Conference Memories...

[greedygirl]

Reeeeeaaaalllllyyyy?

Yep. It was the night after he'd hired me. I don't believe there was any correlation, though.

Be sure to ask him how he got back to his hotel room.

[AE-Martyn]

Yep. It was the night after he'd hired me. I don't believe there was any correlation, though.

Gets you thinking though eh?

[brean78]

Anthony, I was on that very same BeTheDealer boat, but managed to drink my warm Heineken and jump off before it left port. Lucky escape.

Other conference highlights:

Failing dismally with Miss Venezula
Learning what a middler was
Topless bingo girls in Budapest
(I think there is a bit of a theme emerging with my highlights)

The first conference I went to CAC 2007 maybe, I wasnt even registered. I turned up on a whim and a preyer. I still managed to get in after befriending an affiliate manager who lent me his pass. There was some confused people as I introduced myself as one person, but had a totally different name on my badge

Lastly - I don't know if Ren mentioned it, but there is a classic story about a Swedish affiliate in London, shall we say making sure he didn't go out with a loaded gun. Classic

[tg12345]

#1 - Darling's

#2 - Getting into a fistfight in London with some Irish guy over a cab, then realizing we were both going back to the same hotel

#3 - Offering to show Renee my **** for some reason (got turned down)

#4 - Absinthe with Martyn

[FictionNet]

These stories are making my own conference experiences seem tame by comparison. Making me feel SO much better

Then again, there's always Barca to do something stupid.

[alexpratt]

My first week in my job and my first conference coincided and was Vegas 2004 - Incredible experiences, learnt about conference give aways, free beer, and how to play poker but unfortunately not what affiliates were

Other memories good and bad

* Gnuf Launch party at the Old London Stock Exchange - Incredible venue

* Last affiliate conference in Vegas in 06 specifically at the club in the Wynn, great people and an amazing night

* Miami in 06, whole thing changed everything for me and was when we finally decided to launch our affiliate mag

* Realising we over budgeted the first Sunday Session by over 3k to still spend in the bar with just 18 of us left on a Sunday afternoon.....Best poker session I ever played surrounded with amazing wine and champagne

* First event we did (London 07) just because it proved we could do it without any previous event experience

* Cyprus Event - Loads of fun and great informal networking

* iGB DownUnder - Great city and got a free holiday where I asked my wife to get married

* Mud Wrestling in Vegas - Still makes me laugh

* Ted teaching me the joys of Bruce Lee in Macau

[Renee]

Lastly - I don't know if Ren mentioned it, but there is a classic story about a Swedish affiliate in London, shall we say making sure he didn't go out with a loaded gun. Classic

I did!
But I forgot to mention that a guy was also kicked out of one of the parties in Dublin for wanking behind an affiliate's wife on the dance floor! Does anyone know any more about that?
The funniest thing is that when I asked her what he looked like, she described the guy who was wanking in London!

#3 - Offering to show Renee my **** for some reason (got turned down)

And now I'm laughing out loud.. :P

You offered to show me twice from memory. Once you even described it. I think I almost wet myself laughing that time too after Cobus' comment after your description. I don't think I've laughed so hard within a few days in my life.

[FictionNet]

I forgot the Gnuf party. I was sat upstairs at the bar for a few hours before that kicked off, drinking hugely expensive champagne (we forgot the free bar was in full flow downstairs) with Chris Wyles (Wagershare Tim's brother) and some other chap (no idea who). For some reason, we ended up playing a 'dice game' where we'd take it in turns to roll a dice with each number having different forfeits. I forgot what number meant what but I recall that one particular number meant paying for all the drinks for the next hour. Another number meant 'trying it on' with another dude in the bar. Another number meant giving away £20 to a random stranger. I ended up £40 worse off.

[greedygirl]

making my own conference experiences seem tame by comparison. Making me feel SO much better

Rob--not so tame. Want me to remind you??? <evil grin!>

Learning what a middler was

Such a fun day--not sure if I've ever laughed so much for such a long period of time. Poor Gary Coleman...of all the days for him to die!

Alex--you had some great ones:

* Realising we over budgeted the first Sunday Session by over 3k to still spend in the bar with just 18 of us left on a Sunday afternoon.....Best poker session I ever played surrounded with amazing wine and champagne

Absolutely incredible afternoon/evening.

* Cyprus Event - Loads of fun and great informal networking

Loved every minute of it and miss those events SO much!

* Mud Wrestling in Vegas - Still makes me laugh

It was SO bizarre--particularly when Lesnick dove into the mud! Creepy, yet over-the-top funny!

All this reminds me of a few other wonderful moments...

• The first CAC in Vancouver, where Marc Lesnick and Maryann Morrison had their knock-down drag out. Legend.
• The first CAC/Amsterdam, which began with Peralis and me convincing Garth Wilby that the chick he had been sucking face with all night and was about to 'do' was acutally a dude (she wasn't, but Garth was drunk enough for us to convince him!)...and ended with Chris Whyles waking up on a bridge, utterly hung over, finding he'd been mugged while he was passed out!
• Eric Morris freaking out at the site of midgets at a BoDog party in Vegas, several years ago (not sure what the event was). Eric has a well-known fear of midgets. Coming to anything Calvin-related is probably not a good idea for him!

Oh yeah--I can't forget all of the photos of industry guys nipples I've taken over the years. Seriously--guys will do anything!

[AE-Martyn]

#4 - Absinthe with Martyn

We did absynth??????

Wow, I have no recolection of this. The only absynth story I can recall was making an already pissed Toby (ex-tote) drink a small bottle of it. As he took a sip of his beer to take away the taste, he sicked into his pint. Added a frothy head on it at least!

Amsterdam - Ash cloud, fun times. Stayed back an extra day I think before getting a car to Brussels, a ferry to Hull, a train to Manchester and a taxi home.

Amsterdam - Buying a flesh light....for a friend.

Amsterdam 06' - finding out I was going to be a dad for the first time.

[Anthony-Coral]

Barcelona 2008 - Eric who used to work for the GPWA was trying HARD to get into my pants.. At one point I actually asked a stranger to help me and when I explained what was going on, we both looked over at Eric who was caressing his nipples.

Was that the Blackjack.com opening night party at the The Joker down by the marina?

I don't think Eric handled your rejection particularly well - later that evening me Tom and Marty had to talk him out of a fist-fight with some random guys whilst we were on the hunt for a taxi - Great times!

[Renee]

Was that the Blackjack.com opening night party at the The Joker down by the marina?

I don't think Eric handled your rejection particularly well - later that evening me Tom and Marty had to talk him out of a fist-fight with some random guys whilst we were on the hunt for a taxi - Great times!

Yeah it was. He was just gross..

[rak]

Barcelona 2008 - Eric who used to work for the GPWA was trying HARD to get into my pants.. At one point I actually asked a stranger to help me and when I explained what was going on, we both looked over at Eric who was caressing his nipples.

nice.. I just screwed up my face and gagged. all I can see is Eric circling his nipples, pouting and giving hard come hither looks.

[AE-Martyn]

I remember Eric kicking off, that guy was maffisse! (big)

I recall Eric kept spitting and the guy telling him to stop, Eric being from Boston was obviously harder than a guy twice his size. I think we saved his pretty little face that night.

[Renee]

LOL

Rak I think you just described perfectly what he was doing..

Martyn - maybe you guys should have let him go. Would have been funny to see him the next day.

Actually come to think of it, at that same conference I had an affiliate who kept cornering me. In the end I told him if he didn't back off I was going to beat the crap outta him. I didn't even look HALF as tough then as I do now

[rak]

I'm easily led.. I end up in the bad part of towns / cities with advertisers and other affiliate managers.. and I don't realise it until there is some sort of ruckuss going on. I'm just not savvy.

[TheBoyMitchell]

Hmmm.... I have loads, but most probably cant be repeated really. But...

- Getting Jamie Rosen hooked up with a proper man eater PR girl in Cyprus. She literally attacked him and he was so scared he actually went home
- Tom Galanis hitting a potential new client over the head with a real pigs leg bone that he had kept after going for a medieval meal in Prague (or was it Budapest?)
- Toby Oddy losing his girlfriend in the lifts after Martyn Beacon ran into the lift as the doors were shutting and pressing all the buttons
- Totally owning the dancefloor at the AE roller disco in Budapest. I dont even dance, but for some reason I spent 4 hours on a podium directing the dancing....
- Cyprus again with Paddy Power. Sineads husband stretching out on a bar in the club and falling asleep.
- Saving Mick Forrys ass at Bed when we got into a rumble with the Soviet wrestling squad. Luckily their manager spoke perfect English and we - became "friends" - he even reached over the bar and got us a bottle of vodka.
- Watching with amazement as one Aff Manager managed to smoke over 200 Euros of weed in three days in Amsterdam without it affecting him
- Stealing animal porn as a gift for someone
- Bob Rains punching out a fellow SEO because he called him fat. (to be fair, Bob had warned him)
- The mystery ****** in London
- That **** boat party. If I remember it had a load of guys dressed as sailors in too-small clothes and one actually reclining in a bed of shellfish...
- Jamie and I getting done for 1000 Euros in Budapest at some clip joint, and then coming back to find out we werent the only ones.

[Anthony-Coral]

- That **** boat party. If I remember it had a load of guys dressed as sailors in too-small clothes and one actually reclining in a bed of shellfish....

WOW

Unless that that all happened after I'd got off the boat - you were def on a different boat!

You sure it was the same one?

Sounds to me as if you may have 'boarded' at an entirely different part of Amsterdam!

[TheBoyMitchell]

No it was the same boat because I got off it too after my warm Heineken before it set sail...

[rak]

- that **** boat party. If i remember it had a load of guys dressed as sailors in too-small clothes and one actually reclining in a bed of shellfish...

w t f?