You have some good points, Boob Lover, and in some ways it reminds me of an article that I read recently about presentations.
The writer of the article argued that presentations should be geared to their specific audience, with the following suggestions:
1) Baby Boomers expect "structure," with things orderly and organized
2) Generation X'ers expect the presentation to be "all about them," so facts and ideas need to be tied to and related to them and their viewpoints
3) Generation Y'ers expect multiple things going on simultaneously, sort of like a Bloomberg TV screen, with banners at the bottom, flashing lights and spinning subjects on the side, and constantly changing pictures in the middle, or in other words, they particularly seem to "thrive on chaos."
The distinction between audiences is not strictly generational, but I can say that as a Baby Boomer, I did find things the way you explained. Very congested, disorganized, chaotic and jammed up. Some of the exhibits had lines starting on both sides, and colliding in the middle, which added to the congestion even further.
So this year's show was particularly difficult for anyone expecting things to be organized and smooth running. But it was actually better for fans with a "Gen X" or "Gen Y" mentality because they were able to stop and jam things up wherever and whenever they felt like it, and there were no "traffic cops" around to keep them moving. They could snap photos with their digital cameras and cell phone cameras, keep spinning around to shoot other photos, and nobody complained to them that they were getting in everyone else's way.
But there were some other major differences, too. The most noticeable difference was that the Consumer Electronics Show and the Adult Entertainment Expo did not occur simultaneously. Again, this was better for some people but worse for others. For the AEE organizers, it had to be better, and less expensive, not to have to pay space rental rates that are much higher during the CES. But it was worse for fans who enjoyed the more "elegant" facilities at the Sands last year, for example, compared to the nice, but less elegant, atmosphere at the Hard Rock.
But in some ways, perhaps, the Hard Rock may actually be better suited to AEE, when you consider the often emphasized Porn/Rock 'n Roll connection.
But I agree with you that, at least in the rooms that were used for the exhibits, the space was too small, and the lack of direction and organization made "traffic" hopelessly congested.
Some of the issues, in fairness, have to do with the phenomenon of the "first time" at any venue. You are absolutely right, Boob Lover, about the Ticket Sales and Lines being "terrible with poor communication." Last year at the Sands, for example, there was a window of time during which only VIP members could be admitted. But this year at the Hard Rock, the General Admission and Prepaid/VIP lines were going simultaneously. Ironically on Thursday, the General Admission line moved more quickly, and Prepaid/VIP fans were still waiting in line, long after the General Admission line (which initially was longer with more people in it) had been fully admitted.
There was evidently some confusion/misinformation regarding the fans who had pre-purchased multiple day admission. They were told (I personally heard some of the "guys in black suits" saying this) that the the Prepaid/VIP fans were going to have to stand in line each day, and get new wrist bands. Of course this turned out to be untrue, but on Friday I spoke with several guys who, because of the misinformation given to them on Thursday, had removed their wrist bands and, because of that misinformation, they DID have to stand in line all over again on Friday.
From a strictly "fan" point of view, I have to say that the show has really not been the same since Jenna Jameson retired. It's not just about Jenna, of course, but it's about the general "star" quality of the show. As you mentioned, there did not seem to be as many well known stars--although there were certainly plenty of stars, including some of the more "legendary" types like Nina Hartley and Ginger Lynn, as well as the currently popular Digital Playground girls like Jesse Jane and Riley Steele. But there were definitely a lot more "unfamiliar faces" and even "unfamiliar companies." It was significant to me that Vivid was not represented at all. And the lovely British girls from Bluebird did not return this year.
So for fans, particularly fans expecting orderly lines and big name stars, the AEE has certainly declined in value.
But from a strictly "hobbyist" viewpoint, it seems that the show was as good as, or possibly even better, than ever. This was particularly true, evidently, for hobbyists who attended "Meet and Greet" events, and/or coordinated their plans with some of the agencies who represented a number of the girls in attendance at AEE.
And from a trade/vendor viewpoint, the show was no doubt better. The "Trade" area was strictly "off limits" this year to fans (unlike last year at the Sands, where fans were welcome to roam through the Trade area). And while past shows seems more oriented to simple "promotion" of products, with lots of giveaways and freebies for fans, this year's show had a lot more emphasis towards "on site" sales, with some of the production companies having little "stores" for selling videos and other items. Some of the reason for this shift toward "sales" at the show, of course is due to the 1) Lost Revenue due to internet piracy and 2) Fear of Lost Revenue that may occur (particularly in the European market) if the "condom only" laws are enforced in Los Angeles.
All in all, though, despite the changes, I still enjoyed this year's show. And I believe that, with the first year "growing pains" at the Hard Rock under their belt, the show's organizers will do a better job next year of 1) Providing more and larger exhibit rooms and 2) Doing a more efficient job of organizing the admission process and 3) Doing a better job of eliminating the congestion and traffic jams in the exhibit areas.
