now, perhaps the biggest contribution P&G made was just to have the event. "We baked a cake," said advertising vice president Denis Beausejour at the summit's conclusion. "The point was the event, not the results of the event," added panel moderator Chuck Martin, author of the forthcoming book Net Future.
Little guys who couldn't score a precious invitation to the Cincinnati conference tried their best to get in on the supposed action. Lurking outside P&G's Tower Auditorium, execs from an Internet service provider called the Tritium Network offered VIP passes and limos to a party at a club called DV8 ("deviate"--get it?), the closest thing to a Manhattan night club in this, the city known for meatless chili and packaged goods.