LAS VEGAS—The 2016 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo started Wednesday at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The doors opened up to fans, members of the press and trade professionals alike, and there to greet them were scores of adult performers and other industry luminaries. (photo galleries)
The Expo fills the Hard Rock's Muse Hall, Artist Hall and concert venue The Joint (where the AVN Awards will be given out Saturday night) and the public spaces of the Hard Rock are filled with life-size photographs of adult performers, promotional posters and AVN logos, and video promos of the Expo.
Archangel general manager and director, Mimefreak, told AVN that "Archangel is looking for the next big star. Girls that we can help brand themselves and try to help them grow. We're also looking for agencies to partner up with, to team up with. We're always on the lookout for new talent."
The ArchAngel booth will feature Jada Stevens, Summer Brielle, "the booty queen, AJ Applegate," Kendra Lust, Ava Addams and Karmen Karma. Mimefreak pointed out that fans have a big impact on the company, and some of the workers in the booth were fans who have "joined the family."
"Our booth is probably going to be the most fun booth around," Mimefreak said. "We got the baddest bitches," he added with a laugh.
"The first day's really packed here," Jules Jordan said at his booth. "We have Keisha Grey, August Ames, Abella Danger, Alexis Texas, Riley Reid, Jesse of course. Maddy O'Reilly, Vicki Chase. I can't even name them all. Reaction has been great. Some of the veteran fans are coming again, and some of the new fans. I'm looking forward to doing licensing deals and meeting people from other countries. We're also launching a novelty line at Adult Novelty Expo. It's called Clandestine Devices. We're going into the high-end novelty market."
August Ames, signing at the Jules Jordan Video booth, said she was looking forward to meeting her fans and the people she knows from Twitter. "It's always awesome to meet super-fans." Ames said she was still trying to decide which of two dresses to wear to the Awards: "They're both blue."
Japanese company R18.com has a large booth with paper lanterns and a long signing table to accommodate the 13 performers they brought in from Japan. "We're looking to extend our Japanese content abroad," Marketing Rep Tsai told AVN. "We've been dominating Japan's market for a long time, and we're starting our English side. Our content is legitimate, no pirating. We want to do something in America."
The company focuses on online content, with paysites, VOD, and some manga and hentai anime. "Mostly high-definition video content from low price to high price: streaming, downloads, everything."
The Penthouse booth features performers Ana Foxxx, Jenna Ivory, Kendra Sunderland and Bailey Rayne, and has a bar with samples of their branded Libido Libations vodkas. Foxxx, who has settled on three X's in her name ("I think I've earned them now.") told AVN she was looking forward to catching up with friends and the Awards, where she's nominated for Best Anal Scene, Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene and Mainstream Star of the Year.
At the Wicked Pictures press suite, contract performer/director jessica drake told AVN that she was looking forward to doing "so many different things. Right now I'm in the press suite, I'm going to be signing in our booth, we're hosting the AVN Block Party, I'm an ambassador of the 'Sex is...' program, I'm doing seminars every day in Vinyl about different stuff, we're hosting a party at Tao, we're doing the official After Party after the AVN Awards. We're doing everything. What I'm excited about is the nap I get to take when this is all over with," she added with a laugh.
Wicked Pictures contract performer/director Stormy Daniels told AVN that she was looking forward to "the same thing I look forward to every year: getting to hear all the fans' comments about the projects I worked on this year. That's the best part, getting input. They've watched a year's worth of movies—hopefully they've paid for them—and it's always really cool to hear what they say." She is hopeful that the Awards will recognize her movie Wanted: "I'm crossing everything. I may cross something I never crossed before: My legs."
Wicked Pictures president Steve Orenstein told AVN he was looking forward to "the same thing I look forward to every year. A lot of good press, a lot of great sales. Hopefully a lot of wins on Saturday night. That's everything you want to get out of this show. I look forward to the show. It's a place to get able to see all your customers in a few days, friends that you don't get to see on a regular basis, and catch up with everybody. And the Awards is always a fun time, even when you don't win."
At The Joint, new performer Savannah Stevens called Expo "amazing."
"There is so much going on. I have met so many good people. I can't wait for the rest of the week. The fans have been really sweet," she said.
Forty performers will be signing at the Clips4Sale booth, including Sunny Lane, Ashley Fires, Misty Rowe, Kinky Gaga and Olivia Rose, a spokesperson said. "It's gonna get pretty crazy."
Best New Starlet nominee Aria Alexander said, "This is the first Expo where I actually have fans after my first year of shooting. Last year I came, but I didn't know anything. Now it's really exciting to walk around and find a friend at every corner."
Jenna J. Ross was signing at the Colette/X-Art booth: "It's my fifth year, but it’s Colette.com's first year, and I'm so honored to be coming with them. I'm excited to meet all of our fans, and we have special guests coming in from Europe. All the unicorns will be here, we're ready to sign and we can't wait to meet the fans."
2016 Hall of Fame inductee Vicky Vette said she was looking forward to "meeting all of my fans, up close and personal, and giving them great big hugs" at her Vette Nation Army booth, where Julia Ann and Sara Jay will also be appearing. "I almost fell down when I heard I was in the Hall of Fame. I was really not expecting that. I'm honored. Some of the people in the Hall of Fame I have perved on for years."
At the Nexxxt Level booth in The Joint, returning performer Katie Morgan said, "I'm having so much fun. There are so many hot boys now. They're all ripped, it's awesome. I'm here and at the AVN booth. I'll be bouncing back and forth all four days, all over the show. Honestly, it's just like porn star summer camp. We get to see each other all in one place and that's fun. Usually you only see people on set where you're working. In Vegas you see everybody. It's fun."
Nexxxt Level co-founder Jonathan Morgan said, "This is my first experience actually running a booth. This is tough. I'm learning so much about booth etiquette. I'd like to say to all the people at Wicked that I'm sorry for all the antics I did for the last 19 years. GAWD I feel bad."
At the Burning Angel booth, performer Small Hands said, "We're doing what we do every year, which is give the girls a summer camp to meet all their fans and party. Hopefully take some pictures and sell some stuff. They always have good engagement with their fans, and Burning Angel girls are really full of personality. We just let them play and have fun." Along with Joanna Angel, the booth will feature Jessie Lee, Romance, Rachael Madori, and Brandy Aniston, among others. "We're here to party, so let's do it."
RubberNipple.com content producer Steve Stavros described the company's content as "cosplay. People get sick of nurses and cheerleaders. Age play is coming up, so we started a site about age play and role play. I'm looking forward to meeting different marketing people, and do some exchanges in traffic. Our models will be here Thursday, so it'll be a lot more fun." The company also makes and sells affiliated products at AwwSoCute.com: "printed diapers, pacifiers, everything that you need for baby cosplay, we well that as well."
New performer Harlow Harrison said, "So far I've been very excited to meet a whole lot of new people, especially people who haven't heard of me yet. I have a very sexy, classy dress to roll out in for my first red carpet. I'm very excited about it."
"I want to meet companies and models that are interested in expanding their horizons," TS performer Venus Lux said at her booth. "And foster new relationships and friendships. There are novelties and models and production companies and T-shirt companies here. It's nice to see the changes every year."
In her first hour at the Live Jasmin booth, new performer Lauren Phillips reported, "I actually had a fan bring me cupcakes. I asked him if he was trying to make my ass fatter. I can't wait for the AVN Awards. I heard it's huge. I can't wait to have that experience. I'm so excited."
Jessica Matasci, scheduling coordinator at the Playboy Plus booth, said that the girls at the booth "love having their fans here, some of the gifts they get are the most fun to see. They get hand-drawn illustrations that the fans have done. It's really a fun time. People are super-excited to get in, and talk and take a picture. You don't get this opportunity very often."
Performer Tyra Scott, at the Shemale Strokers booth, said, "this is exhilarating. It's my fourth year here and I love every minute of it. It's great to meet the fans, and connect with them. It's awesome. I recognize a lot of my fans. They come every single year." It's the first year for Shemale Strokers to have a booth and nine performers are scheduled to sign during the Expo.
The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo will continue through Saturday and is open to the public. Admission is required for the Expo and for the AVN Awards Saturday evening.
