MIAMI — Early bird attendees of the XBIZ Summit on Tuesday warmed up to a day of relaxation and networking on the first of this four-day adult entertainment industry event.
For photo coverage of XBIZ Summit 2013, click here.
Presented by AWEmpire, XBIZ Summit guests enjoyed full, exclusive access to the luxurious Coconut Grove, Fla.-based Mayfair Hotel & Spa for one of this year’s most talked about events; offering educational, deal-making and networking opportunities for its elite audience of adult business insiders.
The day began at noon, with the XBIZ Summit Golf Tournament presented by X2K, when participants teed-off for an afternoon of executive networking. CE Cash, Epoch and NETbilling sponsored this annual sporting session, held at Miami’s International Links Melreese Country Club.
Stephen Bugbee organized the outing, which was the latest leg of the year-long Webmaster Golf Tour.
“We had a good time,” Bugbee said. “We had a few groups and played best ball.”
For ladies not interested in the links, but looking for business link ups, adult executive female group, Women In Adult (WIA), hosted a WIA Spa Day for “ladies only,” offering a refreshing mani/pedi treatment at the Mayfair Hotel’s Jurlique Spa. According to WIA, the Jurlique Spa draws on Eastern and Western philosophies of well-being to provide a tranquil pre-show sanctuary for mind and body, where good times and early deal making was enjoyed.
Karen Campbell, assistant vice president at OrbitalPay, participated in the late afternoon indulgence prior to the Mix & Meet.
“I was glad to see the Women in Adult event returning to the show,” Campbell said. “Thank you to XBIZ for my awesome pedicure.”
The crowds started gathering around the PussyCash-sponsored XBIZ Summit registration booth around 4 p.m. when it opened — providing an easy place to bump into friends old and new, while taking care of some needed paperwork and coming up to speed with the show’s schedule of events.
These events include the evening’s sessions, such as the Kick-Off Mix & Meet event and exhibition on the Mayfair Hotel’s Palm Terrace, where attendees discovered all of the latest offers, tools and techniques for turning porn into profits. This casual networking environment was the perfect place to bring participating product and service providers together for valuable one-on-one face time.
Carole Wood held down the corner table position at the Mix & Meet, noting that her company PussyCash wants to spread the word to show-goers that WebcamWiz now features “automatic language adaption.”
“So you can create a white-label in any language,” said Wood, who traveled all the way from Cyprus to the show. “You can literally white-label your own website within five minutes.”
Wood had a unique giveaway bag that doubled as a show-survival kit. The mini duffel bag included a screwdriver and cleaner for your sunglasses, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a mirror with dental floss, and breath freshener.
The Pay4 team was out promoting its new qooqo mobile payment solution that is applicable worldwide. Qooqo allows uers to pay via stored account information on a smartphone app.
“We launched this at the Phoenix Forum and we are using Miami XBIZ for the follow-up,” said Tobias Overhoff, international sales manager for Pay4 which is based in Frankfurt, Germany. “It’s the perfect show for the follow-up. … Our aim is to bring this solution to the U.S. and Canadian-based customers getting traffic from Europe which may not convert if you’re having credit card issues.”
Even veteran content producers such as the Fort Lauderdale-based Jim Gunn made their way around the Mix & Meet. Gunn, who is in his 22nd year in adult entertainment, was attending the XBIZ Summit for the second time. He said nowadays there are more new girls for him to shoot on a monthly basis than there used to be on a yearly basis.
“I always do some business when I come here,” said Gunn, who sells his content to about 20 different websites. “I have a lot of friends and acquaintances when I come here and I always get something out of it, whether it’s immediately after the show or months down the road.”
The party kicked into high gear at the XBIZ Summit Official Welcome Reception, which lit up the Palm Terrace with an open bar and a house music soundtrack.
The event was the perfect setting for attendees to start their XBIZ Summit experience in earnest. Mixing and mingling with industry peers in a relaxing atmosphere, the reception provided productive networking and drinks with top adult industry movers and shakers, laying a foundation for future deals and further fun — such as the slate of private “invite only” dinners and other intimate get-togethers.
Later that evening, XBIZ Summit’s Miami Movie Nights debuted in the Mayfair’s Crystal Ballroom, with 1972’s “Deep Throat,” starring Linda Lovelace in the breakout adult film that brought porn to mainstream audiences. While causing cries of “obscenity” by concerned citizens across the nation in an uproar that ushered in a broad new level of acceptability for erotic fare, Deep Throat set the stage for today’s extensive multi-billion dollar adult entertainment industry.
Wasteland’s Colin Rowntree, himself a classic film buff, told XBIZ that when asked to put together and host the Movie Night events at the XBIZ Summit, he immediately put together a plan to structure it in a way similar to the introductions made by his favorite TV host, Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies.
“The choices of the movies were easy: Deep Throat and Scarface — both very much part of Miami culture and both shot within a short distance of the Mayfair Hotel where the XBIZ Summit is being held in Coconut Grove,” Rowntree stated. “As a film-maker, Deep Throat holds a special place in my heart, as several years ago I spent eight days shooting in the same mini-mansion where the 1972 classic was shot.”
Rowntree explains that the hour-long Deep Throat, released in 1972, was the top selling film from all of Hollywood until the release of the first “Jaws” movie, despite its carrying of an X-rating in the pre-DVD/VCR/Internet era.
“It was one of the first pornographic films to feature a plot, essential character development and high production standards, and is created for launching the ‘porno chic’ trend despite the film being banned in some regions,” Rowntree added. “Deep Throat is significant for marking a turning point in commercial erotica, where the focus of sexual pleasure for women becomes the center point — as seen through the experiences of the Linda Lovelace character.”
Shown at the XBIZ Summit courtesy of Deep Throat Digital, the virtual home for Deep Throat and other classic erotica film brands including The Devil in Miss Jones, the film is a seminal adult movie that is of historical importance for porn professionals.
The session also served to wet attendees’ appetites for tomorrow’s exclusive XBIZ’ Movie Nights showing of Scarface, hosted by Colin Rowntree — and was a great way to end the evening — or to serve as a warm-up for the “Chase the Ace” Casino Night event sponsored by MyFreeSexStore.com that followed.
Stay tuned to XBIZ.com for continuing coverage of this sensational Summit event.
