Trade Show Day 2. Claw Machine Draws 'Em In.

Day 2 of the trade show was another exercise in "Ugh". Exhibit hours were 10a-6p, and though I only worked about 12:15-6 I felt completely wrecked by the end.

Booth traffic was still pretty strong today. Not crazy like Monday evening when the line to use our claw machine was routinely 15 people deep. Usually it wasn't more than 5-7 people deep today. What is it with the claw machine anyway? We're in a terrible location, in the back corner of a large and crowded exhibit hall, and people somehow still find us— and gladly wait to play our game. And most of them still don't know or care what we as a company do.

The attendees I'm talking about are not children. They're not even college students. They're working IT professionals. And they're completely transfixed by playing with a claw machine to see if they snatch a free gift like a t-shirt that we used to just give away without requiring people to "win" it from a rigged game. If that isn't peak Las Vegas, I don't know what is. 🤣

On the plus side, we had a lot of good conversations in the booth today. Several people actually did care what we do as a company, and got way more interested as we explained it. I gave a few quick product demos, as did some of my colleagues.

Still, though, it was a long day. I remember checking my watch, thinking, "It's got to be almost 6 already." It was 4:30. By the time 6 rolled around I was wrecked. My feet were killing me. Apparently whoever configured our booth didn't understand the value of under-the-carpet padding. (At most shows it's an added-cost option, and it is worth it for anyone who has to stand in the booth hours a day!)

At 6 my colleagues were discussing where to go for dinner. For some reason they were only interested in looking at stupid-popular restaurants at conference hotels on the Strip that were way crowded. I talked up the benefits of going off-strip, where excellent food can be had for 1/2 the price and with no lines. They acknowledged the value of paying less and not having to wait, then went back to debating which overpriced and overcrowded Strip restaurant to go to. I noped out of the deal and walked back to my hotel.

Back at my hotel— which is in a big casino on the Strip but isn't one of the official conference hotels— every restaurant had immediate seating. There were no crowds. Everything was still way more expensive than it should be— think "airport prices" or "sports stadium prices"— but at least it was relaxing. I ate dinner, retired to my room, and was in bed around 9.

Vegas Reminds Me Why I Hate Vegas

The past few days in Las Vegas are reminding me why I hate Las Vegas. Actually, pretty much every time I visit Las Vegas reminds me why I hate the place! Yes, the new casinos can be very pretty....



...But other than the superficial looks there's nothing worth it here anymore.

I used to like Las Vegas for the gambling. Gambling was the main product the casinos offered, and they were competitive to attract customers. The games were good. In games like Blackjack and Craps, if you knew what you were doing you could play with a small house edge.

Today the games suck. The casinos have changed the rules in ways that are massively hostile to players. Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2, more than tripling the house edge, unless you play at least $100 minimums. New "easier" craps more than triples the house edge on the basic bet. Roulette now has triple zero instead of double or even single. (Sense a pattern? Games are literally 3x the con they used to be.)

While the games have gone downhill, food has gone upscale... and not altogether in a good way. All the food in casinos is way overpriced. It's not just the fancy, high end restaurants that are spendy; ordinary eats are priced like airport food or stadium food. Think $20 for 2 slices of pizza and a Coke. And the fancy places? Many of them aren't worth the $100, $200, $300, or more per person they work out to be.

But now that overpriced food is the product. Years ago you'd walk into a casino and you'd have to go through a maze of games to get to the food. Today you walk into a casino and you're in a way overpriced shopping mall/food court... with gambling hidden at the back.

It bewilders me that so many people still treat Las Vegas as something magical. Yesterday I one of the people walking beside me was on the phone with his family narrating his experience at the craps table the night before, going throw-by-throw and remarking things like, "She made point on a 4. You should always pass the dice after point on a 4!" as if that statement made any sense or bore any significance.

So many people consider Las Vegas a bucket list destination. Okay, yeah, see it once, but understand it's a just another tourist trap now. Come and see it once, but plan to hold tightly to your money and get out fast.

Trade Show Day 3 Done; Wrapup Tomorrow

Day 3 of the AWS re:Invent trade show is in the books. Tomorrow, Day 4, is the last.

Today felt easier than Day 2 yesterday even though both days were the same length. I think the difference is I got more sleep last night than Monday night.

Monday I went to bed at midnight and woke up at 4:30am Tuesday. I tossed and turned until 5:30 when I decided, "Screw it, I'm up." I think I'm suffering east coast jet lag. I was on the east coast for 9 days before spending just 16 hours at home in California and then turning around to come out here.

Knowing I may not be able to sleep past 5am again I went to bed earlier Tuesday night. I was asleep by 9pm. It wasn't hard as I was so worn out. Sure enough, I awoke at 5 on Wednesday. But I'd had a full night's sleep by then, so I got up and started my day. I used the early morning hours to catch up on work I put off Tuesday night. Successfully shifting my work schedule to match my jet-lagged sleep schedule reminds me of how I dealt with 8-hour time zone shifts when I was traveling monthly to Asia years ago.

Anyway, Day 3 is now done. Tomorrow, Day 4, the show floor is open 10am-4pm. My flight home departs at 8:30pm.

Will tomorrow be another 5am day? I don't think so. The jet lag is wearing off. It's already after 9pm and I'm not very tired. I do hope I can get to sleep soon and wake up kinda early, maybe 6? That'll give me a few hours in the morning to take care of stuff, including packing, checking out, and leaving my suitcase with the bell desk, before heading over to the show.