Rosen told XBIZ that while the three-day sex fair, which was held at The Venetian Macau Aug. 20-22, was small in size, it drew a large amount of attendees that largely consisted of consumers.
According to reports, the Adult Asia Expo drew a total of 30,000 visitors, which marked a 20 percent increase from last year.
“The show was definitely consumer-oriented with the greater number of people attending being consumers; I saw a lot of couples and a lot of females in attendance,” Rosen said. “Definitely Asia is a little more conservative than the rest of the world, however I think the awareness/acceptance of the adult industry is growing very quickly. I got a sense that the adult industry is still a little taboo and that in the past five years has developed from out of the shadows."
The Asia Adult Expo also featured blocks of time dedicated to business-to-business dealings.
“Attendance during the B2B segments was good,” Rosen said. “You definitely got a feeling that this show is growing tremendously and will be a major trade show within the next five years. We had a lot of international partners visit us from the U.K., Austria, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Scandinavia, U.S., China, Hong Kong, etc. There was a good amount of Asian distributors that we got the chance to introduce the brand to and explore partnerships.”
As one of the main sponsors of AAE, Baci Lingerie displayed its products with a grandiose $950,000 booth, and handed out gift bags.
“The reaction to Baci Lingerie was totally amazing,” Rosen said. “Everyone was stunned at our booth and the displays. The eyelashes were a huge success and were easily the hottest item at the show. Every person inquired and offered to buy the eyelashes, however we did not sell to the public (maybe next year ).”
Rosen says that China’s conservative views that have hampered the success of an adult industry in the country in the past are progressively shifting towards a more welcoming attitude.
“Our first collection was a huge hit but of course there were some items that were too sexy for the Asian market,” he said. “With our second collection of European Chic, very classy lingerie, Baci Lingerie will surely be a success in Asia.
“You can see the movement towards more wider acceptance of this industry. Adult products are definitely becoming more acceptable and mainstream.”
