I got note of ANE when @PapayaPam sent out a nice email, letting select bloggers and reviewers know that AVN was opening up to the media side of attendees, and not just the novelty companies. It was a really beautiful email, by the way. I ended up going and not knowing what to expect because it was my first AVN event.
The ANE show was held at the Pasadena Convention Center, which was a really nice choice. (On a side note, I had no idea that Pasadena was hiding a convention center in those little streets and blocks.) I got there just in time to attend a panel that was hosted by Reid Mihalko, which consisted of the following speakers:
Brandon B., The Pleasure Chest
Buck Angel, BuckAngel.com
Charlie Glickman, Good Vibrations
Jaiya, NewWorldSexEducation.com
Pamela Madsen, TheFertilityAdvocate.com
The topic description:
“The internet has changed not only the way we interact socially, but how we do business. In a few short years, novelty manufacturers have learned that getting their company name and products in front of bloggers and reviewers can help them get noticed and increase sales. Some of the biggest names in the blogosphere will explain how to work with their kind, and what it could mean for you.”
The panel was a lot of fun, there were some laughs, lots of nods in agreement and the companies in attendance were learning from the panelists. It went exactly as planned. I actually learned about this thing called a “Klout Score”, which I’ve never heard of. It’s basically an achievement-related web page that charts or calculates your influence in social media. I do badly with sites that encourage you to login often and link all your accounts and post their info on your sites. I may not get too involved with that, lol. (I played with Foursquare, but I eventually lost interest. It’s kinda like that.) But, hey, it was something cool to learn about! I got +1 in my score, just because I logged in.
One really important thing that I am glad the panel covered : Make sure that your brand matches up with the reviewer. I cannot echo this point enough! I’ve gotten requests from some companies that are way off the map, with toys that are under par for my expectations and I feel bad, but no, I won’t review those. If a company pays attention to what the web page is about, and the image that it’s projecting, there is a much better chance for a relationship to occur. For example, I was open to reviewing for a company for the 1st time…I got the product and I had to laugh because none of the features listed on the box were in the toy! Needless to say, you guys never saw that review. One big company came to me to do reviews but they put a major cap on what could get reviewed. For example – the max toy cost was $50 (already major decline in quality) and all products from LELO, Fun Factory and a few other brands were off the table. Now…what does that leave? Haha. I think you guys are seeing my point. It was a great panel and It was cool to sit back and listen to like-minded individuals who share the same interest as myself. For a lot of the points brought up – I had previously thought that I was the only one. Now I know that what I am doing is perfect and that I’m not the only one. Major high-five to the panelists and Reid, for bringing humor and organization to the panel.
The exhibit hall was one big room, good size and it was full of different companies. They even had distributers showing their stock. I think it was a great idea for the distributers to have a booth because they were able to show retailers what kind of a selection they would find with their company. The next major group of exhibitors were newbies! Fresh products and new faces. The ANE show was a cool gathering place for new brands to bloom and get picked up by companies and distributers. I saw a couple brands that I kinda cruised by, then there was one that I decided to check out, but the company ignored me – i.e. “we aren’t passionate about our product and we don’t care who you are”.
And then there was M!NNA. Minna is a new brand who is coming out with a product by the name OLA. The guys behind this brand are as welcoming as their product. This, is what I call a full circle. They care about what they are doing and they are kind to everyone who has interest in what they are doing. OLA is going to be popular…I couldn’t even SEE the product, my 1st time at their booth. It was just a swarm of people and I had to peer through them. This new vibrator is cool because it’s silicone, waterproof, rechargeable and it has an air-compression chamber that you press, which in turn, mimics the intensity of the vibrations. It also programs your desired pattern of pleasure. Way to go M!NNA, can’t wait for the review!
Buck Angel, the self-made Man. Elayne Angel, she pierced my clitoral hood and when she introduced me to her husband, I had no idea who he was at the time. It wasn’t until later that I connected the dots. I love this couple. They were at the ANE show, letting the masses check out Buck’s new line of toys!!! Yes. Buck has a line of toys. Buck has an exquisite line of glass dildos and plugs. The glass is sensational and it has been crafted by an artisan that Elayne had met in the body jewelry realm. The man behind the material is Jason Pfohl, of Gorilla Glass. He has really brought the Angels visions to life and created some very amazing pieces. One of the most profound, being a double-sided glass dildo with a t-bar handle for thrusting. Imagine that! Something that’s been lacking for years, and now…they’ve brought it to life. I super-hope that I have an opportunity to use that with my husband, just as Buck and Elayne probably have. (But my husband doesn’t have a vagina.) I’m very impressed with what Buck Angel has in store for us. Plus, I got to hold his vagina! (It’s actually a cast that was made into a glass installment.) But still, who’s paying attention to the technicalities?!
Speaking of glass, Spartacus has a new line of toys that were hand-designed and brought into production with accuracy that impressed the creator. This line is called “Get Blown”. I really like the full sized dildo that looks anatomically correct, but the sweet pink one with the spiral end looks like lots of fun, too. Also, for those of you who enjoy the shape of the blue one, you may recognize it as a popular vibrator that is now converted to glass for your further enjoyment. Thank you, Joel, for desgining some really cool products and showing me around!
I finally got to meet Shellie, of Crystal Delights! She had an amazing setup with all of her crystals and glass pieces lined up, sparkling all over the place. She has some new medallion plugs, some tails and my, my, my…those dildos look like fun. I hope to try one of those dildos of hers that have the flat-rounded, screwy spiral thing going on. I wonder what those feel like! Some of her pieces were frosted glass, spiraled colors, and even gold-infused glass, that gives it a golden glow when it hits the light. I love the colors and sparkles that Virtually About, LLC is all about. Thanks for letting me have a preview of what has yet to come! I look forward to it, Shellie! *Cough* Glass paddle with swarovski crystal. *Cough*
Merci Toys was showing off their set of Fairy wand vibes and I got the inside tip: The Fairy Mini Wand is the most powerful! Although, I’d much rather have it covered with swarovski crystals. So, Hansen, if you’re ever interested in a Fairy Mini review, I’ll take it encrusted with Swarovski, please. Hahah. Just check out the photos and video to see how blinged out these fairies were. They are in the process of finding a distributer for the micro Fairy one, so there is a chance that we may see more of that one. Gotta love the bling!
I’ve been meaning to do a post on perfumes and scents, which this new product reminds me of. It’s called Good Clean Love, and they have a Love Oil, which is a lube, I believe. It will go onto each individal and leave it’s own trace scent. The guy at the booth put it on himself and it had one scent, then on myself it was totally different. It’s almost as if they played with the natural ingredients to really emphasize that chemistry change. I like it! It’s a cool experience.
Last but never-ever least, is Luz de la Riva. I had a chance to meet Savannah, who is VP of the brand and she also had a part in designing the products. Their line consists of the finest natural stones and metals that come together in a beautiful keepsake. For realz, they know what they are doing and they have artisans who put their products together and they are made by hand, so they have unique characterists and slight differences between the pieces. The craftsmanship that they give to their clients is what puts them in the highest boutiques around. Luz, the owner and Savannah, her daughter, have beautiful personalities to match their beautiful product lines, and the fact that such high sexual art carries such a sweet kinship is really refreshing. I love you guys!
Well, this has been my overly lengthy re-cap of AVN’s ANE 2011 Show. I had lots of fun and met some cool new brands as well as seeing some classic favorites. I had a great time and I would love to return to the event. Aside from the new novelties that I had to talk about – I had a great time at the O Awards and the After Party, which was hosted by Papaya Toys and Reid Mihalko. Thanks again for having me, I hope that I’ve brought my readers some cool info and I hope that I will be attending the Adult Novelty Expo, once again!
