CHATSWORTH, Calif.—AVN Media Network has announced Friday, July 8, as the date for the third annual “O” Awards, the ceremony that honors outstanding achievements in the pleasure products industry, including design, innovation, marketing, distribution and retailing.
And for the first time ever, registered attendees of the AVN Novelty Expo will be able to help choose some of the winners.
“Since the very first ‘O’ Awards, we have relied on industry leaders to help with the voting process,” said Sherri L. Shaulis, senior editor of pleasure products for AVN. “This year, we decided to open up some of the categories even more. Everyone has an opinion on their peers and even their competitors, so why shouldn’t AVN give them a voice?”
The “O” Awards will feature the same 16 categories as last year, but five of them will be open to ANE voters. The other 11 will be voted on by an anonymous panel of experts from all sectors of the pleasure products industry. Additionally, a 17th category has been added—Outstanding Debut Product—which also will be voted on by ANE attendees. That category will be open to all products that are introduced at the AVN Novelty Expo.
The following are the categories for the 2011 “O” Awards:
Outstanding Product Design for Women
Outstanding Product Design for Men
Outstanding Supplement or Enhancer
Outstanding Innovation
Outstanding Lube, Lotion or Potion
Outstanding Non-Powered Product
Outstanding Powered Product
Outstanding Apparel or Accessory Brand
Outstanding Marketing Campaign
Outstanding Packaging
Outstanding Debut Product
Outstanding Boutique
Outstanding Retail Chain
Outstanding Online Retailer
Outstanding Distributor East/West
Lifetime Achievement
The following categories will be open to voting on the first day of ANE:
Outstanding Product Design for Women
Outstanding Product Design for Men
Outstanding Innovation
Outstanding Apparel or Accessory Brand
Outstanding Packaging
Outstanding Debut Product
“The voting will be open on the first day of the AVN Novelty Expo, July 7, and the winners will be announced at the ‘O’ Awards the next night,” said Sara Harter, director of sales for AVN. “Each year people want to know what it takes to win an ‘O’ Award, and we tell them it’s easy: Have the best product. Now, nominees can have the chance to convince voters why they do, in fact, have the best product.”
To be considered for an “O” Award, products must be released between June 1, 2010, and May 31, 2011. The pre-nomination process for the third annual “O” Awards will open April 4. AVN will release more details on the pre-nomination process soon.
Booth space is still available for the AVN Novelty Expo, which takes place July 7-9 at the Pasadena Convention Center. For details, or to book a booth, contact Sara Harter at [email protected] or call (818) 718-5788, ext. 109. To register to attend ANE, email [email protected].
