These days, there seems to be an expo for everything. Each year, San Diego houses the coveted annual Comic-Con while St. Louis, MO finds itself home to the annual TransWorld Halloween and Attractions Show. Back in Vegas, though, there is an expo that tends to throw conventionality out the window. Hosted each year by the Adult Video News magazine, the Adult Entertainment Expo is known to be the largest trade show for the porn industry. Combining an industry-only trade show with an open forum for fans of the porn stars and starlets that attend, the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is an impressive display that shows that, no matter how many dirty looks and outspoken naysayers it may face, the porn industry isn’t looking to go anywhere – save for the top.
2013 marks the expo’s 15th year and looks to be the AVN’s biggest even thus far. Starting on January 16th, the Adult Entertainment Expo will kick things off with the industry only Novelty Expo, which is a two day event that allows new and seasoned parties in the adult entertainment industry to meet and greet. The Novelty Expo is chock full of well known attendees, including representatives from the on-line adult shop, Adam & Eve, Spencer Gifts, Passion Parties Inc., and even Amazon.com. At the Novelty Expo is where the “business” aspect of porn comes out as vendors browse latest products and determine what will be added to their latest on-line database of boudoir products.
Coinciding with the Novelty Expo is the B2B Show, which puts buyers in contact with other buyers. Though it may seem insignificant to fans of the porn industry, the B2B Show and Novelty Expo are how porn distributors find their latest merchandise. Without these two expos, shops like Spencer’s Gifts and Adam & Eve would be lacking in many of their romance-enhancing products and the numerous DVDs that the stars and starlets of the porn industry work hard in making. These trade shows are essential in keeping the industry alive, but since this is the porn industry, there’s far more than just business to be had at the Adult Entertainment Expo.
The real drive of the Adult Entertainment Expo is the open forum, which allows fans to see the inner workings of the porn industry. At Fan Fest and during these open forums, fans will be able to sit in on several seminars regarding the industry, get a sneak peak at some of the hottest stage performances – including Sin City’s own Chippendales, and get up close and personal with some of their favorite performers. One big difference between porn stars and Hollywood’s elite is that these infamous, sexy vixens don’t let fame get to their head. The fans are their number one concern, and very rarely will it be that a porn star will turn down a fans request for an autograph. Other entertaining aspects include a Blind Date with a Porn Star contest, private movie screenings, Porn Star Bingo, Spanking Demos, and various performances by some of the hottest members of the adult industry.
The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is as large as it is partly due to the fact that the entire city of Vegas gets involved. Nightclubs like Vanity, 1OAK, and PURE host parties while establishments like Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club host a pole dancing class. When the Adult Entertainment Expo is in town, the entire city is flushed by the porn industry. Stars including Shy Love, Kortney Kane, Asa Akira, Jesse Jane, Dana Darmond, and Jessica Drake can be found at nightclubs throughout the city.
Attending the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is just one of those once-in-a-lifetime occasions that every guy and gal should have. On top of finding out just how the industry works, the bragging rights that come with meeting a porn star in the flesh are quite grand. The expo stretches beyond the typical stuffy nature that these trade shows tend to have and provides something that feels more like a party. If there’s one thing that the porn industry has over Hollywood, it’s that they know how to throw a party!