Growth and change seemed to be the nature of this year’s Erotica L.A. on its second day at the Los Angeles Convention Center, more of the former than the latter.
By early afternoon there seemed to be bigger crowds than ever. Even though official attendance figures aren’t in yet, a representative of AVN’s trade show division predicted a record turnout.
Changes were few but fairly noticeable. Last year’s three customer Zones were down to two —no more Gay Marketplace. And the boundaries between the Sensual Zone (softer, more mainstream merchandise) and the X Zone (hardcore videos and toys) were less firmly defined.
There seemed to be a good deal of overlap between them, in fact. Fans flowed from one into the other and back again, giving the floor a feeling of constant motion and flux.
Some non-hardcore vendors actually preferred being in the X Zone because of the significantly heavier foot traffic and potentially bigger sales. The fan-friendly Mofo Wear, for example, which sells only clothing (not even the kind with dirty words on it), was happily ensconced in X.
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Also straddling the Zones was Romantix, the large marketplace of the Le Sex Shoppe chain, selling all manner of erotic matter, from DVDs to dildos to slings. Meanwhile, the Wantedlist.com booth across from Platinum X drew a steady stream of fans for the second straight day thanks in no small part to the presence of Tera Patrick, who was at ease as the center of fans' attention.
Most noticeable in their absence were the strip club stages that had provided non-stop gyrations in previous years.
Vendor Sarah Wallner, a designer and former stripper whose Musotica Wear specializes in stripper attire (pro and am) said she’d prefer to be in the X Zone if her customers from Spearmint Rhino and Déjà Vu were still there. In their absence, however, she liked her Sensual Zone spot for its couples-oriented clientele, even though she kind of missed the cash-heavy crowds in X.
On the far side of the X Zone, a large space was devoted to Buckfest, the AVN and AVN Online-sponsored mechanical bull ride — a zone all its own.
By 11:30 on Saturday morning Club Jenna was already taking care of business while everybody else was still rubbing their eyes. There was a long line at the CJ booth even though its eponymous superstar wasn’t due until mid-afternoon. The beautiful Sophia Rossi was holding the fort admirably, to be followed by McKenzie Lee and others.
Wicked Pictures and Red Light District were still girl-deprived and at Platinum X public relations director Debbie Schwartz was anxiously working her cell phone to girls who should have been there at 11.
Fran, at Rodney Moore’s Rodnievision booth, was looking forward to the crowds. By 2 p.m., she predicted, “you can’t even move in the aisles.” A veteran of many Erotica shows, she proved to be right.
By noon Sunny Lane was shining as a fan magnet in one corner of the Red Light District booth. Pure Play’s April Storm was overseeing a virtual cascade of babeflesh along one side of the Romantix booth: Roxy Jezel and Charlie Laine were there, and coming in soon were Flower Tucci, Tylene Buck and that new fan favorite, Seymore Butts’ Cousin Stevie.
A few feet away Elegant Angel’s Kinzie Kenner and Tiana Lynn signed photos, the latter taking time off from her job as EA’s sales manager and squirting-video mastermind.
If awards were given to booths as they are to Rose Parade floats, the one for Most Imaginative would have to go to Naughty America. Theirs was a perfect replica of a Valley ranch house, with the living room devoted to business transactions, and the girls in three small bedrooms where they could take photos with their fans on actual beds. Penny Flame was entertaining a crowd in one of them.
In the rows of small booths in the X Zone, proximity made for some strange bedfellows. A leather-clad dude waved a sign for “Hot Gay Porn” (Desmond Palmer Productions) right next to “Jesus Loves You,” from xxxchurch.com, all in pink.
In one corner longtime fan favorite Keisha presided over her own booth, selling a variety of Keisha collectibles, mostly photographs.
Jules Jordan, installed at the large booth of WantedList.com, spoke of his new challenges shooting and running a company at the same time, while the titular star of Jules Jordan Video’s debut production (and super hit), Jenna Haze Darkside, signed photos nearby.
Adam & Eve held down a small corner booth where Carmen Luvana was set to sign in mid-afternoon. Bob Christian, director of new business development, and Mischa Allen, director of operations, were celebrating the opening of their West Coast office in Chatsworth next month.
Stefanie of Homegrown Video, which was returning to Erotica L.A. for the first time in five years, talked up all the new niches in their still all-amateur product. She said it was nice to meet the video fans again after all the Internet conventions they’d been devoting their time to.
Super-starlet Naomi, wearing no-makeup and looking as naturally lovely as a freshly plucked flower, flashed her million-dollar smile for Internet marketer TLA-Raw.com.
Other booths included Starr Productions, Passion Pictures, Anarchy, Rockman Entertainment, Pink Visual, Mach 2, Taylor Wane Entertainment and, occupying one of the larger and busier spaces, Bang Bus.
The Sensual Zone, as usual, was a wonderful potpourri of vendors — from the expected varieties of lingerie, lotions and fragrances — to some far-out products only marginally connected to sex. A booth selling hangover cures pitched its wares side by side with plastic surgery deals from Beverly Hills Physicians.com and soul-satisfying brews from Intimate Teas.
The Chocolate Walrus, an X-rated confectioner, endeared itself to customers by offering yummy free samples of white chocolate in small bosom-shaped bites.
By midday the Seminars, in the Seminar space, were underway. This series, subtitled “We Know Sex,” is one of Erotica L.A.’s most original and interesting features. The first one on Saturday was “Love Bondage,” presented by Chanta Rose, with live illustrations. Coming Sunday at 1 p.m.: “The Big One: The Truth and Lies of Female Orgasm.”
Be there for that sure to be enlightening event, and the rest of the deliciously sensual flux of this one of a kind erotic exposition and marketplace.
To view a gallery from Day 2 of Erotica LA, please click here.
