This should be the real question to see if Vegas is viable option

To those who vote, would it make a difference if some of the concerns raised about Vegas were addressed? For example:

- Meeting rooms available for booking on an hourly basis
- Catering available for small group lunches in the meeting rooms to avoid restaurant lineups
- More tables and chairs just outside the exhibit hall
- An area in the reception area marked "HostingCon" to provide a clear meeting place

I don't know if any of those or other ideas will be implemented. But while we're being hypothetical, why not be hypothetical about possible solutions to problems too. :)

Lois

Yes, definitely.

Whilst granted there were a few minor inconveniences, i thought it was great.

I will probably attend wherever it is... but if it is in Vegas next year I probably wouldn't stay at the Mirage again.

- Chris

The longer I'm home, the more relieved I am not to be in Vegas. Like I said in the other thread, I think the conference was successful in spite of its location. I like the conference, but the thought of returning to the city in which it was held, which consumed the conference and made it difficult to enjoy, is strongly disagreeable. At this point, I'm not sure I can hack it.

I will probably attend wherever it is... Yeah. That. (Well, except for the probably bit) :)

I'll attend wherever it is held. :)

In truth this year a the Mirage was much better than last year at the Hyatt in several ways except the added distractions of Las Vegas (which in some cases were good e.g. good places to eat).

1) The Mirage and Hyatt are very expensive compared to other hotels I've stayed at when I travel.

Now this isn't necessarily a big problem, but two things come to mind when having a convention or going somewhere.

A) Internet access charges in addition to the room fee.
B) Parking charges for in addition to the room fee.

Both the Mirage and Hyatt charge about $11 per day for Wifi or Ethernet. That is just uncalled for when they charge as much as they do for the room. If the Holiday Inn Express (yes I like my room reasonably priced with free parking and wifi) can pull this off then why can't the hotels the convention is at do the same?

Parking and wifi will decide where I stay in 2007. That is a potential $200 over a week which is enough to make me stay somewhere else.

(Note: I don't care if other comparable hotels in the area do the same. I don't want excuses about why the charges are there. I just don't want to pay the charges. ;))

2) Las Vegas and Chicago are hard to get around in.

Without renting a car you are forced to use public transport and the occasional taxi.

In Las Vegas the Monorail isn't bad per se, but it isn't very convenient about where it stops. An example would be from the Mirage to the LV Convention Center. The monorail stops about 1/3 mile from the convention center main entrance and stops on the opposite side of Harrah's forcing you to walk quite a bit.

Chicago's Hyatt was way out of the way forcing a walk to the nearest subway and then bus + walking to get where you wanted to go.

3) Mirage's convention center is fairly out of the way in the hotel.

This is one place where the Hyatt was better than the Mirage. The Mirage staff had no idea what I was asking about when I asked about the location of the HostingCon on Sunday and that did not impress me at all. This convention is over 1000 people and the bell staff wasn't informed where it was being held?

At the Hyatt we could easily find the exhibit hall. The lecture sessions were a bit confusing though.

I hope that 2007 improves even more with better lecture sessions that make me want to go full conference instead just exhibit hall only and I'm sure it will. :)

1) The Mirage and Hyatt are very expensive compared to other hotels I've stayed at when I travel.

Most hotels on the Strip are expensive. However, 2 (comparatively) budget options are across the street: Imperial Palace and Barbary Coast. IIRC IP is getting torn down in the near future, though.

An option some people might want to consider for next year is sharing a room with someone. If you're just there to sleep and shower and you want to keep costs down, you could save a lot of money that way.

A) Internet access charges in addition to the room fee.

That was a problem in some places. :(

B) Parking charges for in addition to the room fee.

That's the first I'd heard of that. I thought all Strip hotels offered parking for free, for non-guests as well as for guests.

2) Las Vegas and Chicago are hard to get around in.

True. But at least most things are close in Vegas. In another city, you'd have to travel further and (if using public transportation) take more than one bus to get to many places.

3) Mirage's convention center is fairly out of the way in the hotel.

Yeah. That's one long walk through the casino and past all the shops and restaurants and everything else.

For those who drove to The Mirage and parked in the parkade, there may be a shorter way. I just realized when looking at a map of The Mirage that our walk was roughly 3/4 of a circle. If we stayed outside after exiting the parkade, we could probably get to the conference area in 5 minutes instead of 15. That would depend on where the doors are, though. The map doesn't show that.

The Mirage staff had no idea what I was asking about when I asked about the location of the HostingCon on Sunday and that did not impress me at all. This convention is over 1000 people and the bell staff wasn't informed where it was being held?

I had to ask where it was on the map when I got one. I think I just said I was attending a conference, and the staff member circled the area on the map.

Lois

Just a bit of clarification.. I was referring to the Hyatt when I wrote about the parking charges.

I believe most of the parking in the strip hotels is free.

Also..


Most hotels on the Strip are expensive. However, 2 (comparatively) budget options are across the street: Imperial Palace and Barbary Coast. IIRC IP is getting torn down in the near future, though.

An option some people might want to consider for next year is sharing a room with someone. If you're just there to sleep and shower and you want to keep costs down, you could save a lot of money that way.


The room price wasn't all that bad compared to some hotels in "tourist trap" locations. I believe the last Holiday Inn Express I stayed in at the beach was $119 per night for two queen beds, free wifi, free parking, and a fairly good breakfast.

When I say expensive I mean.. The restaurants in the hotel charge a good bit for everything (wifi, cleaning clothes, bringing packages, and so on) while other hotels that charge less for rooms will do that sort of thing or offer that sort of thing for free. (Some of the budget hotels offer laundry facilities much like a laundromat for the usual price of those in most major cities instead of charging $8 per shirt.)

I will attend as an attendee wherever the conference is held. However, I would never get a booth at a Vegas convention... years ago I worked for a software company that sold business software to the "green" industry (landscapers, nurseries, etc). One of the larger trade shows for that industry is at the Las Vegas Convention Center; that company did that show (as an exhibitor) for several years, but finally dropped it because the amount of leads that came out of the show - despite the high attendance - was far lower than any other show they did of comparable size in other cities.

I was thinking of getting a booth there next year, but probably not if its in Vegas again. Although I'll definately go as an attendee. I didn't mind the prices at the Mirage; with the convention rates it wasn't so bad. $10/day for net access isn't a big deal.. sure, I'd prefer it were free, but I won't stay in a hotel farther away from the trade show to save $50 or whatever.

There are certainly things which can be done better - and George and Frank will address those year on year until things run perfectly (is that possible?).

I dont think the points raised so far are necessarily an indication of the need for a location or even hotel change... just for more consideration in the way certain areas are handled. The Mirage will do whats required to run the conference to everyones needs.

Personally id go wherever the conference goes, but im hoping its again in Vegas. I think I may stay at the Belagio next year though purely because it looks awsome and the water show is amazing ;)

Overall, I vastly preferred the Vegas location to the Chicago location. A few points about each:

1) The Chicago hotel was far away from any restaurant or anything downtown. You pretty much had to have a rental car to get anywhere, and they charged for parking. That sucked.

2) The Mirage was nice. I wouldn't mind having the conference there again, but I likely would not personally stay at the Mirage -- IMHO it was WAY overpriced for what we received.

3) I would think an off-Strip location in Vegas that is not too dumpy would work well for next year.

Vegas is a short flight from San Jose and I really enjoyed our stay there -- I just got back this morning, and spending a week in Vegas was fun. I just wish I would have had more time to play poker!!

Yeah. That. (Well, except for the probably bit) :)

Dennis and Loooooois... sitting in a treeee... K I S S I N G... :love:

(I told you I was going to find a chance to use that icon on you! LOL!)

I'd like to attend, however the problems of casino's and under-18-year-olds can be rather annoying :(.


Alex

There is a common direction in Las Vegas on the strip.
Visitor: Hi, I’m looking for <insert place>
Staff: Oh, that’s through the casino on <left or right> next to the slot machines

I understand the logic behind it, they want you to gamble, but come on, over a mile from the back of Harrah’s to the back of The Mirages? :)

There is a common direction in Las Vegas on the strip.
Visitor: Hi, I’m looking for <insert place>
Staff: Oh, that’s through the casino on <left or right> next to the slot machines

I understand the logic behind it, they want you to gamble, but come on, over a mile from the back of Harrah’s to the back of The Mirages? :)

Mirage got me exercising everyday ;)

Personally id go wherever the conference goes, but im hoping its again in Vegas.



Ditto. I stayed at Treasure Island and I didn't think the tram/walk was too bad, but I'd probably try to stay at the Mirage next year if possible.

Ditto. I stayed at Treasure Island and I didn't think the tram/walk was too bad, but I'd probably try to stay at the Mirage next year if possible.


I'm not sure you'll save much time unless your room is close to the elevator! ;)

To those who vote, would it make a difference if some of the concerns raised about Vegas were addressed? For example:

- Meeting rooms available for booking on an hourly basis
- Catering available for small group lunches in the meeting rooms to avoid restaurant lineups
- More tables and chairs just outside the exhibit hall
- An area in the reception area marked "HostingCon" to provide a clear meeting place

I don't know if any of those or other ideas will be implemented. But while we're being hypothetical, why not be hypothetical about possible solutions to problems too. :)

Lois

My reply is not to argue, just to point out some inacuracies as 3 of the 4 points you bring up here were already met this year. Especially in regards to seating for smaller meetings.

Meeting rooms were available on an hourly basis, several people contacted us for such.
Several companies did special meals and such will also be available next year also.
We didnt want everyone hanging out in the Rotunda which is why we had so many tables and chairs in the wifi area which were heavily utilized during the entire show..
Not sure what is meant by the last suggestion, if you could elaborate on that we would certainly be glad to consider it.

Anything we can do to make the show better we will of course strongly consider and our surveys will be going out soon..

Mouse

My reply is not to argue, just to point out some inacuracies as 3 of the 4 points you bring up here were already met this year. Especially in regards to seating for smaller meetings.

Thanks for pointing that out. :) I was mostly responding to points that other exhibitors brought up.

Either that information could be presented more clearly or some exhibitors didn't see that information in what was given to them. While I worked in an exhibit booth, I didn't see what information was given to exhibitors, so I don't know.

Not sure what is meant by the last suggestion, if you could elaborate on that we would certainly be glad to consider it.

Someone mentioned not being able to say, "Meet you in the lobby" because the lobby sprawls quite a distance and there's more than one entrance to the hotel. If we were able to have a "HostingCon Meeting Area" sign somewhere in the lobby, perhaps with a few chairs and a table, people would be able to say, "Meet you at the HostingCon sign in the lobby."

Anything we can do to make the show better we will of course strongly consider and our surveys will be going out soon.

Sounds good! I know from my own experience in organizing events that ways to improve appear after each event. :)

Lois

Not sure that we could get a sign in the main lobby, but alot of people we doing meetups at the elevators I recall from a few of the threads during the conference.. Mouse

Not sure that we could get a sign in the main lobby, but alot of people we doing meetups at the elevators I recall from a few of the threads during the conference.. Mouse

Perhaps a map of the Mirage main floor could be given out to exhibitors and everyone else. (Or maybe there was one?) I got a map when I asked at the information desk where I could buy postcards. As I wasn't staying at The Mirage, I never saw the elevators until I saw that map.

Is there more than one set of elevators? The information person referred to the "guest elevators" when she showed me on the map where to look for postcards. Guests will know which elevators are the guest ones, but non-guests might not.

But if "Meet me at the elevators" works for everyone, then the problem is solved. :)

[Edit] We could also say, "Meet me at the information desk across from the reception desk." The reception desk is about a quarter of a mile long IIRC, but the information desk is a normal size and not difficult to find.

Lois

I will attend as an attendee wherever the conference is held. However, I would never get a booth at a Vegas convention... years ago I worked for a software company that sold business software to the "green" industry (landscapers, nurseries, etc). One of the larger trade shows for that industry is at the Las Vegas Convention Center; that company did that show (as an exhibitor) for several years, but finally dropped it because the amount of leads that came out of the show - despite the high attendance - was far lower than any other show they did of comparable size in other cities.

That might depend on the industry. Almost all the exhibitors I talked to said that they had gotten a lot of leads at the conference. One that hadn't commented that that conference hadn't been the most suitable one for his target audience. That had nothing to do with it being in Vegas.

Lois

That might depend on the industry. Almost all the exhibitors I talked to said that they had gotten a lot of leads at the conference. One that hadn't commented that that conference hadn't been the most suitable one for his target audience. That had nothing to do with it being in Vegas.

Lois

What kind of exhibitor would admit that they didn't get a good amount of leads at a show? :) I would hope it was better for everyone than last year, since the attendance was significantly higher.

Not sure that we could get a sign in the main lobby, but alot of people we doing meetups at the elevators I recall from a few of the threads during the conference.. Mouse

Frank - remember the old addage - you cant please all of the people all of the time. I think it went fine and I had a good time and I got a lot of business done and I got a lot of time in at the pool and the spa - blah blah blah - so all is well. no worries man- you guys did a good job and I am sure you will figure it out in the coming years.

I am sure everyone knows it wont always be in vegas either -but if it is for a few more years - heh - wore things have happened.

right on man.

What kind of exhibitor would admit that they didn't get a good amount of leads at a show? :)

I thought about that. :) The ones who said they got a lot of leads sounded quite enthusiastic, though, and the 2 who hadn't done as well as expected were willing to say so to me. It might have helped that I was a fellow exhibitor at a non-competing booth (the WHT booth). And of course I'm not going to name the ones who didn't do as well as expected.

It was a conversation question as exhibitors visited other exhibitors. We all wanted to know how things were going in the big picture.

I didn't talk to every exhibitor, and I wasn't conducting a survey, just chatting with other exhibitors. The event organizers will be sending out a questionnaire, and I expect that they'll find out a lot more.

Lois

Frank - remember the old addage - you cant please all of the people all of the time. I think it went fine and I had a good time

I agree and me too. :) But there's always room for improvement. I was just taking the concerns that some people raised and putting out possible solutions for discussion.

No matter where the conference is, some people will like it and some won't. While having it in Vegas creates some problems, IMO the advantages outweigh the disadvantages we'd have if the conference were in another city. But in a few years, it'll be time for a change, and then we'll have new problems to complain about. :P

Lois

My favorite city for trade shows is Dallas, with Chicago being my second favorite.. all from an exhibitors point of view though... Hostingcon was my first as an attendee. I hope this show continues to grow each year.

My favorite city for trade shows is Dallas, with Chicago being my second favorite.

We'll never come to a consensus on where HostingCon should be because we all have different preferences. The organizers have to make a decision and go with it. But while we're discussing locations, what makes those cities appeal to you for trade shows? Personally I'm interested in the "why" more than the "where" in posts because the reasons help point to good possible locations.

Lois

I agree with Lois,

Its not important where, its they "why" that will get you everytime.

I will be there. Had a good time got some business done, show was good.

Do wonder who picked the keynote speakers?

I think the Mirage was a great location for it - the conference facilites were good compared to some I've seen. It was hardly a major inconvenience to walk the less than 5 minutes to the conference centre from the hotel!

The hotel was very Pretty !! However for a girl in Heels it sure the hec is a long walk .. ha ha

Why not hit the east coast with the next hostingcon?

I haven't been to Chicago last year but have been to other trade shows before as an exhibitor or an attendee and what is normally a boring experience was a great thing in Vegas. Hostingcon is really a great event for the web hosting industry since it is really focused on Web Hosting, that is the secret of such shows, to be focused and some shows I have been to before try to sell the booths to anyone they can and that way focus is lost and the experience is a lot less interesting.

I liked the event, liked the conferences I went to and liked the fact that it was in Vegas and that we could enjoy Entertainment at the end of the days. Got the chance to see the Love/The Beatles and Ka shows of the Cirque du Soleil and they are incredible. It makes me remember my Hostingcon experience as a really great one.

I also had the chance to meet a lot of people I had only exchanged emails with so far (Scott from iNet, iNet's CEO, people from cPanel, Sw-Soft, Helm, Touch Support and the others .... and also got the chance to have friendly chat with some competitors like the FastServers guys that are really a good team especially Aaron that has sales and marketing in his blood).

Also had the chance to meet 2 interesting multiple-servers prospect customers even if I was not an exhibitor.

Finally, it was easy getting some of our West Coast customers to come and meet us in Vegas.

I will definitly attend if in Vegas again next year and would seriously think about getting a booth.

Regards,

I haven't been to Chicago last year but have been to other trade shows before as an exhibitor or an attendee and what is normally a boring experience was a great thing in Vegas. Hostingcon is really a great event for the web hosting industry since it is really focused on Web Hosting, that is the secret of such shows, to be focused and some shows I have been to before try to sell the booths to anyone they can and that way focus is lost and the experience is a lot less interesting.

I liked the event, liked the conferences I went to and liked the fact that it was in Vegas and that we could enjoy Entertainment at the end of the days. Got the chance to see the Love/The Beatles and Ka shows of the Cirque du Soleil and they are incredible. It makes me remember my Hostingcon experience as a really great one.

I also had the chance to meet a lot of people I had only exchanged emails with so far (Scott from iNet, iNet's CEO, people from cPanel, Sw-Soft, Helm, Touch Support and the others .... and also got the chance to have friendly chat with some competitors like the FastServers guys that are really a good team especially Aaron that has sales and marketing in his blood).

Also had the chance to meet 2 interesting multiple-servers prospect customers even if I was not an exhibitor.

Finally, it was easy getting some of our West Coast customers to come and meet us in Vegas.

I will definitly attend if in Vegas again next year and would seriously think about getting a booth.

Regards,

Hi Martin. I didn't know you were going to be there. Sorry I missed you.

Lenny

Vegas again?

Hi Martin. I didn't know you were going to be there. Sorry I missed you.Scott told me you were supposed to come ... but we did not get the chance to meet. Maybe next year :-)

Frank - remember the old addage - you cant please all of the people all of the time. I think it went fine and I had a good time and I got a lot of business done and I got a lot of time in at the pool and the spa - blah blah blah - so all is well. no worries man- you guys did a good job and I am sure you will figure it out in the coming years.

I am sure everyone knows it wont always be in vegas either -but if it is for a few more years - heh - wore things have happened.

right on man.

Coming from someone (sailor!) that didn't stay in the Mirage and had a suite in The Venetian I would say, "Take it with a grain of salt!". :peace:

i would prefer if its in another hotel...

Coming from someone (sailor!) that didn't stay in the Mirage and had a suite in The Venetian I would say, "Take it with a grain of salt!". :peace:


he didnt ask where you stayed - just if it was ok at the mirage - no one had to stay there.

I have just been to vegas a few times ( lol) so I knew a couple of things on the digs.



;)

i would prefer if its in another hotel...

Could you or anyone else with the same opinion tell us why? I'm interested to know what advantages there might be in changing hotels as I don't see any. The only problem I saw with The Mirage was the long walk to the conference area, but I imagine that it would be the same in any Vegas hotel large enough to host conferences.

Lois

If we are going to do vegas again, why not something like this:

http://www.lakelasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

or

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/LASJW

Where we are all inclusive, and those that want to take off to the night life can. :-) There is even a casino in this one for those that want to play at night. LOL

If we are going to do vegas again, why not something like this:

I think we'd lose a lot of people if we did that. Most people want a place that's close to local attractions. Look at all the complaints we read about where the Chicago HostingCon was. And aside from location, being pretty well limited to a particular hotel would turn off some people. A lot of people chose to stay somewhere other than The Mirage because they wanted to keep costs down, The Mirage didn't appeal to them, or they wanted features offered at other hotels.

I hope we don't take away the choices of getting to local attractions easily (for those who want to see them) and being able to stay at a place that suits us if we don't want to stay at the conference hotel.

Where we are all inclusive, and those that want to take off to the night life can.

Sure, just like in Chicago but more so. :P It's only a $60 cab ride to the Strip from the first hotel.

There is even a casino in this one for those that want to play at night. LOL

B-b-but that's a distraction! ;)

If we're going to be near a casino, why not keep the conference where it is?

Lois

If we are going to do vegas again, why not something like this:

http://www.lakelasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Hyatt.Com Rate Rate Details
Rate requires full prepayment and is subject to special cancellation penalty.
Room Type: Saturday
Resort Room
Room Details
309.00
Total Price Per Room: 309.00 USD

Pool View
Room Details
324.00
Total Price Per Room: 324.00 USD

Lake View
Room Details
339.00
Total Price Per Room: 339.00 USD

Regency Club
Room Details
409.00
Total Price Per Room: 409.00 USD

Alcove Suite
Room Details
409.00
Total Price Per Room: 409.00 USD


or

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/LASJW

Where we are all inclusive, and those that want to take off to the night life can. :-) There is even a casino in this one for those that want to play at night. LOL

* Quality Room >>
o 269.00 (USD) per night
o Rate rules

* Weekend Rate, Deluxe Guest Room, 1 king or 2 queen beds 560 square feet*whirlpool tubs with separate shower*

* Quality Room >>
o 284.00 (USD) per night
o Rate rules

* Stay for Breakfast-for up to 2 adults and 3 children 12 and under--standard deluxe room (1 king or 2 queen beds)

* Junior Suite >>
o 359.00 (USD) per night
o Rate rules

* LEISURE RATE*JUNIOR SUITE*(1KING BED) 840 SQ FT WITH SMALL SITTING AREA*1.5 BATH*JACUZZI TUB WITH SEPARATE RAIN SHOWER*

* Suite 1 Bedroom >>
o 409.00 (USD) per night
o Rate rules

* LEISURE RATE* ONE BEDROOM SUITE* ( 1 KING BED ONLY )SEPARATE SITTING AREA*WET BAR*JACUZZI TUB WITH SEPARATE RAIN SHOWER*

Pretty expensive rooms. Just as an idea, we had a total of six hotel rooms this year :) This was the sunday room rate (normally the highest) for a check-in of March 31st, 2007 and a check-out of April 1st, 2006.

Why not hit the east coast with the next hostingcon?
Yea--Somewhere like New York City in the Winter :D

Could you or anyone else with the same opinion tell us why? I'm interested to know what advantages there might be in changing hotels as I don't see any. The only problem I saw with The Mirage was the long walk to the conference area, but I imagine that it would be the same in any Vegas hotel large enough to host conferences.

Lois

You are correct in that any Vegas hotel's conference center is a good distance from the main body as most were added as after thoughts, or newer larger conf. centers were added replacing old closer ones as the battle to handle larger events began..

Mouse

Since it is so set on Vegas, any non fully no smoking hotels in Vegas?
What about fully non smoking convention centers?

Marriot has just gone 100% no smoking in all the US, so if there is one in Las Vegas and someone hates the smoke, that may be an option for you. (Just looked there is a Marriot Resort with only 65k sq ft of convention space, I think that is not enough according to a previous post)

Why not hit the east coast with the next hostingcon? I think Orlando would be a nice spat for a hostcon, or maybe California.

I vote for Houston or Dallas. Ha!

I find it interesting out of 84 votes, 30% said they will not go back. Statistically, this is a huge percentage that were turned off by the venue. I hope the folks at interjuncture are paying attention.

I dont believe that stat. A lot of those votes are also likely people who didnt even attend in the first place.

We'll see I guess but im confident it will be again at the Mirage and I think we'll see even bigger attendance next year.

Maybe folks who vote should post why they wouldn't go to Vegas again. I might consider going next year if it was not in such a busy city ;) I don't do crowds very well :P

Maybe folks who vote should post why they wouldn't go to Vegas again. I might consider going next year if it was not in such a busy city ;) I don't do crowds very well :P
Pardon my ignorance, but did you, or did you not, go this year? Just curious. ;)

anon wasnt there this year.

I find it interesting out of 84 votes, 30% said they will not go back. Statistically, this is a huge percentage that were turned off by the venue. I hope the folks at interjuncture are paying attention.

Tony,

We're always listening. That being said, I don't think you'll find that those numbers hold up over the majority of the attendees.

We've come to accept the fact that we're never going to make everyone happy with the choice of city. It's unfortunate, but when you get more than 1000 people together it's pretty darned difficult to make them all happy. :)

Please understand that we didn't just open up Google maps and randomly pick a city to hold HostingCon in. :) We did a lot of research before choosing to move the show to Las Vegas. There are very real, very valid reasons to hold the show there.

In addition, studies show that shows held in Las Vegas get 15% higher attendance than those held elsewhere.

To address a few of the things I remember being raised in this thread:

1) Having to pay for wi-fi in the room

It's an unfortunate fact of life that every conference hotel that I'm aware of charges for wi-fi. Someone mentioned that Holidy Inn Express (and the like) offer wi-fi for free. Indeed they do. But please keep in mind that these types of hotels do not have conference facilities that can handle a show the size of HostingCon. Every hotel we've checked out in every city we've looked at that is large enough to handle HostingCon charges for wi-fi. Believe me, I don't particularly care for it either since we had to pay for ours too. :) But there's not much we can do in that department.

2) Getting around the city (having to take cabs/monorail/etc)

As someone mentioned, you're going to run into this in any major metropolitan area. And if you put the show in a city where traffic isn't as bad and it makes more sense to rent a car, then you have the cost of car rental. One way or the other, you're going to pay for some local transportation to get around and see the sights, etc. I've travelled quite extensively over the last 6 years and been to a lot of different cities and I don't find Vegas any more or less expensive or convenient than any other.

3) The distance to get to the conference facilities

Let's think about this one for a minute. How many of you have attended tradeshows in the big convention centers (McCormick Place in Chicago, the Las Vegas Convention Center, etc.)? Can you honestly tell me that you didn't walk just as far to get to the hall where the tradeshow was located?

I've attended probably 15 different shows at McCormick Place in Chicago as well as ones in Baltimore and elsewhere. Every single one of them required a considerable walk to get to the area where the show was being held.

Unfortunately, when you build buildings that are able to house hundreds of thousands or millions of square feet, it's going to take some walking to get places in that building. :)

You're going to find this in pretty much EVERY facility that is large enough to hold HostingCon, regardless of whether it's held in Las Vegas or another city. And for those that say that the walk wasn't as bad last year in Chicago, you're right. But you know what? The Hyatt would not have been large enough to hold HostingCon this year.

Also, Tony, the two places that you posted have nowhere NEAR the amount of space we need. One has 40,000 sq. ft. of total space, the other has 66,000 sq. ft. of total space. We used almost 120,000 sq. ft. this year.

George,

I just find it funny out of the majority of the people I talked to at HostinCon, those percentatages are holding up. The only way you will really know is to send out a survery to everyone that was there.

While I know you can not please everyone, that is given, when 30+ % of your attendees are turned off by the city you are having the venue in, there is a problem.

While your attendence increased this year, and could very easily increase next year, you have lost current people interested just because of the city.

Vegas has great features about it, but since HostinCon, I have been talking to other industries that have held conferences in Vegas, and they all have moved away from Vegas, mainly because of my #1 problem with the city. Too many other distractions.

So where do you draw the line? When you loose 50% of your last year attendees?

Only George will know the true story once he does the survey of attendee's from this year.

Speaking to people and running a poll on a forum like WHT will not give an accurate reflection. Only an official survey of those who attended could give any true reflection and figures, so dont get carried away with your sums.

Tony,

You're obviously very set in your thinking that Vegas isn't the city you want HostingCon to be in, and you're entitled to your own thinking and opinion.

Other than yourself and the anonymous people who voted on this non-scientific poll, I haven't had anyone who said that they didn't want it in Vegas.

What we've received is constructive comments with ideas on how to make the conference itself better suited to the networking and ways to make the overall show better.

What I've been trying to explain to you, and have apparently not succeeded in getting my point across, is that the city that the conference is held in really has very little to do with the show itself. The city you hold the conference in has a lot to do with the types of after hours, entertainment type things that are available.

You seem to think that everyone was off gambling or something during the show. I'm sure there were a few that snuck off at some point to do so, but the majority of the people were at the conference itself. Even on the last day of the show, when attendance tends to fall off because people are getting ready to leave, we still had 300-400 people at the keynotes and conference sessions, out of the 550 that were eligible to attend the conference sessions.

One of the points of having a conference center so far away from the rest of the hotel is that it is also far away from the casino, which means that it's not easy to quickly nip over to the blackjack table during the show. If you're going to the casino, you're making a conscious decision to do so and to miss out on the show.

We will be making some adjustments to the show next year to help foster and encourage more networking opportunities. And we're always open to any constructive ideas that people have to help make the show better. But HostingCon will be in Las Vegas for at least next year.

I'm not sure if I'm understanding some posts in this thread.

Large crowds:
Some people are saying that they will not go to Vegas due to the crowds. But isn't a conference a crowd? You should not be going to any conference if you don't like crowds.
I personally did not go to the conference this year but one of our guys did. He said it was most crowded during these times:
1) The first day of the conference at the exhibit hall. But this is the conference! Don't go if you do not like this "crowd".

2) At the after hour parties. But these are clubs. These will ALWAYS be crowded in any city you have a after hour party like this.

3) Then if you went to a Las Vegas show. Yeah that makes sense. But it is crowded in a movie theater also. :(

Basically if you do not like talking or meeting people you should not go to a conference.
You really don't want to have a conference in an empty town. It's not like "Field of Dreams" where you can put something up in the middle of a corn field and expect people to just show up.


W-FI:
Other people are expressing concern about the wi-fi. I heard that it was only $10 to $15 per day. That's the price of a burger and drink.
Or in WHT talk that is less than 1 Mb of bandwidth for 1 month. Really not that much at all. No reason to complain about this at all.


Lack of transportation:
You will not find a city that has as many options for entertainment within a few miles. A cab ride might be $10 or $15 to get to the other side of the strip.
Or you can walk to a train I guess which I heard was only a few dollars each way. No reason to complain about this either.



Cost of the rooms:
The rooms I heard were like $130 per night. In WHT terms that is about 200 CPC with Google. Plus didn't you get your own waterfall and volcano at the Mirage? Where else can you get that for $130 per night.
Honestly, there is "no" major city that will be that much cheaper and have that many options.


So I honestly think Vegas is a good place to have any conference. The Mirage is a nice place, but that is up to the event planners. They can pick any one of the nice hotels on the strip and it will turn out good.

George,

I do not know how you are doing your surveying. I do know I didnt receive a request to give any input based on last year's show, nor did I this year. But I am sure you have a method.

I can promise you, its not just me that feels this way. I am just bold enough to say something about it.

As far as the size of the venue, and the after hours situation, there are plenty of great cities that will meet your needs.

I am not saying have it in either one of these cities, these are just 2 that I know of that will meet all needs.

1. Indianapolis - Indianapolis Convention Center - (410,000sqft in one section) - Middle of Downtown. Large hotel attached. Close walking distance to resturant and some nightlife. Little longer walk or short cab ride to major nightlife.

2. Nashville - Nashville Convention Center - (150,000+ sqft) - Hotel Attached. Heart of nashville nightlife. Several resturants and clubs all within walking distance. Nashville famous 2nd Ave within blocks.

Both of these provide the best of both worlds. Secluded place to have the conference, but resturants and night life within walking distance. This is what would make the idea conference.

Maybe you should start Madrooster Con. sounds like you have it sussed.

Maybe you should start Madrooster Con. sounds like you have it sussed.

Actually the association being started will have a conference. Weither it is with HostinCon or without HostinCon, that can not be determined yet. Since George and Interjuncture have done a great job with the conference end of things, we would like to work with them, but until it can be shown that the community is really being surveyed, and not just a select few people are being asked ... the partnership will be put in a TBD status.

We were three of iWeb.Ca that attended at Hostingcon, we all received the invitation to fill the Hostingcon survey. I just answered the questions.

If you decide not to use hosting con then you will be killing yourselves before you've even started.

I can imagine 6 people sat in a hotel room discussing their international association.

I can't beleive this thread is still going on.

I thought Vegas was great I will be back in Vegas next year and I got the survey George sent out.
Lets face it hostingcon is going to be in Vegas next year you can come or stay home and I will bet you $100.00 right now it will have another record attendance next year.

I can't believe this thread is still going on. I think people should agree to disagree.

Tony obviously you have strong opinions but at the end of the day Interjuncture is footing the bill. Next year will tell us what people thought. If there are less then 1100 attendees next year then Vegas maybe did hurt them, more and it didn't really affect them at all.

Next year will be the test.

<tasteful post>

I would go if we could see Anon-e-mouse popping out of a cake in a bikini :gthumb:

There seems to be plenty of food to chew on here. Thread closed.