Hosting an event like this has always been a goal of mine in the industry. I can’t express how happy and excited I am that it went over so well. The speaker sessions were absolutely amazing and the feedback we have received from both affiliates and affiliate managers has been 100% positive.

You can get a full recap of the show by listening to the podcast of our PAP Radio Show last night. We start in on the Poker Conference recap around 30 minutes in.

Enough about the boring details of the actual conference though. Let’s talk about the fun and shenanigans. This industry is unlike any other when it comes to people and partying. I believe we went to clubs every single night, and the earliest we ever went to bed was around 4:30 A.M. The clubs in Cyprus were amazing and the music was awesome. Hearing American music mixed up by the Cyprus D.J.’s with some Euro techno beats was sick.

The only downfall about going anywhere outside the States as a U.S. citizen is that our dollar is fu***** terrible. We went to a strip club one night and I payed €20 for (1) Heineken. MInd you this was a strip club, but the average cost of a beer was around $12-$14 USD. Three of us went to dinner one night for sushi and seafood and it cost €260. The next night our dinner for (6) of us cost €650. I do have to say that although it was expensive, it was worth every penny.

Some of the notable people I spent a lot of time with over the week were Markus “Big Baller” Tandler, Bob Raines, The Indian Princess, Party Poser, and of course how can I forget………… John Holloway. Speaking of Holloway, I would love to get him and Kyle Healey together and challenge them to a contest to see who has more game. I won’t go into details here, but one morning at 6:00 A.M. people were in the pool with random girls they brought back from the club.

Seeing how much of a success this first Poker Conference was, I am already looking forward to the next one. My goal is to have over 1000 people next year, and bring the event to a more central location. Below are a ton of photos Alex took from the conference.

All in all, I am happy to finally be back to work and sitting in my office. Me being without the internet or a phone for 10 days probably should be a spiritual event or relaxation period! Unfortunately it buried me in the amount of work I need to catch up on now.

Ohhhh, and just as a standard tradition, I feel obligated to post a picture of me with a couple hot blonde’s on each arm.

Vol 1 – http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai…2&id=571421538

Vol 2 – http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai…d&id=571421538

Vol 3 – http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai…3&id=571421538

Vol 4 – http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai…8&id=571421538

Vol 5 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai…c&id=571421538

Even back in the days when I was running PAW, I had always dreamed of running my own poker conference. Nothing feels better than achieving something that has been a goal for several years. And unlike some of my goals, hosting an affiliate conference is no small task.

Luckily our business partners at igaming business are experts in the logistics of these things. There is so much that goes into the planning of an event like this, it is mind boggling.

I am very happy however with the way this event has shaped up. Looking at the attendee list today, we are expecting around 400 people to be in attendance. Of these 400, roughly 250 are affiliates. Many are amongst some of Europe’s biggest poker affiliates as well. My goal with this conference was to provide the maximum value for both affiliates and the exhibitors who will be attending.

Because I love poker, I also wanted to make the ASOP one of the sweetest yet. I picked up the $10,000 diamond bracelet tonight, and part of me wishes I could play in the event just for that. Not too mention the $10K WSOP package we are giving away to the winner as well.

I am set to meet up with Devilfish when we get there, and between him, Greg, myself, Alex, and Caselli, I can only imagine the shenanigans that will take place in the evening on this island. It should be one for the books.

I have to be honest for a minute though, before this I knew nothing about event planning. And even today, it is still a learning process. I often write about “surrounding yourself with successful people“, I am thankful we do just this with Alex and the team at igaming. They have done a kick ass job as always and deserve many props.

I am already thinking about the next poker conference and where to host it. Although Cyprus is awesome, I realize it is very far and can be costly for U.S. and Canadian affiliates. Next year I would like to see 1000+ affiliates there. So with that I need to plan a destination. I love Europe, but for the love of God, we are there for every other conference.

Obviously we cannot do a conference in the U.S., and with Spring Break the same week, we need to be somewhere tropical. I would love to see a conference get back to an area however where more U.S. and Canadians can attend. My initial thought is Bermuda, since it is an easy flight from the U.S. and not relatively far from the U.K.

I’ll try to keep this blog updated if we have good internet access in Cyprus. If not, see you on the flipside bitches.

Jeremy

1. People in Southern California have no idea what cold weather is. While the local news showcased people in winter coats complaining about the weather, I slept with the windows open and woke up to a refreshing 52 degree morning. Before I left Chicago it was -16 degrees with the windchill.

2. Working in an actual office for an “internet company” is not like corporate America. One of my buddies Tim owns FatWallet.com, and I thought they were the only internet company that rolled the way they do, not so. The CAP/PAP/AP offices in Irvine, CA all have dual 19″ monitors on every desk, and plasma tv’s in front of all the desks in the offices.  Not to mention a stocked fridge and food cabinet with anything you want. The best part is that everyone in the office has fun and loves coming to work. I have toured several affiliate related offices in the past, and none can compete with what we have here. Bottom line, Warren knows how to run a business and I am going to love every month I get to travel to So. Cal.

3. Greg Powell and his wife Tandra – Wow, my first night here I think I imposed on a birthday party for a bulldog at his house. No shit, the dog had a birthday hat, a decorated cookie, and some cupcakes. Apparently moving from the Midwest to Southern Cal makes you a bit gay.  At least his wife is super hot, so that makes up for him going quasi gay here in the OC.  Way to represent the Midwest GP.

On a serious note though, I can’t wait to get to London tomorrow. Although this will be one of my most important conferences yet in regards to meetings (Some of you know how much I love the “formal meetings”), I can’t wait to get together and hang out with all the PAP affiliates. There are only a few times a year I actually get to see my “internet friends” who I chat with on skype and in the forums all the time.  This is truly the best part of these events for me outside of business.

As much as a plane ride from Cali to London sucks, it will all be worth it once I get there. For those of you going who want to hook up with the PAP group, my cell phone while there is 714-421-8957. Just give me a call and I will let you know where our group is at. The more PAP members we can get together the better.

See you in London!