Drinks! Dinner! Dancing! Bottle Service! Yes, It's An Ad Conference!
Last night after the first day of the ad:tech Chicago conference ended, UnsubCentral's John Engler organized a dinner at the Chop House for about 16 people including Powered COO Mark Drosos, Direct Response Technologies' Matt Haag, Frontline Direct Sales Manager Barbara Stratte and Marketing Director Cari McClure, Adconion Media Group VP Kristian Wilson and Account Manager Alexis Berger, Spiderbait Strategist Dante Montverde and StoryQuest's Tim Keelan among others.
Also enjoying some of Chicago's finest beef were Adrants' Co-Editor Angela Natividad and the ad:tech blogging team Paige Dzenis, Brent Terrazas and Krista Neher.
Like any dinner with 16 people across two tables in a loud restaurant, the discussion varied widely from work topics to wine selection. None of which, sadly, can be currently called to mind. The food was amazing. The wine was great and the people excellent company.
After dinner, the clan headed over to Enclave for the DoubleClick-sponsored ad:tech After Party which was packed on arrival but began to thin out until the lights came up at midnight. ad:tech VP Don Knox, Content Director Warren Picket, Programming Chair Drew Ianni and Finance & Operations Administrator Dana Offuitt, among others where there.
The music was, well...how shall this be put...OK. but that didn't stop a few from hitting the dance floor. Have fun picking yourself out in the photo album.
After the lights came up and more than a few thought it was simply much too early to end the night, several cab loads headed over to Manor which was just beginning to crank. Complete with bottle service, graciously provided by Lashback Sales Director Timothy Kastner, platform dancers and music that was...well...how shall this be put...several steps better than the music at Enclave, the night shifted, notably, in a new direction.
With black-suited, earpiece-wearing, Secret Service-like bouncers admonishing anyone who dared take photos of "our girls" (the platform dancers) because, well, "we have our own professional photographer," the self-important ego-fest was complete. And what's an ad:tech without some self-important ego? This is advertising after all.
