TEMPE, Ariz.—Overall attendance at this year's Phoenix Forum increased to 1,100 from 840 in 2012, organizers report.
This increase can be seen as an indicator of where of the online adult entertainment industry is today, with other numbers from the show reflecting a similar trend, show organizer CCBill said.
The 2013 Phoenix Forum had:
14 seminar sessions
39 EU Forum exhibitors
56 sponsor meet market exhibitors
60 total sponsors
78 seminar panelists
511 seminar attendees
1,100 event attendees
“Something that we always strive for is a strong focus on business with this show,” said Gary Jackson, managing VP of sales and internet markets for CCBill. “Yes, there are terrific parties and events, but when you really look at the numbers of seminars, the amount of people that participate in face-to-face business meetings, and the networking that goes on all throughout the three-day event, the patterns really start to become clear.”
Another aspect of the Phoenix Forum that sometimes can get overlooked is the support it gives back to the overall adult community via charity events.
The annual charity golf tournament X2K runs raised around $1,000 for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP), and the auctions run by Next Door Buddy Profits at its events resulted in a roughly couple thousand being raised for Until There’s a Cure, a non-profit organization providing care and education in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“The connectedness of this community is no doubt one of its strengths,” said Kathi Stout, TPF event manager. “We are more than happy to offer opportunities for charity events to occur in conjunction with the show to help support and give back to this community that has supported TPF so well over the years.”
Check out AVN.com's photos from the event here, here and here.
The next Phoenix Forum will be held March 27-29, 2014.
