Clockwise from top left, the CalExotics tiki bar; Jessica Drake at the Wicked Sensual Care booth; the Pave collection from Jopen; the crowd at AVN's cocktail party on Sunday night at ANME (see more below). Photos by Rick Garcia.
BURBANK, Calif.—The semi-annual ANME Founders Show officially kicked off its three-day run Sunday, and attendees were treated to everything from a surf shop setting to a presentation about a new merger to s’mores and cocktails to wrap up the evening.
In the CalExotics booth, visitors were greeted with adult beverages at a custom-built tiki bar, complete with twinkling lights and a thatched roof. It was the perfect setting to showcase the new California Dreamin’ items and marketing materials. Retailers who placed orders for the line were eligible to receive sunglasses, beach balls and inflatable surf boards they can use to entice shoppers to check out the new massagers.
“We have added the Malibu Minx, the Orange County Cutie and the Santa Monica Starlet to the line,” said Nichole Grossman, director of marketing for CalExotics.
Each of the dual stimulators boasts three functions in the shaft and another 10 in each clitoral stimulator. Additionally, the Malibu Minx offers suction in the clitoral stimulator, the Orange County Cutie has a thrusting shaft and the Santa Monica Starlet has an area in the shaft that thumps for G-spot stimulation.
Also new from the manufacturer are the Flame, Blaze and Ignite in the popular Red Hots range; the Hide & Play Lipstick in the Bullets collection; and the Hype range of black-and-white pieces—a wand, a dual stimulator, a flexi vibe and a a mid-size massager—that have unique patterns that resemble graffiti. CalExotics also debuted the DazzLED range of three styles—Brilliance, Radiance and Vibrance—that have bright LED lights that correspondingly flash to match the pattern the stimulator is set on, and the Impulse collection of four styles—a Kegel exerciser, a petite massager, a wand massager and a dual stimulator—that offer five levels of e-stim and seven patterns of vibration.
CalExotics’ sister company Jopen showcased the Pave collection, a range of unique pastel blue pieces that come in packaging that resembles a jewel. Each of the pieces is accented with diamond-like gems and comes with names of Hollywood and actual royalty: Marilyn, Liz, Grace, Vivian and Diana.
Wicked Sensual Care showed attendees that “Bigger is better” with new bottle sizes for some of its best-selling products.
“We have larger sizes now for Wicked Aqua Heat, Wicked Hybrid, Wicked Aqua Chill, Wicked Aqua Senstive and Wicked Jelle,” said company rep Jennifer Brice.
The company also announced a September release for two new Toy Love products: Toy Fever (warming) and Toy Breeze (cooling).
NS Novelties displayed its Crystal Premium Glass range as part of its new offerings. The collection features repackaged favorites, as well as new additions, said company rep Janet Rini.
“We have new colors, and have added new items like pleasure wands, but the real draw is the new packaging, which is colorful and really catches attention,” she said.
Also new in the booth are the Shi/Shi Sugar/Sugar, the latest addition to the award-wining Shi/Shi collection, and additions to the Firefly, Inya and Luxe collections.
In addition to the show floor, some attendees were treated to drinks and appetizers at the Federal in North Hollywood as We-Vibe and Womanizer announced their merger into WOW Tech and showcased their newest product, the Womanizer Premium. The event featured a keynote address from Emily Morse, host of the popular Sex With Emily podcast, and a slideshow about the unique features. Like its predecessors, the Womanizer Plus relies on Pleasure Air Technology to help bring women to orgasm, but the new piece reduces noise by not turning on until it is almost in contact with the body, and breaks up the monotony of predictable patterns by including a computer chip that allows the piece to program completely random patterns every time it is used.
After a busy day on the show floor, exhibitors, buyer and more took time to wind down at the AVN Cocktail Party in the East Courtyard. Cooler temps and breeze made for a comfortable setting as guests noshed on steaks and fried chicken, as well as enjoyed warm chocolate chip cookies and a do-it-yourself s’mores bar. As the cocktails flowed, everyone mingled and networked before walking away with AVN-branded swag in the form of T-shirts, tank tops and ballcaps.
The ANME show continues through Tuesday. For more, visit ANMEFounders.com.
Above, guests posed for the camera in front of AVN's photo wall. Below, AVN baseball caps were among the branded items given away at the party. Photos by Rick Garcia/@IndustryByRick.
