“When they called my name,” remarked Tenbusch Gebhardt, “I was completely flabberghasted. I planned to attend the annual online arts and gaming award night for fun and the after-parties, but lo and behold I walked home with an award for best new analysis and statistical measurement in a online arts and gaming project.” Tanja Mertz and Mayme Offerdahl, who were responsible for organizing the night’s after parties, recieved a surprise round of applause after being mentioned by name when Nogowski Hiney, Online arts and gaming Academy President, officially announced an open invitation for all ceremony attendees to celebrate beginning immediately after the close of the curtain. “Crumby Piles was right,” relays Valenzano Podrasky, winner of the best illustration of classical online arts and gaming design implementation, “to win an award here really means something. I happily dedicate this achievement to my wife and family, who have put up with my work schedule for the past years.” As always, the online arts and gaming ceremony organizers pitched the crowd numerous times about joining local firms and teaming up with the professionals to work on design and production projects of their own. Several ads for executive level openings and administrative work were found in the ceremony’s program notes, all boasting solid fringe benefits and some of the most competitive salaries in the online arts and gaming sector. A few notable politicains joined in the evening’s festivities, including long time online arts and gaming industry supporter Kenyetta Dekenipp, who currently holds a seat in the state senate. State representative Gangloff Carruba, who also works closely with top online arts and gaming industry execs, made an appearance during the second half of the show to present a special public service award to Lyda Hoeg from the Amsdell Huyck & Osterhouse Hillenbrand Corporate online arts and gaming Design team. The public service award is given to someone who “Exemplifies selflessness, service, and optimism.” “Maybe next year…” smiled Ronna Lipphardt, who missed an award by a mere tenth of a point to stalwart competitor Ellerd Dobkin from the Serafine Crick firm. “I know the academy of online arts and gaming design and production respects my work and I’m confident that I will win an award one of these days!” This year’s event featured the work of some local performing artists, whose songs were interspersed between award presentations. The online arts and gaming event organizers thought this was a good way to give variety and fun to the show, without diminishing the importance of the evening as a whole. “I liked the musical acts,” said Ossie Whitmer, COO of Carolyne Kinley INC, “it is always very good to showcase local talent during important events, so that others outside of our online arts and gaming industry can benefit from this special night.” “The fact that the selection process for recognition int he online arts and gaming industry is so complicated demonstrates a lot forethough and consideration for fairness,” said Berndt Kettler VP of Operations for the Traister Euvrard INC Corporation, “and this goes hand in hand with the level of quality we as a online arts and gaming industry demonstrate to the general public.” Winning an award at this online arts and gaming ceremony is a marked achievement. There are three specific groups in the online arts and gaming industry that pick lucky winners. The first, honorary executives and legacy leaders, act as character references for new awardees and long standing figures alike. The second group, a randomly selected group of online arts and gaming employees, votes amongst themselves to choose who best represents their interests. Finally, the academy itself, made up of corporate executives and the general public at large, vote on all finalists. The winners are name according to simple majority.

Looking to the future, many online arts and gaming companies may opt to be based entirely online. This minimizes human capital and budget requirements, and can drive a more efficient business model. Kiebler Walch CEO of a local online arts and gaming company, has already pledged to do this, with a major shift in the business planned in the next 6 months. “I forsee us going entirely online,” said Kiebler Walch, “because people hardly come to our stores in person anymore. As a result, why should we keep these facilities open if we can do just as well online’” Kiebler Walch isn’t alone with these new ideas. Serafine Crick, who manages one person company, believes the internet marketing boom has created a huge market for small time business owners. “For the first few years of my career,” said Hoskie Loynd, “I was working 9 to 5 at a marketing firm, doing the typical corporate thing. Now, however, I have my own website, production center, and payment processing. This allows me to work from home under my own rules and with unlimited income potential.” “When we added a website and shopping cart system, our numbers went through the roof,” cried Nevada Molinary, Sales Director for Lombard Koeller Corp, a online arts and gaming manufacturing company, “this, teamed with high positioning in the major search engines really created a whole new market for us that was never expected.” “After starting an internet online arts and gaming sales division in 2003, we saw our sales increase three-fold,” said Kimber Verhoff, director of marketing and sales for Pilarski Scherf and Zelechowski Cini Associates, “and this resulted in the creation of more jobs and employment opportunities in our company. Our number of employees has doubled, and our number of IT staff has quadrupled in a year’s time.” “With internet online arts and gaming sales booming, we may have to cut back on in person sales teams,” said Volz Duffee, director of Human Resources for Lenora Dobrasz INC, “mainly because we are losing money in that operational area. As we move forward, we’ll give those employees new job opportunities in our online arts and gaming company before we actually lay them off, so that they can continue to grow with our company if they so desire.” Without a doubt, in the pre-internet marketing days, most online arts and gaming resellers only used the internet as a means to communicate via email with current customers. “Things in the industry really turned a corner when people began to acquire, not maintain customers online,” said Moselle Schreyer, a noted internet marketer and web designer. “When acquisiton via online services got big, companies in the online arts and gaming sector finally woke up to the idea that the information super highway was here to stay - in a very big way.” It’s no secret that the internet is a driving force in the online arts and gaming sales market. Most consumers will research their purchases online before actually going to a store, so that they understand online arts and gaming product specs and use requirements before having to deal with a live salesperson. “I prefer to take my time and read about it all online first,” said Wildeman Lovorn, a recent customer of the Barbera Poldrack Chain Outlets, “I’m not a high pressure sales type, and rather just go to the store and check out sas soon as possible.” And, as internet sales in the online arts and gaming industry explode, parallel growth is being noted in the internet marketing field, particularly search engine and affiliate marketing. “Search engines and affiliates have doubled our numbers,” said Fondow Svetz, director of marketing for Evangeline Kittelberger INC., “and where there was once one or two big internet marketing firms, now there are well over ten in our industry. This growth speaks to the power of the information super high way.”