YNOT – The elder statesman of adult industry trade publishers, AVN Media Network, will turn 30 years old in 2013. The company plans to start the celebration in January by hosting a week of trade shows. Internext, the Adult Entertainment Expo, AVN Novelty Expo and AEE Fan Fest all will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, anchored by the 30th annual AVN Awards.
Internext, a trade show for the online portion of the adult industry, will kick things off Jan. 13-15. According to AVN Chief Executive Officer Theo Sapoutzis, keynote speakers already committed include Yussef from Mansef (a forerunner to Manwin), and serial swindler and Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom.
Dotcom’s attendance may be problematic. At present, he is free on bail while he awaits trial in the U.S. on criminal copyright infringement charges associated with now-defunct Megaupload. Under the conditions of his bail, Dotcom is forbidden to access the internet and may not travel more than 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) from his home in Coatesville, Auckland, New Zealand.
Dotcom’s criminal career dates back to before the Internet Age. As a teenager, he was arrested in his native Germany for using and selling calling card numbers he stole during an alleged break-in of the phone system belonging to a U.S. corporation. In 1998, he was convicted of computer fraud and handling stolen goods he and other hackers pilfered.
In 2002, a German court convicted Dotcom of insider stock trading after he manipulated the market value of LetsBuyIt.com. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to embezzlement after employing loan fraud to bankrupt another company for which he served as chairman of the board.
Whether or not Dotcom appears, the shows will go on.
The Hard Rock served as home base for AVN’s trade show roundup last year. Afterward, AVN staff and attendees filed glowing reports about the hotel’s accommodations and service. The week-long show schedule attracted more than 250 exhibitors and more than 24,000 attendees including entrepreneurs, retailers, manufacturers, content producers, performers and consumers, according to an AVN spokesperson.
“I want to extend my sincerest thanks to all the people and companies that helped make our week at the Hard Rock in 2012 so memorable,” said AVN Chief Executive Officer Theo Sapoutzis. “Even though people came from so many countries and represented so many different facets of the industry, to me it felt like we were all part of one big family. I hope everyone returns this coming January, when the plan is to celebrate our anniversaries in a really big way.”
In addition to 30th anniversary celebrations for both Adult Video News magazine and the AVN Awards, the Adult Entertainment Expo will celebrate its 15th year. Sapoutzis guaranteed parties aplenty.
“AVN Week in Las Vegas will be history in the making,” he said.
One of the largest adult trade shows in the world, AEE brings together a cross section of the entire adult entertainment industry. AEE trade registration includes the AVN Novelty Expo (ANE), a leading business-to-business trade expo for pleasure products. AEE Fan Fest is new for 2013, and Sapoutzis said it will provide fans with never-before-available access to the industry and its participants. AEE will take place Jan. 16-19, with Fan Fest beginning Jan. 17 and the AVN Awards taking place Jan. 19 at The Joint inside the Hard Rock.
