Hello from the desert, it’s “the other Gray” reporting live from Las Vegas. Today was our first full day in Vegas for Affiliate Summit West 2010. We’ve only been here a short time but I already feel like a lot has been accomplished. I also learned some new things today:

The Meet Market Is Chaotic
No offense to the people planning but the Meet Market today at The Rio was utter chaos. There were too many people in the rooms with the tables thus making it impossible to move from table to table. I missed Affiliate Summit East in New York but Ryan told me they had the same problem at The Hilton. Something needs to be done to better accommodate the event. For starters they need to have the Meet Market in a larger space and better organize the way tables are displayed. The way the tables were presented made it hard to distinguish who was at which station. If you’re claustrophobic and spent any time at the Meet Market today you probably utilized the cash bars a good bit. I’m having anxiety just thinking about it.

There’s A Lot of Interest in Affiliate Marketing
People came to Vegas in droves and it’s good to see with the current problems with our economy that so many affiliates are doing well. We always hear a lot of negative stories but I talked with several people today that saw significant growth in their businesses last year. Good job guys! We’re proud (and fortunate) to have achieved record success last year. Hopefully 2010 will be even better.

AT&T Still Sucks
I’m not sure how many of you are carrying iPhones but mine has been very limited again this trip. I had the same problem with AT&T at AdTech back in November. It’s enough to make me want to change carriers but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love my iPhone. The device is great but the service needs to be improved, especially in larger cities. It gets old not being able to call out or send text-messages.

I’m Getting OLD!
The first time I came to Las Vegas was in 2006 and I’ve been back every year since. Every year I can tell a difference in what I am able to do but I just can’t party like I used too. I should be at the COPEAC party here at Tryst in The Wynn but I just can’t muster up the energy to go. I had a busy evening working and still haven’t been able to shake the jet lag. Maybe tomorrow will be a different story, but I’ll be going to bed shortly after I post this. For those of you still able to bounce from party to party and are still under 25 years old, enjoy it while you can. If you’re over 25 and can still do it, my hat is off to you.

Aside from my Dallas Cowboys completely tanking, today was a good day. I got to enjoy Las Vegas, meet up with several readers of the blog and ate some great food. I highly recommend the sushi at Wazuzu at Encore (I’ve already eaten there twice). Ryan and I had dinner alone tonight at Red 8 in The Wynn and it was enjoyable. I look forward to meeting with several of you tomorrow. If you’re reading this before heading out to a party, be safe and drink one for me!