Issue #272
Casino Affiliate Convention - Amsterdam
Casinomeister's Spring Break Special Edition
Dear Reader,
Yes, I've been trippin' around if you haven't noticed. And before I get to your emails, or PABs or telepathic signals, bear with me while I communicate some jovial jocularities to you, my dear reader.
So grab yo'self a hot cup o' java, and read on...
Can't read this newsletter in HTML? Click here (or copy and paste this link into your browser): http://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter.html#skip for the bitchin' online version.
Ein, Zwei, Drei, Vier, Funf, Sechs, Sieben, Acht...
There's something about listening to Kraftwerk and riding on an Inter City Express train in Europe. I was chillin' listening to my iPOD; "Numbers" popping off in my head while updating a new section at Casinomeister on my laptop. The section isn't quite finished yet; it has to do with how to spot roguish elements of an online casino. Something that players need to be aware of.The weather was fresh, mildly chilly; a thin jacket was essential. The scene - Bavaria: rolling farmlands, vineyards and forests breezed by in a blur outside my window while I thought about you my dear reader - yes, you. It's because of you that I venture to places like the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam. This is where I am able to collect information first-hand and meet the people who operate online casinos or their marketing personnel. And I have the chance to hang out with fellow webmasters and share ideas and problems. These conferences are the meat and potatoes of running a website like Casinomeister. Meeting face-to-face with people in this industry is really a good thing.
I had a 20 minute stopover in Düsseldorf - a large Northern industrial city - big, flat, and grey. I was grabbing a meat and cheese crêpe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Lo and behold it was fellow webmasters Peralis and Mito from Reviewed-Casinos.com. Chance meeting them there, but Düsseldorf is their hometown. We exchanged howdy-do's and we were coincidently scheduled for the next train for Amsterdam. And then along came David Sack from Fortune Affiliates - and then a string of other affiliates and aff managers. They had been hanging around the Reviewed Casino guys for the past few days. How nice. They were already getting a head start on the festivities of the conference. Our train pulled up, and we got on.
I like trains. They are comfortable - it's relaxing, and virtually stress free. Perhaps this is why I like the Amsterdam conference so well. It's a mellow way to travel, and mellow I be when I get there.
My Hotel - the Victoria Hotel - is situated right across the street from the main train station and right down the street from the Grand Krasnapolsky where the CAC was being held at.
My first impression of Amsterdam - I was more or less taken aback on how crowded the streets were. It was packed with people, tourists, students, riff raff of all sorts. And this was only Spring! It must be chaotic in the summer months. I prefer to be there in the Spring, and Spring it was.
That first evening was fantastic. I was invited to the Comedy Club Boom Chicago thanks to Partnerlogic. The place was packed, but it was a very nice dinner and improv. Improvisational comedy always blows me away. And even though we were in Amsterdam, the comedy team was American - great choice! From there we headed to some packed bar that was the main opening drinking party for the CAC. The place was wall-to-wall affiliates, affiliate managers, and other weirdos. Waiting in line for drinks sucked, but it was good seeing many old friends and acquaintances again. But as soon as the Tequila shots came out, I knew it was time to catch a cab back to my hotel room. That was a smart thing to do.
Day one of the convention was hyper-busy. And I suddenly realized that these conferences/conventions need more time. Two days is not enough time to get what I need to get done. I had a few objectives - one of which was to meet with the Grand Privè people. They understandably wanted to meet up with me after their "rogue" status was bequeathed upon them last month. This was a very serious issue that some people felt was harsh, but I felt - and still do - that it was the only recourse. But I'll explain later.
I spent most of the day browsing through the booths, meeting affiliates and affiliate managers. Many old faces, and a number of new ones. In fact, there are a slew of photos on the CAC page here. In fact, let's play "Spot the Meister". The first person who can identify me in one of those photos will win $30. Hint - there are actually two photos of me, one you can see my face - one you can't. Good luck! Answers next week.
Another highlight for the day was meeting up with the Lasseter's guys. At the end of the conference activities we grabbed a few beers in a Dutch pub way down the street. If you've never been to Amsterdam, well you gotta go. Some of the pubs are downright ancient, and this had the flavor of being so. We drank some "white beer" which is a little like the German Weiss Bier - excellent - and we talked about everything from roguish casino operations to Frank Zappa. We left from there and walked to China town. I was getting a little leery seeing a few shops with chickens hanging in the windows with their heads still on. The bird flu crossed my mind. But we chanced upon a cool Thai restaurant that served some of the best Thai food I've had for a long time.
And of course, from there we had the obligatory stroll through the funkified red light district - Amsterdam wouldn't be Amsterdam without this. Looking at these girls as a young guy, I would have thought "hot diggety dog - lookit dat!" But as I age and mature, I look at these girls and think "That could be my daughter" or "Do your parents know where you work?" Sometimes my brain disappoints me..
The following day was just as eventful. I met up with Yashin, the marketing director of Grand Privè. I was anticipating a conversation of "what do we have to do to get off of the 'Rogue' list" or something of that nature. It wasn't. It was a very professional explanation of what exactly happened and their perspective of it all. I'm not going to go into detail about this, but if you want to know what I'm talking about, you can read this here. But how they handled this was understandable to a point. The main issue, (which I emphasized once again) was the players' and the public's impression on the whole matter. The fears of the player public - that the casino merely found an excuse not to pay the player her winnings - were never addressed. It could have been handled much differently. The casino should have gone beyond the call of duty in this instance - and we both agreed upon this. But they didn't, and that's a real shame. That was more or less the end of the conversation.
A highlight of the day was when the representatives from the three leading software suppliers gave a presentation showcasing their software. Ah, such friendly competition. Microgaming's Roger Raatgever, Wagerlogic's Peter Marcus, and Playtech's Tom Hall each gave a convincing demonstration on why their software was the best to market to players. They presented their new games and how their platforms differed, but most importantly, they were open to questions and comments from the webmasters. Curiously enough, there weren't very many questions. I had one comment - to Peter Marcus who just announced that Wagerlogic casinos were doing away with the infamous pin number (players had to wait for a pin number delivered via snail mail before withdrawing funds from an account). I've never had a problem with this, and actually I thought it was a good idea - sending pin numbers via snail mail. It verifies the user's real address, and eliminates many cases of player fraud. Nevertheless, most of the complaints that Wagerlogic casinos receive were related to lost pin numbers or snail mail being too snail-like. I've participated in Wagerlogic casinos for eight years, and honestly - I've never lost a pin number. But this is a good move by Wagerlogic. They will be relying on other resources to verify legitimate players - which is great.
And then there was the beer session. Marc Lesnick's conferences are always capped at the end with the "beer session". It's a panel discussion with a group of leading webmasters and affiliate managers, and the discussion is normally a heated one fueled by free beer. I can't remember what the hot topics were, and I was in the front section. I probably wasn't paying attention since I was sitting next to a good friend of mine who was filling me in with some good casino gossip.
And then *poof* the convention was over. Everyone was packing their bags and heading to the airport. I was exhausted. Too fast - too quick - and here I was going out to dinner with Simmo! and Webzcas and Brian Susskind from Wagershare
The highlight of the meal was desert. The Flan was really very good. But I was ready to pass out at the table. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
As midnight came and went, it was finally time to leave, and we strolled back to our hotels and I bid adieu to my friends. But before going to my room, I grabbed some chicken at the local KFC. Now THAT was good.
The next day - bright and early - I was on the train heading back home. And while chillin' looking out the window, I anticipated my Spring Break which was to commence at 1 AM the next morning. I dreaded the wake up call, but it was unavoidable - it was coming. There was nothing I could do about it...
To be continued...
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Spanish Castles made of sand...
One of the things that was perplexing for me with the CAC was that it was scheduled at the beginning of Easter Break here in Europe. If you have kids in school, these breaks are the only time you can go on vacation. And believe me, my family needed a break from a long hard winter. We needed a warm beach and sunny weather, so at the last minute we found a four star hotel on the Andalusian coast. The PlayaLuna Hotel in Roquetas de Mar near Almeria was our destination. And we were really looking forward to it. I wasn't looking forward to the 1 AM wake up call and 2 1/2 drive to Munich International, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.We arrived at the airport safely and motivated to have a good time, my wife, 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old little boy. The Nintendos and Gameboys worked their charm on making the kids good campers.
And then we were suddenly there - smack dab in the middle of the hotel lobby with swarms of loud Spaniards (these are really loud people, and they don't notice it) - and our room wasn't ready. The hotel service went downhill from there. What we weren't told before getting there is that this hotel was geared toward Spaniards and they really don't cater to English or German speaking tourists. This is very odd at a four star hotel in a European tourist town. But it happens.
My wife was semi-cool about this since she can speak a little Spanish. I was a bit perturbed, but I know how to order a beer (thanks to my US Army days in Central America). And my kids can get just about anything they want because they look cute, y'know - like me.
The weather wasn't all that great, windy as hell. But what do you expect in mid-April in Spain? Yet once out of the wind, the sun felt refreshing - and the last couple of days I really began to dig the beach weather being the Californian that I am. As long as I stayed away from the hotel, I was happy. We had cushiony lounge chairs, and the beach was relatively deserted since it was off-season. This was nice.
But after a few days, the hotel food began to suck. It was pretty much the same food everyday. And what was astounding is that this hotel is in the middle of one of the most productive areas in Spain for produce. The surrounding area is covered with tomato fields, lettuce, strawberries, etc., but did they serve this? Hell no. They served some fresh lettuce and cucumbers, but the rest of the salads and vegetables came out of jars and cans. I've seen better food in an Army mess hall.
But enough of me bitching and whining, other than that we had a decent time. And for once, the kids behaved themselves for the entire trip. Insubordination of the child can turn the nicest place into a hell-hole. We were lucky this time.
And hell, I'm back. My office looks like a couple of grenades went off - don't even ask me what my desk looks like. But I'm grabbing this bitchin' bull by the horns, and things should be back to snuff next week. PABs being answered and resolved, webcast being uploaded, new Casinomeister casinos being showcased, all this and more. So hang tight.
Or perhaps it's time you took a break? Whadya say? Maybe I can be your trip planner.
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Peace
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Bryan Bailey Webmeister Casinomeister |  |