LOS ANGELES - The 11th annual Erotica LA convention was a resounding success, attracting fans, media and exhibitors from around the world. As the show wrapped on Sunday, organizers reported that attendance during the three-day consumer expo approached the projected estimate of 50,000.
The crowd peaked on Saturday, when appearances by Jenna Jameson and Dave Navarro coincided with Tera Patrick's Mistress Couture fashion show. Business remained steady on Sunday as a surge of ticket holders lined up at the Los Angeles Convention Center to sample the Erotica LA experience.
"The last day of the show is typically a big shopping day for consumers," explained Erotica LA marketing manager Cindy Cheer. A special Erotica Bucks chip gave every attendee a $5 discount on merchandise purchased at the show; novelty manufacturer The Screaming O and clothing vendor Fukmor were especially successful with the promotion.
"This year, we've seen an increase in the number of women and couples coming to the show," said Cheer . "I saw one Asian girl waiting in line with her grandmother. It's amazing how mainstream it's become; we had more press this year than we had in the three years I've been doing this."
Even as the show drew to a close, the lines to meet XXX stars remained endless.
"It's been pretty overwhelming," Wicked Pictures contract star Stormy Daniels told AVN. "The crowd gets bigger every year, and plus, every year you're more popular."
Naughty America's booth was among the most mobbed spots on the show floor, with a killer porn-star lineup including Gia Paloma, Ava Devine, Sasha Grey and Roxy DeVille. Rumor has it that crowd-pleaser Devine tore one male fan's underwear off his body - without removing his pants.
"It's been great," Naughty America director Brett Brando told AVN. "This is our third year at Erotica LA, and it's definitely our best. I'm really happy with this group of girls."
The feeling was mutual, as Gia Paloma announced during the show that she's returned from a four-month hiatus to shoot exclusively for Naughty America.
"Naughty America is the only company in the business that's doing anything right," Paloma said, lounging on a bedroom set designed to promote the company's new DVD Naughty Flipside. "It's all gold."
For Nautica Thorn, this year's ELA was a landmark as she exhibited for the first time with her company Nautica Thorn Productions. The exotic Asian beauty signed alongside fan favorite Eva Angelina.
Asked for creepy fan stories, Thorn remarked, "I was waiting for someone to touch my ass so I could hit him. Nobody did, but one guy came up and told me he had a pearl in his dick and wanted to get into porn."
New Sensations contract girl Ashlynn Brooke made her Erotica LA debut this weekend, highlighted by her role as a trophy girl at the FAME awards and a guest shot on Playboy Radio's 'Night Calls' with Ginger Lynn and Christy Canyon.
"It's amazing – I didn't expect this at all," said Brooke, who began her fast-rising porn career just nine months ago. "A lot of people were coming up to me saying that they came to the show just to see me. It's great to be appreciated."
Pleasure Productions girl Tera Wray went without sleep but still managed to turn on the enthusiasm while trapped in her booth signing autographs. "It's been a wild and crazy time," said Wray. "The turnout's been great for me. I don't want to go home!"
Rockman Entertainment owner Brett Rockman promoted his upcoming national promo tour with a massive RV. Starlets Kayla Marie, Michelle Avanti, Trisha Rey and Kylee King signed for the company.
"It's gone very well for us," said Rockman. "We had a good spot, and we had big crowds here especially on Saturday - we had a live show with Virus. We also got a lot of military people coming over because of our Porn for the Troops campaign - we give each of them a free DVD, no questions asked. There were a lot of Marines here; they kept coming over in little groups."
HotMovies.com did some aggressive branding at this year's show. In addition to their exhibit booth in the X-Zone, the company hung two 16-by-40-foot banners on the outside of the Convention Center that were visible as cars drove by on the adjacent Interstate 10 freeway where it meets the 110. They also supplied promotional window and door clings in the lobby and gave away free 30-minute pay-per-view cards inside the Erotica LA show guide.
Offset Entertainment debuted its new Sean Michaels: Porn Icon DVD at the expo. Super-smooth Sean Michaels and righteous soul-brother Mr. Marcus made the Offset booth a prime spot for the ladies.
On the opposite end of the floor, Vivid Girl Savanna Samson packed the Seminars room for her educational seminar on threesomes 101, the first of its kind to be led by a major adult star. Drawing on her experience as a sex advice columnist for Adult Friend Finder, Samson guided couples through a lengthy Q&A session sponsored by The Pleasure Chest.
Tera Patrick and Evan Seinfeld of Teravision had a triumphant year at Erotica LA, with the debut of Mistress Couture, droves of reporters and fans, and Tera's big FAME awards victory.
"This is one of my favorite shows," Patrick told AVN. "It's been a lot of fun seeing a lot of my friends and seeing a lot of girls wearing my stuff. The highlights for me were my fashion show and winning Favorite Female Performer at the FAME Awards, which was a great honor."
Amazingly, Patrick said she wasn't tired even after a solid three days of nonstop ELA mayhem.
Tera's secret? "Comfortable shoes," she said.
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