Last weekend, Toronto hosted the first annual Webmaster Summit and all the local Webmasters were saying the same thing: “What took so long?” With all the Internet porn coming out of this city you’d have thought Toronto would have its own annual show by now.Last weekend, Toronto hosted the first annual Webmaster Summit and all the local Webmasters were saying the same thing: “What took so long?” With all the Internet porn coming out of this city you’d have thought Toronto would have its own annual show by now. But, leave it to Canadians Cyberpunk from www.darkdollars.com, and Hungryman and Vid Vicious from www.paysitehosting.com to make it a reality.

The festivities began Friday with the opening night party hosted by Spread4U Free Live Feeds (www.spread4u.com) at the Hard Rock Cafe. Free drinks and food made all the Webmasters smile while punk band Brass Knuckle Therapy made their ears ring with deliciously evil music. Most attendees agreed that a live band was a refreshing change from the typical industry parties, especially a band like BKT who arrived with their own entourage of groupies and bikers. They were also impressed that BKT featured the guitar work of Brent from Python (www.python.com), another major sponsor of the Summit.

As if one party wasn’t enough, after the last song, Spread4U had limousines waiting outside to whisk everybody away in style to “Party B” which took place a few blocks up Yonge St. at Toronto’s premiere strip club, the Upper Brass. More free drinks from Spread4U and a seemingly endless supply of smoking-hot Canadian strippers ensured that a good time was had by all.

After the party the limos brought attendees back to the show hotel, where many made their way to Gunner’s room for a quiet after-party, also sponsored by Spread4U. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quiet enough and soon security was knocking on the door, forcing organizers to clear the room. But the joke was on security because most guests snuck back a short while later to finish their drinks, and the after-party continued (more quietly) into the wee hours of the morning.

On Saturday it was back to work for most attendees and those who were able to rise in time for the morning seminars were treated to insight from the operator of one of the largest TGP sites on the ‘Net, Scott of SleazyDream (www.sleazydream.com). Scott explained that the days of free listings on major TGPs are over, but that they are still an excellent source of traffic for those willing to pay. When the discussion turned to TGP2, most Webmasters and panelists agreed that while it was a good idea in principle, it was doomed to failure because it could never compete with regular TGP sites.

The seminar immediately following, titled “How to Select the Best Hosting Package” was led by organizer Cyberpunk, who gave some useful advice on choosing a hosting company. “Uptime is just as important – or more – than price,” he explained. “Saving money on hosting is not worth losing money on sales due to downtime.”

After the lunch break, newbies were instructed by industry veteran Jayman (www.netpond.com) on the basics of networking on the Internet. He described the various levels of interpersonal communication, from posting on boards to email and ICQ, but concluded that while they are excellent tools for day-to-day interaction, they are no replacement for meeting a contact in person – something every experienced Webmaster already knows.

Saturday night was Orgasm’s (www.orgasmcash.com) turn to impress and they did in great style with a wicked party at another of Toronto’s top-notch adult clubs, For Your Eyes Only. Porn Webmasters obviously love their work because nobody was complaining about going to a strip club two nights in a row. Everybody enjoyed the free drinks and selection of beautiful women, but before we knew it, it was 2:00 AM, and time to head back to the hotel for the LoveSexxxy (www.lovesexxxy.com) after-party. It must be true that one good party follows another because nearly every Summit attendee was there to enjoy Greg’s free drinks and snacks in the beautiful hotel suite. But there is no fooling hotel security and pretty soon they were knocking on the door again, sending everybody back to their rooms. Some guests managed to stick around and continue with a smaller party, while others headed off to find other after-parties, like the one I found in Gunner’s room, with drinks supplied by Spread4U.

It seems everybody had a great time Saturday night because most of the seminars on Sunday were cancelled and replaced with an informative open forum on gay traffic panelled by Dwayne (www.sexkey.com and www.mansites.com), Darren Austin (www.cegay.com), Tina (www.videosecrets.com) and Lisa (www.trafficdude.com). The open environment allowed newbies to ask questions without intimidation, while experienced Webmasters debated the ins and outs of gay marketing. Darren enlightened the crowd by making them repeat, “Gay is not a niche – it’s a MARKET.” Even industry veterans I spoke to learned a couple of new things at this useful discussion.

By Sunday night the Summit was officially over and most attendees were making their way home. The remaining stragglers and locals enjoyed an informal barbecue at the home of Odie (www.adultpaymaster.com) and Brad (www.topbucks.com). Everybody agreed that sitting around enjoying hamburgers and beers with other Webmasters was the best way to end a great weekend. See you next year in Toronto!

To see photos of the Toronto Webmaster Summit, courtesy of F.U.B.A.R. Webmasters, please click here!

Barry is the co-owner of Spread4U Free Live Feeds and can be reached at barry@blackdogunlimited.com.