it made me want to quit running the Webmaster of the Year contest so I can become eligible to win a week there! This year's prize is for a week at Hedonism III , which I hear is even better. If you haven't entered yet, get on it!
Upon returning from Hedonism II, I finally got to meet a few long-time online personalities I have been dying to meet. Bestat and Chuck from Exclusive Media Group allowed me to join them with Dravyk and Electra for a couple of rounds, and some great networking. Dravyk and Electra at AllofEm.com/Dirty Gloves, sponsored breakfast the next morning at Selina's, and everyone came back bragging about banana pancakes.
"One of the highlights of NegrilNet was brunch at Selena's, thanks to Dravyk and Electra of ContentGod/Dirty Gloves," said Twinkley of TheAdultWebamster.com and Truecash.com. "It was the best food I ate the whole trip! The fluffiest banana pancakes you can imagine, crispy bacon, the freshest orange juice I have ever had (and I'm from Florida!), and live reggae tunes! It was fantastic!" Now that kind of makes me regret oversleeping, but "every'ting is no problem," and I'm sure I'll be back next year.
With everyone in such a relaxed mode, you really got to see true personalities shine through. If your company has individuals that are extremely talented and great at online networking, yet a little shy when it comes to the big show scene, NegrilNet is the best type of gathering to which to send these employees. I found myself coming out of my shell more and more, and Friday I truly felt as if I'd found myself, and was able to relax and talk to anyone about anything- and unafraid to introduce myself to anyone I had not yet met.
How do you measure the success of such a small event where the staff you send returns home without completed contract forms or loads of useless convention crap? How can you measure the impression that you make, or the long-lasting networking you have achieved with companies with whom you would never have interacted will accomplish? Pace, Presence and Personality is what NegrilNet was all about...and the pace - Your Own. The Presence - your most active-in-the-industry employee(s). The personality - truly shines through, and others will never forget your name, what you do, or where to go, if/when they need something you provide.
There's more than the face-value-glitz in this industry. There are truly talented people behind what makes this all possible. Getting to know these people, and letting them get to know you, creates bridges that will help keep our industry strong. If only our clientele knew more about the people who provide adult entertainment online, many more would come back and support our efforts through business. A pleasurable experience leads to repeat business, create an atmosphere that makes your visitors feel welcome.
If you have to decide who to send to a small gathering like NegrilNet, try sending your most talented employees, your programmer, marketing rep, or designer- who really knows your company and just has to get past the surface of others to really open up. Save your aggressive sales staff and loud talkers for the show room floor, because at NegrilNet you have to go with the flow, and let the tides bring good business to you.
A special thanks to Dokk of Albumside.com for organizing the NegrilNet Bash and for making us all feel like family.
|
Printer
Friendly Version