Mr. Pinup

At the Adult Entertainment Expo four years ago this month, I passed through the security checkpoint at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas — and was struck by the sheer volume of people. The porn industry’s annual convention had packed more than 30,000 attendees into two exhibit halls. It was nearly impossible to move around, or have a conversation, let alone interview a company executive. But as I pushed through the crowded aisles between elaborate displays, I could feel the energy pulsing through the room.

This conference, held every year concurrently with the Consumer Electronics Show, is where the adult-entertainment industry goes to work: cutting deals, announcing new talent and products, and setting the tone for an exciting and lucrative new year — not to mention fueling their adrenaline and desires with alcohol and blackjack.

A Quick Decline

In 2006, porn was reaching new heights. DVD sales had hit nearly $4.3 billion for the year just ended, according to Adult Video News; online was good for another $1.5 billion (and hadn’t begun to cannibalize video sales yet). But two years later, AEE was almost unimaginably different. Despite the increased elbow room, the conference had both a smaller crowd and fewer exhibitors. A few major players, like Penthouse, skipped out on what had always been the industry’s biggest event of the year.

via Porn Industry Suffers in Economic Downturn – DailyFinance.

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