Last night was living proof that the nice guy, indeed, does occasionally finish first.

I was lucky enough to be the +1 for Doni* at the Nintendo enthusiasts appreciation dinner (I have no idea if that’s the official name of the event, but that’s what I called it). * Your guess is as good as mine as to why she invited me. Aside from being a lesson in marketing, the evening was a pretty fancy event for a bunch of crazy women.

So, get this:

• I was the only guy among about 35 or so Nintendo-crazy, blogging divas.
• Nintendo commissioned horse carriages to transport us to and from dinner.
• The dinner was at The Signature Room on the 95th floor in the Hancock Building.
• The views were out of this world.
• There was an open bar.
• We had table wine during dinner.
• Some even put booze in their coffee.
• Our table had cat scratch fever.

Yeah, it was pretty insane, but fun nonetheless. Possibly the best part- Nintendo gave everyone DSi’s at the end of the night. I’m not much of a gamer, aside from some Halo 3 and Madden, but I’m totally looking forward to playing some Mario Kart on this little guy. Maybe I’ll be able to beat Rachel one day… doubtful.

Naturally, the marketing guy in me was impressed by how Nintendo handled the entire evening. Not just the class of the horse ride and Signature Room venue, but just how nice the representatives were. They introduced themselves to me and thanked me for attending. Yes, well I was hard pressed to attend a free-event of this magnitude, so they better have thanked me.

Where I was most impressed, however, was when they invited Erini to come along, even though she hadn’t been initially invited. She was nearly brought to tears from surprise. What a gesture. Big props to Amber and her team.

Lastly, there was not one bit of Nintendo branding anywhere, and the only reason you really knew Nintendo was involved was the free DSi giveaways at the end of the night. No need for banners and cheesy collateral when you’re thanking your enthusiasts. Well played.

Well, I better get back to enjoying being out in front while it lasts.