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If I want to hang out with a bunch of nerdy dudes I can do that without flying across the country and spending big money to attend a convention.

Taking away the eye candy at these conventions is just one nail in the coffin that makes them less appealing to the market demographic. Nerdy dudes.
 
No, it is not supposed to be, neither are car shows, or other conventions. The booth babes and various dance shows were just part of the experience, an additional bonus to make people want to attend in person. Take that away, less people will want to attend, lower attendance means next year less exhibitors will think it's worth the hassle, until eventually it all collapses.

And the claim that it was sexist because it only catered to men is also incorrect. It catered to men because 99% of attendees were male, so who else would they cater to?
I go to Gen Con, Origins, and NOVA Open for the games. Gen Con stopped with the booth babes years ago and I haven't missed it in the slightest and attendance was record setting in 2023. The other two never had them as far as I know and they still seem to be going strong.

I've gone to Comdex, Java One, Surge, and others for work, and actually did work at them. If there were booth babes (comdex probably had them given how long ago that was), I neither cared nor noticed.

If I wanted to go to a convention about half dressed women, I'm sure I could find one to do that. Since that's not what those conventions are about, I just don't care, and I presume the vast majority of attendees also don't care.
 
I just have to ask as I've never been to a non professional IT convention... are these ones free to attend? My experience is based on conventions that have a cost.
 
So do the people that think booth babes or sexy characters in games are evil or morally wrong... also hate like that snow white singer? From American Horror Show.

I would think they would throw them into literal conniptions and am shocked they have time to care about anything else.
 
I just have to ask as I've never been to a non professional IT convention... are these ones free to attend? My experience is based on conventions that have a cost.
Comdex had a cost, but I went in 2002. I don't even know what it cost anymore.
Java One is (was? I think it's just a part of cloud world now) Oracle's Java conference. Cost was like $1500.
Surge was a scalability conference. It's basically been replaced by O`Reilly Velocity. Cost was $750
Even the small conferences like a YAPC have a minimal cost.

In all cases I've just expensed them. Generally speaking, corp America doesn't like to allow you to expense trips that have collections of pictures of booth babes associated with them.
 
I go to Gen Con, Origins, and NOVA Open for the games.
There's a big difference between going to a conference you are genuinely interested in, and going to one because Work needs you to attend.

Booth babes and booze definitely help the latter.
 
I go to Gen Con, Origins, and NOVA Open for the games. Gen Con stopped with the booth babes years ago and I haven't missed it in the slightest and attendance was record setting in 2023. The other two never had them as far as I know and they still seem to be going strong.
There were no IT or games related conventions here in Hungary for many years. The only thing that is still going strong is car and tuning exhibitions, and those still have booth babes. They even hold a beauty pageant within the venue. At this point IDK what is the bigger attraction the cars or the girls.
If I wanted to go to a convention about half dressed women, I'm sure I could find one to do that. Since that's not what those conventions are about, I just don't care, and I presume the vast majority of attendees also don't care.
In today's political climate I'd not announce it publicly that I care either, but I do care. If I'm on the fence about going to some convention it can be the deciding factor. But you make it sound like that there is something inherently wrong or immoral about it. IDK why is that.

There's a big difference between going to a conference you are genuinely interested in, and going to one because Work needs you to attend.

Booth babes and booze definitely help the latter.
Why can't it be both? Even if I'm interested already it wouldn't hurt. Just as with videogames, even if the game is good already, having good looking characters is an additional boon.
 
Why can't it be both?
Well.. it can be both. I guess what I was getting at is the difference between being interested in attending, versus being required to attend and not really being interested in it at all.

Mine span mostly in the latter - they are good for professional development, but i would hardly call them exciting, interesting, or anything I would voluntarily attend.
 
Mine span mostly in the latter - they are good for professional development, but i would hardly call them exciting, interesting, or anything I would voluntarily attend.
I... have never encountered that. If I didn't want to go to a specific conference I wouldn't fill out the paperwork to go. The closest I've gotten to that is having to travel cross country for an annual disaster recovery test. My bonus was dependent on success criteria of the DR test, so even if I didn't want to be there, I sure as hell wouldn't want booth babes preventing me from getting my annual bonus :D
 
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