No Escaping the Casino in Perth
Most trade shows are held in the usual places, such as Las Vegas, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, etc. The Electric Mine Expo chose to venture far away from any of these places and instead went to Perth, Australia. When I think of Australia, I usually think of Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, or Tasmania. Perth is on the other side of Australia, about a five-hour flight from Melbourne. The nearest city with more than 100,000 people, Adelaide, is 1,307 miles away. The city is so remote that it is often considered “the most isolated big city in the world”.
In total, it took me 37 hours to get from my apartment to my hotel room in Perth. This is the longest trip I’ve done to date. Getting back will take longer, at approximately 45 hours. Given this distance, I am taking an extra few days after the conference to explore a little of the area.
The trade show is at the Crown Casino. I enjoy having an event located at the same place as the hotel. It makes transportation easier. This place has a big hotel vibe, like Las Vegas, but with fewer people and better ventilation. There are multiple hotels on the property, and a few restaurants. The food is ok, but not great. It is also a casino. I hate casinos.
I find the problem with casinos to be fundamental in how they operate. They are “games of chance” where the house always has the upper hand. To make you forget about this underlying fact, casinos try to do everything possible to get you to play. They offer cheap or free drinks, smoking is expected, and the bright lights and noise is overwhelming. There are no windows in casinos. There are no clocks in casinos. The only taste of outside comes from the occasional stumbling to an entrance or exit.
Here in Perth, I am at the casino for about five days. I’m at the mercy of the convention organizers for most of this time, staffing a booth myself during the day and making as many meetings as possible back in the United States via Zoom that I can at night. As the doors continually remind me, there is no escape.
This bridge near the hotel is really incredible. It has its speakers and its own soundtrack. It also lights up at night. The cables are for a zipline for those daring enough to do it.
Sunset overlooking the Optus Arena. We had dinner at the arena later in the week as part of the conference.
The Optus Arena is an oval, made for Australian Rules Football. I tried watching this version of football, and as far as I can tell, there aren’t many rules. The arena was one of the most incredible stadiums I’ve seen.
A “no escape” sign on a door in the Crown Casino. I’m trapped.
The Crown Casino. My room is somewhere in the taller of the buildings.
