”The money — well, 'play money' — came courtesy of new board game Sexopoly, brought along by Jason Maskell,” Gray said. “Miniature cock rings and dildos replaced irons, steam engines and kettles (from the other famous board game) as playing pieces. Players built up sex empires by travelling around the board and acquiring businesses from lingerie suppliers to strip clubs.”
As attendees got to grips with the game, Maskell noted that Sexopoly is also in the hands of the U.K. producers of “Big Brother,” who may very well drop it into the house for housemates to play with during its current run.
Magic came courtesy of adult industry marketing professional Damian Jennings, who amused attendees with his array of card tricks — and his “mysterious red balls,” Gray said.
He added that merriment was all around with executives mingling amongst their peers that represented several areas of the industry, including adult mobile services, online payment processing, talent management, VOD, adult websites, film production, cams, and performers themselves.
Among the performers was XBIZ.net member Tiffany Doll, a French starlet who recently won a contest run by French production company Colmax to become their new Ambassador. “Needless to say, quantities of Gallic 'Ooh la la' were plentiful,” Gray said.
With World Cup and Wimbledon tennis championships still fresh in people's minds, the event nonetheless drew a respectable number of people that traveled from other European countries, as well as local industry members.
"The London Gatherings are definitely making their mark in the adult industry networking calendar,” Gray said. “Feedback both on the night and on the [XBIZ.net] discussion posts afterwards remains positive, which is great but also conveys to potential attendees that much can be gained from coming along.
"One of the most satisfying aspects," continued Gray, "is the number of people who've attended the first and second events and returned to the third. They realize the value of face-to-face networking and appreciate the sheer variety of contacts potentially open to them at these events."
Paul Botha, head of business development at talent management agency Models First attended April's Gathering and duly returned for the third event.
"The opportunity for meeting fellow adult industry professionals was too good to miss," Botha said. "Models First is already well-known in London but I wanted to sound out producers and their requirements for fresh talent. There was a broad array of expertise present, and the friendly nature of everyone there meant circulating to meet, greet and network was a breeze."
With a September XBIZ.net London Gathering scheduled on a date yet to be announced, Gray said he is confident of further growth as the event gathers momentum within the adult industry.
"We're only just beginning," he said.
