From the hardly dressed booth girls to the shiny new dildos and vibrators on display, the AVN Adult Expo is all about flash, but when it comes down to doing hardcore business, a crowded convention floor isn't necessarily the best environment. The ten sponsors of the Trade Lounge have solved that problem. rnrn
Located downstairs from the main AAE convention floor, in conference room 102, the Trade Lounge is a cozy, buyers-only atmosphere where deals are cut and schmoozing is the order of the day. The first day of the convention, the dealers had set up an open bar to lure potential buyers of adult product, and the cozy vibe for both buyers and sellers ran through all four days of the Expo.. rnrn
"We wanted to get an area where trade people could come and sit and see products, all the things that are out in the market, in a nice environment out of the hustle and bustle of the main show," reports Ken Eckert of Paradise Marketing, the largest condom distributor in the country, who were unveiling a line of Vivid condoms at the show. "It's going alright," Eckert continued. "It is a little slower than I thought it would be, but it is the first time we've done the lounge. It will definitely get better in later years." rnrn
Heidi Meyer, a representative of lubricant maker Wet International found the lounge a great place to stand out in a crowded marketplace. "We didn't want to get lost in the crowd upstairs," Meyer told AVN.com. "This is a nice environment for us to do business, plus, all our competitors are here, so we'd be crazy not to show up."rnrn
"We've been up on the main floor at CES and then at AVN for two years, and we didn't find that the cost of being up there worked," said David Maser of Elbow Grease, the oldest lubricant on the gay market. "Most of the people that are up there are there for the videos and to see the porn stars, so there's a lot of craziness, and we had a problem with the buyers not being able to get in, more at CES than AVN. This year we were offered this, which we thought was a good deal, given the limited amount of cash outlay. Day one was not a good day, actually, but today, it's only 20 after 11, and we've seen more traffic this morning than we saw most of yesterday. So we're being seen. If people don't see you, you're dead."rnrn
The lounge is sponsored by B. Cummings Company Inc., Las Vegas Novelties, Body Action Lubricants, MD Science, Paradise Marketing, Erotic Toy Company, Erostar Erotic Novelties, ID Lubricants, Quality Corporation and System JO, and continues through all four days of the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo.
