Why read this article about what happened at Eurowebtainment? Because you will find out how to take advantage of what is happening in Europe – the most attractive adult online market in the world for three reasons:.Why read this article about what happened at Eurowebtainment? Because you will find out how to take advantage of what is happening in Europe – the most attractive adult online market in the world for three reasons:
1. Europe is big – More people use the Internet than in the U.S. and Canada;
2. Europe is growing – Online use is up 97% in the EU, compared to 87% in the U.S. from 2000 – 2003;
3. Europe isn’t as competitive as the U.S. – Fewer companies are fighting for the end users’ Euro.
Who Attended
Eurowebtainment is the premier Webmaster event for international networking in Europe with 700 Webmasters and 30 exhibitors in attendance. Internationally aware Webmasters from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the U.S. made up the majority of attendees. There were also attendees from Andorra, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K. Among the big names in attendance were 2000Charge, AEBN, AVN Online Magazine, ChiChiClicks, Cybersocket, Klixxx, Max Hardcore, Nocreditcard.com, SexMoney, VideoSecrets and TrafficDude.
Where are the opportunities in Europe? Several panel discussions highlighted the latest changes and fastest growing areas of the adult industry in Europe. They covered the new laws, new billing methods and new and old ideas about how to treat clients.
New Regulations of Alternative Payment Methods
The European market is changing, even more than the U.S. First, Visa lowered their charge back acceptance ratio, then the conservative government in Germany (the largest economy in Europe) pushed through new and stricter dialer laws. These laws make it impossible for illegal and borderline dialer companies to operate in Germany. This is particularly important because, just as in the rest of Europe (and the world), the dialer is the preferred payment method for adult content. Now the government is proposing stricter laws for the protection of minors. These changes are both opening and closing doors for the adult industry in Germany.
There are clear opportunities for large dialer companies that are legally compliant and can absorb the new reporting costs. The door is literally closing for many newer, medium and smaller dialer firms that are being forced to go out of business. Another effect of the new laws is that German adult Webmasters are increasingly moving international. What does this mean for you? They are looking for new partners to do business with right now – a great chance for you to do more business.
Latest Developments of Billing Methods – Credit Cards in Europe and the U.S.
Andreas from our company, Nocreditcard.com participated on this panel thinking that it would be about the Visa charge back ratios and the new dialer laws. Wrong and wrong! SMS billing questions dominated the one-hour panel discussion. Everyone wanted to know how to make money by offering SMS billing and SMS customized products for converting their traffic. The potential of this new tool has many Webmasters very excited indeed.
The New and Old Erotic Economy
This panel focused on treating end-users with respect. The speakers recommended that Webmasters shift their focus from seeing the customer as a one off sale to viewing the end user as future income as well. In other words, the secret is recurring. The way to get it is to drop the mousetraps and be honest with your customers. The tough part, of course, is putting this into practice in a way that drives higher profits for your company today. The strong companies in our industry are figuring out new ways of treating the customers right and they will own the future.
The Parties
Friday night, October 17th, there were two parties. To summarize them both… champagne, champagne and more champagne. (Followed miraculously by no headache – I officially offer my body up for medical research).
On Saturday, October 18th, Eurowebtainment threw a terrific dinner with fine German desserts followed by a bit of reverse sexism for the ladies with the “International Dream Men” show. The official evening program ended at midnight, but the party is probably still going on as I type up this review.
Summary
Eurowebtainment was an excellent place to begin understanding the opportunities in Europe. It was a great place to make new contacts and build stronger relationships. See you in the next year in old Europe!
Andreas Bischoff manages the German market for Nocreditcard.com. Contact him at andreas@nocreditcard.com.
Mitch manages the North American market for Nocreditcard.com. Contact him at mitch@nocreditcard.com.
Clay manages global marketing for Nocreditcard.com. Contact him at clay@nocreditcard.com.
