I’m getting reports back from Adult Expo, most people have the show participation down by half over last year which was down from the year before. Attendance the first two days was also generally reported as being about half what it was last year.
Some people blame the admission of fans for most of the show, claiming it’s hard to do business with a bunch of tire kickers and gawkers prowling the aisles. Truth is even when it was part of CES the show was mostly tire kickers and gawkers, so I’m not so sure that argument holds water.
The suffering economy, the downturn in the business and the rise in competition of the internet all seem to be generally taken as bigger factors. One guy noted that easily half the booths that ARE there are for websites or companies that started with websites like BangBus and Brazzers. even the Video porn companies that took booths scaled them down to smaller sizes with only a couple of exceptions.
Another reports that the girls are not as high quality as they have been in the past. Noting that many big names are WAY to thin and look like meth is the major part of their daily diet. Some others have actually gone the opposite direction and gained too much weight. Noting that very few actually look healthy and act coherant. Because he singled out Kayden as one of the few, I will give her props here. I omitted the names of the prior categories because people get all bent when I hold up a mirror and they see themselves…they want to blame me for holding up the mirror so this time I’m gonna not mention it…but you know who they are even if they think you don’t.
One of my others made note of how few companies actually had a good working booth design, singling out Digital Playground as one of the very few companies that actually get how important proper booth design is. It was noted that all of the DP girls were well displayed, well lit, easily accessable for autographs and photo ops and after all…that IS what it’s all about.
Rumors are rampant that Digital Playground is negotiating with Sasha Grey to put her under contract, its understandable that they would want her, she has made quite a splash recently and she would be a good centerpeice for any company. There is also widespread speculation that Jesse Jane may not be planning to stay in the biz much longer. I have no way to verify that so chalk it up to rumor for now, but at some point they do have to start grooming another girl for that all important spot….nobody lasts forever in this biz.
Several people commented on the fact that Nina Hartley’s attire is, well, less than flattering and less than professional for the company she is representing there. On the one hand I can see that, I last attended two years ago and I remember thinking the same thing, on the other hand she is who she is and I guess thats a part of her image and if she is comfortable with it who else really matters?
No standout drama yet that I have heard, a couple of porn meatheads got into a fight at the circle bar Wed night but it was unremarkable.
