The Mobile Entertainment Expo is the re-imagined Mobile Beat conference. MEX is the brain child of Photo Booth Expo founder Rob Savickis. Rob saw an opportunity in 2020 as Mobile Beat was having some challenges and then unfortunately had to totally cancel due to the pandemic. Owner Ryan Burger made the difficult decision to sell the Las Vegas based conference and thus, a new DJ conference was born. But there was a lot of work to be done and doubt whether it could recover.
The first year of the conference would have been 2021 but the show had to be cancelled as the world was still in the grip of Covid-19 and vaccines had just been introduced to the general public. So, it was planned to launch in 2022 as a sister conference to the very popular Photo Booth Expo. Additionally, the DJ conference would occupy the same space as the Photo Booth Expo at the Southpoint Casino Hotel just south of the world famous Vegas strip.
The plan was to utilize the main ballroom for Photo Booth seminars and a smaller division for the DJ seminars. The trade show floor would also have the Photo Booth vendors taking up 80% of the layout and then the smaller area reserved for DJ related vendors. A respectable crowd of around 500 DJs attended along with about 3000 Photo Booth attendees. Normally you would say that’s a great turnout but the show was on pace to draw over 5000 if Covid had not reared its ugly head.
As you may imagine the first year of a new show is NOT without its hiccups and miscalculations. The biggest drawback, as commented from attendees was that the DJ seminar area was back to back with the Photo Booth side. It just felt flat and without energy. Attendance was cut short as people still were not ready to travel and international borders were still closed. It was a quality show and a serious effort made by the committee which included stage manager Michael Cordeiro. Mike made sure every presenter was on-time and well prepared. His job was to make sure the show was organized and smooth. While he did a professional job Mike took notes on how things could be improved.
During the months that followed MEX 2022 it was clear the DJs didn’t want to be back to back with the Photo Booth show and wanted a more DJ appropriate atmosphere to really feel like a DJ event. And this is where things got creative. Along with Mike Cordeiro, Rob Savickis secured the Southpoint night club otherwise known as the Showroom. A amazing facility loaded to the ceiling with lighting, trussing and sound to make any DJ blush. It was the perfect environment for a DJ show and this would become the catalyst for the 2023 event.
So enter 2023 and the buzz was very strong that this year was going to be something special. Attendance on the DJ side alone was over 1700. Breaking any record Mobile Beat ever had put up. The combined attendance with PBX topped 5000! DJs would be treated to 2 back-to-back days of stellar education on Tuesday and Wednesday, but those with a key pass also got into the Monday main ballroom seminars which were quite fabulous as well!
Not to mention the show floor was the biggest ever with over 175 participating vendors! The vibe was very positive and the word was that the show was a smash hit! Very well received by the DJs and finally, a DJ Show that felt like a DJ show! The Showroom proved to be a enormous hit with the attendees leaving those who didn’t attend feeling quite disappointed as they followed the video and photos posted on social media.
It is safe to say that the 2023 MEX and PBX shows were the largest and best attended events of its kind ever! And will only be bigger next year as the buzz is spreading left and right that this show is a MUST attend event for 2024!