The Stalls Have Ears, and Other Life Lessons Learned at ad:tech

I think I was in high school when, perched on a stall and unable to leave because my teachers were sinkside discussing how hot my dad was, I realized bathrooms are considered a sacred space. Their walls are keepers of myriad secrets.

Since then I pay close attention to what’s happening around me when I visit a loo to relieve myself. You’d be surprised what you discover. When a woman walks in with another woman, their voices actually get louder, daring the porcelain gods to reveal their covert conversations. And they talk about everything - power players, whose company will sink or swim, and why Monsieur CEO really left the agency.

Well, here’s some news. Contrary to popular convention, the stalls have ears. And if you’ve just nailed an awesome lead worth hundreds of thousands of dollars by sleeping with the CFO you met at Mighty last night, you probably shouldn’t be standing at the sinks with your hotpants-sporting amigas parsing out the gritty (but triumphant!) details.

Lesson 1 learned at ad:tech: The stalls have ears.

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Largest ad:tech Conference Comes To A Close

On Friday afternoon around 2:30PM, San Francisco’s Moscone North cleared out as the adtech 2006 San Francisco conference came to a close. While the last day of the conference was filled with useful information including collection of small and emerging technologies and service companies that are defining the Web 2.0 space. With around 9,000 attendees, the show was ad:tech largest yet. As always, the show is a great place to learn a lot about online marketing, make deals, spend time with friends and get to know interesting people in the business. We look forward to seeing you all in Chicago at the end of July when ad:tech hits the Midwest.

Eaves Dropping

Real quotes overheard at AdTech this week:

“That guy was really just speaking a lot of technobabble.
But, I speak technobabble.”

“Look for me in the lobby. I’ll be the one in the gray suit.”

Good luck with that.

“He’s a great guy. I love that guy...what’s his name again?”

And my personal favorite said while pointing at the corporate brochure:

“...but it says here we did this for this customer.”
“Yeah, we lied.”

Sex, Clowns and Web Traffic

Walking around the floor there is an overwhelming sense of profesionalism. Last year I wrote about how many booth babes there were and the overwhelming sex sells feeling at Adtech. We all noticed it. As I walked around the floor last evening people were all deciding what party they were going to. I saw my friend Andrew who was headed over to ValueClick while some others were staying at Moscone because it was close. And still others were rumbling out to Girls Gone Wild. Everyone seems to be enjoying the caliber of the conference but are also looking forward to titilation in the evening.

A poker site was having a party at the Bubble Lounge being promoted by the clown. I happened to walk by the clown and his buddy promoting. The clown came on to me. I am not sure if he comes on to everyone but he told me he was a sexy clown which his friend comfirmed. The velvet pants with bikini panty lines do not fit my idea of sexy but I am sure there is a fetish in theres somewhere. The clown was convinced he could do it for me. He kept repeating in his heavy accent “I can do it for you,” with that weird joker smile still painted on his face. He bent over, and I became frightened. I was not sure what was happening. He did a sort of handstand where he put his knees on his elbows and had his butt in the air. He exclaimed, “I am doing it for you. I am doing it for you.” All I could think of was “Buddy you are so not doing it for me.”

Welcome to MSN AdCenter

Last year I gave the prize for best strategic banner placement to Ominture. They had a banner stretched across the escalator chute every attendee had to funnel through to reach the sessions and exhibit hall.

This year we may need to give a new prize to MSN for “strangest message sent by banner placement”.

I mean this is a high traffic area though right? Don’t forget to stop for a shoe shine on your way out.

Lack of Booth Babes Yields Improved Booth Attractions

With the larger Moscone center venue this year for the San Francisco ad:tech show, there seemed to be a bigger collection of booth attractions and we don’t mean booth babes. Everything from games, to performances to drawings to back massages to women dressed like the numeral eight were everywhere inside the Moscone center. Those women dressed like the number eight were promoting 888.com, the self proclaimed “World’s No. 1 Online Casino & Poker Room,” which was hosting some sort of drawing. Monday afternoon, there was also a marshmallow eating contest and a blackjack game. See more here. Of course, we have no problems with booth babes and this, in no way, advocates their retirement.

Ad:Tech Grows Up

What a change! The show is huge, the exhibit hall is bright and airy, and the booths are just about all professional. After spending an hour walking the exhibit hall floor and seeing every booth, my first impression was: Professional. There were no booth babes this time, and only a small handful of gimmicks at the booths. Attractions were upscale and varied, with a few massages, hot chocolate, coffee and snacks, and of course the usual assortment of tchochkes. 

The standout “attractions” that I recall were a few people roving the floor in Segways to attract your attention so that they can get you to enter their giveaway for a Segway; a gentleman in an outlandish and garishly colored suit; a ”truth booth” where they will record what people say and then mash them up in a podcast from the show; and one booth with a worker in a jail suit.

Impromtu Cheeseburgers And Beer Make A Better Trade Show

Sometimes the best part of going to an industry trade show is the unexpected get togethers that occur. I knew 360i Director of Strategic Planning David Berkowitz would be at the ad:tech San Francisco show but I didn’t expect to run into him on the corner of 4th and Howard after leaving the exhibit hall heading back to the hotel. He was on his way to meet a few folks prior to catching a ball game. So we both headed over to some burger bar where he was meeting the others.

ad:tech Exhibitors Gear Up For 9,000 Attendees

Tuesday evening before the storm known as ad:tech San Francisco hit, ad:tech hosted a party for all the exhibitors who have been hard at work planning for the event, putting their booths together and generally making sure all expected 9,000 attendees have something worthwhile to see as they saunter through the exhibit hall. the event was held in the center of the exhibit hall in an area dubbed the “experclick cafe.” Beer, wine and munchies were served while ad:tech VP Don Knox graciously welcomed the exhibitors are revved them up for the next two days of action.

ad:tech San Francisco 2006 Is Big, Really Big

This year marks a major expansion for ad:tech San Francisco as well as an overall expansion of ad:tech shows across the globe. Upon entering the Moscone Center, one word comes to mind: bigger. Because it’s being held in the cavernous Moscone Center, this just might be the first ad:tech conference where one isn’t forced through a chute like a cow on the way to the milking parlor.

The exhibit hall is large with very high ceilings making for a spacious feeling unlike the somewhat claustrophobic venue in previous years. The large registration area leads one to believe the process of getting one’s badge will proceed quickly. After you register and head down the stairs or elevator to the exhibit hall, make sure you turn around and look back up the stairs and marvel at the stair mural DoubleClick has created.