Disneyland for Sinners

One of the good and bad things about Eyenovation is definitely the travel. The internet has the uncanny ability to bridge just about everyone and inherently that means many of our customers are nowhere near us. With that said, many of the clients we have the privilege in working with are in the music or technology sectors which have no permanent addresses anyway.

Throughout the year, our clients are either on tour (music) or on the convention circuit (technology) and that undoubtedly includes a stop in Las Vegas. Because 'sin city' is relatively close to our Los Angeles based office, we find ourselves in Nevada several times each year interacting with them. The city is amazingly complex, yet overwhelmingly simple. It's always fascinating to go and observe the masses reacting to various stimuli. Never once have I gone and not learned something about human behavior or the ability to influence it through creative execution.

Las Vegas' strengths come in appealing to human beings' innate desire to 'sin.' (Not that I think for one second it's actually bad, but religious conservatives would argue differently.) Whether teasing one's insatiable lust for riches and material goods, or seducing patrons with sexual desires; Las Vegas has the ability to tap into raw emotion like nothing else I've seen. It's one of the few places where you can have anything (for a price) or be anyone. And if one has to travel for business, is there truly any better place to go?

E3 XBOX 360 Party

To say video games are popular, is like saying Victoria Secret models are pretty. It's a drastic understatement to say the least. Once a year, the video game industry converges on Los Angeles for the annual E3 expo. In a nutshell, it's a huge convention where major gaming companies exhibit their upcoming products to the media. One such company who is no stranger to the industry is Microsoft. They're a huge player in the market with their famed XBOX gaming console. To compliment their presence at the convention, Microsoft had an amazing party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where they spared no expense, and I was lucky enough to attend.

The event was littered with celebrities, musicians, and big wigs from virtually ever major media outlet in the world. Microsoft rented out the entire pool area of the hotel and every room on the bottom floor to go with it. Catering and bartenders took great care of all the guests and encouraged attendees to try out new XBOX 360 games on display in each room.

Of course, I had to be realistic with the opportunity. While it was tempting to simply enjoy the amenities and sample the latest in video games for 2007, it was also a tremendous opportunity to meet new contacts for Eyenovation. Trying to solicit business for our company in a social setting is always risky. You never want to come across as rude or uncouth, but you also have to make the most of every opportunity given. Thankfully I managed to meet some very friendly people that will hopefully translate into work for our studio. I can't quite say who yet, but there's definitely more to come...