CLEARWATER, Fla.—The adult nightclub industry’s only national convention is coming to New Orleans and has launched its own website: TheEDexpo.com.
Though the annual Gentlemen’s Club Expo has found its home in Las Vegas for two decades, the time was right to move the convention to the east and to a city that, although very different, holds much of the allure of Sin City. But it’s also filled with historic landmarks, incredible food—and, of course, the legendary Bourbon Street.
“After having the Expo in Las Vegas for the past 20 years—12 of which were held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino—it was just time for a breath of fresh air,” said ED’s Associate Publisher Dave Manack. “There are only so many things we can do, and have done, to ‘tweak’ the formula of the Expo to make it new and fresh every single year. At a certain point, no matter what cool twists we put on the Expo, it’s still ‘Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.’ We think ‘Expo 2015 in New Orleans’ has a very exciting ring to it, and we expect it will have that same exciting ring for both our newest and longtime convention attendees.”
The 23rd Annual Gentlemen’s Club Expo takes place Aug. 23-26 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. The hotel will feature a two-day Expo Tradeshow, legal panels and a return of the very popular “Staff Training Seminars,” while evening events will include the “Opening Night Bourbon Street Pub Crawl,” the 18th Annual ED’s Awards Show at the historic Civic Theatre, and a “Chill Day” Steamboat Party and “Pirate’s Booty Contest” aboard the Steamboat Natchez. A brand new website dedicated exclusively to the Expo—www.theEDexpo.com—will contain all of the latest information on the Expo, including Expo registration, exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities.
“As big as the Expo is, we felt as if it finally deserved its own website,” says Manack. “We still have www.EDpublications.com that will have everything people need to know about our company or our magazines and digital formats, but www.theEDexpo.com is your source for everything Expo.”
Highlight events include the Expo 2015 “Opening Night Bourbon Street Pub Crawl,” which begins with a one-hour reception at the host hotel (Hilton Riverside), followed by visits at four top New Orleans adult clubs—the Penthouse Club, Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, Rick’s Cabaret and Babe’s Cabaret—each hour, on the hour, featuring complimentary drinks and a showcase performance by one of the industry’s top feature entertainers.
The Annual ED’s Awards, the adult nightclub industry’s only national awards show, finds a brand new home in the most historic theater in all of New Orleans—the Civic Theatre. Built in 1906, the Civic Theatre is a beautiful historic structure, and care has been taken at every step to preserve these details.
After the overwhelming success of Expo 2014’s “Chill Day” Bikini Contest & Pool Party, the format returns—albeit in a very different venue! Expo 2015’s Chill Day and “Pirate’s Booty Contest,” following a morning of legal panels, will be held on the Steamboat Natchez, the last authentic steamboat on the mighty Mississippi. Expo attendees will take a two-hour, catered cruise around the Mississippi on this legendary steamboat, which also boasts a large air-conditioned area in the center of the boat.
“We couldn’t be more excited to make this announcement, and we’re expecting this Expo to be the biggest and most well-attended in the convention’s history,” said Manack.
For more information, visit www.theEDexpo.com or call (727) 726-3592.
