DJ Times EXPO 2003 * All hype - No Substance

[Mike Fernino]

DJ Times Magazine. I remember when this magazine had stuff about the Mobile DJ in it. Now it's 90% club DJ. I also remember ( what seems to be an eternity ) when the Atlantic City convention was the best DJ convention and DJs from all over the world attended. The expo floor was loaded with vendors selling everything you could ever want and need for the working DJ, including CDS.
Back in the day...............
The expo was on the boardwalk. Trump's World's Fair and Plaza played host when I went to my first expo in 1994. Then it moved to the Trump Taj Mahal. They just kept getting better and bigger. The seminars were loaded, the expo floor was packed with vendors, and the location was great! To walk 3 blocks down the boardwalk to club Deja Vous was great for everyone. You would always run into a DJ on the boardwalk, and just stop to chat. That's where I learned the best stuff. Just talking with other DJs on the boardwalk. The seminars were always good too with new topics every year. To sum it all up, it was FUN, informative, and convenient!
2003 * Question: What happened????
Answer: Greed
DJ Times didn't like how DJs were not all staying at the Taj Mahal. DJs had tons of choices on the boardwalk and many shopped for the best rate in a hotel room.
You could stay down the boardwalk at a different hotel, and still have a short walk to the Taj.
Could it be that DJ Times might have made a $
commission off every room sold to an expo attendee??? I wonder?
The expo is now at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Deep in the Middle of AC and miles from the boardwalk. There is only 1 hotel ( Sheraton )
to stay at unless you have a walk and a half, or you need to get a taxi. This location is NOT better than the Taj. It is as inconvenient as you can get for the DJs. The convention center is a MALL sized venue. What do we need that monster sized place for when the show is getting smaller in attendance every year?
OH , and no matter what you read in the magazine this year, attendance was DOWN!
OK, so it is inconvenient, but how are the seminars? I have not gone in a few years and guess what? The same crap every year with only a few new twists. Clearly, DJ Times is going for the NEW DJs and they have totally turned their backs on the DJs that have suppoted them year after year. With the exception of a few good seminars, most of the fluff is old school. " Been there, done that! "
The nightlife, well, when you can't get to it very easy, it can't be very good? I remember when you could not move in Club Deja Vous. Now you can just walk in and stratch out.
DJ of the Year Competition!
They actually had a sound system that the CDs didn't skip and the microphones didn't feed back!
What a competition!
PLEASE! * Would some DJ actually get up an do a routine that they ACTUALLY DO in the REAL WORLD, and not some broadway stage show made for the expo only?
The winner even used Pyro. Great!
I know here in the north east we all do it, don't you? The 8 dancing girls and drum set was great too. I know he has a pyro/8 dancing girls/ drum set package that his clients can book for their
Barmitzvah in the real world. That's the "MONGO Package"! WOW!
I found myself loving the Sexual Positions game. Great entertainment guys! I know I'm going to use that one next week at the church dance!
Days gone by, you used to go to the expo floor and be able to by CDs and product, and equipment.
Now becuase of restrictions, there is only one store allowed to sell Numark, or Gemini, or Denon, so NO competition- less great deals.
There are LESS booths then I can ever remember.
There were almost NO booths selling CDs and very few high-end products. The most obvious thing to me was the ton of empty booths that were not filled with vendors. What a shame. How about they lower the price for a booth so more vendors participate, and the show is better for the attendees??? They might make more $$$?
OK, so maybe you get it by now, the Show sucked!
I wish DJ Times would start listening to the DJs who made them what they are today, and give back the expo to the attendees, instead of trying to maximize the all-mighty buck $.
Maybe this is why I started DJ Idea Sharing?
See you in Vegas!
Mike Fernino
Music In Motion
Member* The DJ Network
Member * PDJNE
Idea Sharing Founder

[John Allo]

Go to the NAME conference next year.

[JohnnyDee]

I agree with everything that Mike said. Changes need to be made if this show is going to continue. I don't think there was even 1000 DJ's at the show this year...as compared to their past figures of 3000-5000.

I've been going to all their shows in AC since they started and Mike is right. The convention center is not the place for the show.

[diskjokk]

Now, I don't remember the exact first year I visited the Expo in Atlantic City but I do remember buying a brand new copy of Tekken for my Playstation while at the show.

When I bought that game in Atlantic City, I would have to say that there were thousands of DJ's who participated in the Expo. Mike is right, back then, Club Deja Vous was packed every night we partied there.

I remember taking shots from the bartenders cleav... well, it was fun!

Anyway, I also remember staying at a hotel off of the Boardwalk because it was the best rate we could find. However, it was convenient to get to the convention, Club Deja Vous, the Boardwalk, Planet Hollywood, etc.

I remember going to the Seminars and learning all this new stuff from other DJ's. I remember really good discussions during these seminars. Good questions from other DJ's, etc.

I remember buying most of my music collection while at the convention. There were many, many, booths that carried everything from Disco to Club to 50's Swing. I even remember Time Life having a booth here where they sold me my 70's and 80's collections - that I still use today.

I was just overwhelmed by everything that was happening at this show.

I went the next year after Tekken was released and the year after that. The shows were good.

Mike, it sounds like the show has changed for the worse. That's too bad. Like most of the services and products we buy in life, there always seems to be a decrease in quality while the costs for said services and products increase.

I am not surprised to hear this, just a bit sad. After attending my first convention, I knew that I had to become a Professional Mobile DJ.

So who has the best DJ convention nowadays?

[ September 08, 2003, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: diskjokk ]

[fatcat dj]

I think DJ SourceOnline and ProDj.com
should get together and have a convention in
Las Vegas.
Years ago, I attended the DJ
Times convention West at the Universal
Hilton. It was 1986, and I was just getting
my first club dj gigs and all of the new
equipment was coming out like dual cd
players with pitch bend---wow!!!! It was packed with vendors and DJ's from all
over the country.


If Dj SourceOnline had a convention, I'd
be there! I am getting a bit tired of
Mobile Beat...still good, but they need a
overhaul in the seminars dept.

[Keith Alan]

Originally posted by John Allo:

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana">quote:<hr /><font size="3" face="Arial, Verdana">Go to the NAME conference next year.<hr /></blockquote><font size="3" face="Arial, Verdana">I was only to attend this years AC show for two days. From what I was able to get to, I a few things. I have always said that if I walk away from a show with ONE new idea, then the show did good by me. I did learn a few new tricks, so... However, those new tricks we learned at the bar in the Sheraton, while talking with friends.

I agree with Mike about the show as a whole and know for a fact that anyone who told the hotel they were with DJ Times got the "Show Special" rate of $120.00 per night. That's $20.00 more a night than what I paid for NOT saying I was part of the show.

I have attended DJ Times form the very first show. The first one was at "Resorts". That's when Numak introduced the FIRST duel CD Player.

I can't talk about this years competition because I wasn't there. I do agree with Mike about competitions in the past. We, as 'mobile DJ's' generally work alone or with ONE partner. Not a full compliment of dancers, costumes and routines.
If we all did that, my thought is that DJ's would likve up to the repituation of 'cheesy, show stealers'.

These are just my thoughts, and yes, I will attend next year as well. The reason is not to support DJ Times but to see respected business associates.

I will, without a doubt, be attending the next NAME conference. That is something DJ Times should be attending as well (with their notebooks too).

[DJ Scott]

Why Vegas? Why not Denver? We could all go skiing. I'm a great instructer.
Any takers???? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

[Jim Casey]

Vegas just isn't for me...

Why is it the conventions need to be held near gambling meccas???

I have zero need to gamble. NAME is my one and only option for 2004, but I need a firmer date and time before I fully commit

[Mike Fernino]

Hey Jim,
Maybe if they had a convention in Bermuda, maybe you would be able to attend??? LOL [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
Mike

[Rob Peters]

Ok kiddies....

The N.A.M.E. Conference is in the works. We are targeting the LAST WEEK of April again this year. Details are forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Rob