Now before anyone gets too excited, Pubcon doesn’t have anything to do with the bar and pub business. Think Comic-Con, except instead of comic books and superheros, it’s online marketing geeks talking about how to get more people to come to their respective websites.  Instead of stalking Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon and John Favreau, the attendees hang on every word of this guy:

Normally, this is something I go to alone, but this year I’m taking Keven to raise my personal cool factor. Since he’s young and hip while I’m old and bald, I figure he’ll be able to get us past the velvet rope for some of the swank Pubcon parties.

Some in the office have referred to this annual trek as a boondoggle, but I don’t really think that’s fair. A boondoggle is generally defined as “a wasteful or impracticable project or activity” and this is anything but. Sure, there will be some after hours networking opportunities and it is Vegas, but we’ll be solely focused on the learning and stuff.  I swear.

So, while we’re gone next week, please be kind to Alexis and Mariya, as the office will be a bit short staffed.

We’re going to be running this all day, every day so we’ll be giving away a ton of stuff throughout the show.  The only time we won’t be running the wheel is when our pal Jennifer Barretta stops by to play some challenge matches.  I believe she’ll be hanging with us for a bit on the 15th, the 16th and the 17th and I’m pretty sure that if you manage to beat Ms. Barretta, you’ll be getting a prize as well.

As for the Wheel of Fortune, here’s the deal.  There are eight different games on the wheel.  You spin, you play and if you win the game, you win some sweet PoolDawg swag or a gift certificate.  Best of all, it’s free!  We decided that we want to have some fun at this event, so instead of grinding through 12-14 hours of sales per day, we’re just gonna give stuff away.

Bargain shoppers, fear not!  We’re also bringing over 100 pool cues with us that we’ll be selling for way less than we should.  They’ll be reworks, samples and seconds, so the savings will be pretty substantial.

That’s all for now.  Just remember, when you’re out in Vegas look for this sign and stop by for a spin!

In addition to the new look of the site, we also have a brand new search tool thanks to our friends over at SLI Systems.

They’re the technology behind the search for sites like Tupperware, Symantec, Jelly Belly and American Bridal, and now they’re powering the PoolDawg search.  Pretty crazy, right?  At any rate, give it a try and let us know what you think.

Its going to be a few weeks before we’ll have these on the site to sell, but if you’re going to APA’s, be sure to stop by the PoolDawg booth and pick one up.

Now I did have fun at the event and I got to hang out and meet a ton of pool players thanks to my new friend Tequila Schjodt, but I do have a gripe goes by the name of ESPN.  Unfortunately, our tables were set directly behind some cameraman from ESPN, so I got to spend the evening staring at the back of some guy’s head instead of watching Jeremy Jones and Ronnie Wiseman rattle and scratch.  The picture here doesn’t even do it justice, as this was one where the cameraman was taking a break and kneeling.  Most of the time he was staring into the lens, so watching the match was a little, shall we say, obstructed.

Anyway, even with the view of the cameraman’s posterior, it was still a good time with some excellent pool to be had.  Kudos to Ga Young Kim, Xingtao Pan, Jasmin Ouschan and Anna Kostanian on not only playing some excellent pool, but seriously outplaying and out-entertaining the men.  I’ve heard that the semis and the finals are slated to air on ESPN July 19th, so be sure to tune in and check it out.