Black Marlin Multimedia Group Inc., which organized two Mobile Adult Content Congress shows in Florida and California, plans a much-larger event this time around in Orlando, Fla.
“Our exhibition space will be at least 20,000 square feet, and we’re hoping for at least 75 exhibitors,” Black Marlin’s Larry Lockhart told XBIZ.
The event, slated for Sept. 18-20, includes a three-track conference, as well as a pre-conference workshop.
“The first track is geared for webmasters and designers who want to learn more about how to mobilize websites, the second focuses on how to monetize sites, and the third is on how to make the mobile web work,” Lockhart said.
Black Marlin’s Dan Garza said that the company is folding much of the MAC Congress material into the show. He also hinted that the company may drop the MAC Congress name altogether to draw a larger, more-diverse audience.
MAC Congress’ first show in January at the Radisson Miami Hotel drew hundreds, but its second show at the Siena Hotel Resort and Casino in Reno, Nev., drew only in the double digits.
Garza told XBIZ that Black Marlin’s new conference name is intended to reach out to a variety of entertainment industries.
“The word ‘mature’ is more well-suited to the mobile business, which is not just about adult content,” Garza told XBIZ. “’Mature’ is more palatable to [mainstream] companies. Even ‘Late night,’ which WAAT Media coined, works.”
While U.S. revenue figures haven’t been released for 2006, mobile adult content brought in only $30 million in 2005. The mobile adult industry still has major hurdles to overcome, from content rating and age verification to lack of marketing channels.
“We think it’s between two to two-and-one-half years that we’ll see U.S. business take off,” Garza said. “One of the reasons we are hosting the show in Orlando is that it’s easier for European businesses to attend.”
Starting today, speaker proposals are now being accepted for Mobile Web Americas 2007. Mail proposals to info@mobilewebexpo.com.
