Planet Mark

Back in my office today after a fantastic weekend in Amsterdam for the AAC - my first gaming business conferene. This will be a summary of the trip, will post a longer version over the next few days at my personal blog (link at end).

First one sentence which sums things up:

Went to Amsterdam hoping that I would be able to justify the expense, came back happy that I had just made a major investment.

So, without further ado - the 'hits' and 'misses'

*** Hits ***

- Arranging deals with operators which I project will pay for the trip within 4 to 6 weeks.

- Meeting with Greg, Jeremy and a load of great affiliates and operators alike.

- Coming back full of ideas, follow-ups, potential deals and motivation (since I was already extremely high on all of these this is a great achievement!).

- The Netherlands, including experiencing Queen's Day, Bitterballen / croquets (spelling?), Frites with mayo and the fact that it is just super-easy to get around and get things done there...

*** Misses ***

- The Kras... great location, staff and building... but a rubbish room (back to the Barbizon for me from now on)

- Couple of Operators... not naming names but one group were horribly aggressive with anyone coming within 15 meters of their stall, and another were just aloof / unfriendly. The first I'm stuck with as the brand does well for me... the second I am demoting...

- Networking... made a start but realized that this is a 'could do better' (thankfully Erika is friendly at least!!). Would have liked to meet more affiliates and will definitely make more effort to do this next time around.

Already started with a long post over at Plan3t Gong... will be doing a couple more this week - each one focusing on a slightly different angle.

Amsterdam Poker Conference Recap