BURBANK, Calif. – The summer installment of the ANME Founders Show wrapped today with exhibitors toasting to accolades and looking forward to the next reunion.
The final day of ANME came after a full day of exhibitions and the StorErotica Awards. Among the honored companies was Trigg Laboratories, manufacturer of the Wet brand of lubricants, which walked away with the Lube Company of the Year award. Scott Watkins, Trigg Laboratories’ vice president of sales, said ANME ensued at a very good pace that allowed the company to meet with clients and effectively present its wide range of products.
“It’s important to touch and taste our products so we have testing stations and a booth that’s spacious enough to accommodate that along with displays that exhibit how to properly merchandise our products,” Watkins said.
Tantus also was among the StorErotica winners, taking home Boutique Brand of the Year.
“ANME is the most productive show for Tantus,” Channel Sales Manager Aaron Warburton said. “For our distribution channels, it presents plenty of opportunities to spend time with quality buyers and organize strategic partnerships to improve business and overall benefit sexual wellness for consumers.”
As the show wound down, exhibitors wrapped up meetings with buyers, while reminiscing about a successful show. BMS Factory’s Sarah Mills attended ANME for the first time since joining the company as marketing and business development manager.
“It was key for me to come here,” said Mills, who also appears in BMS’ product informational videos. “This show allowed me to put names and faces together, and I got a very positive welcome. Before coming here I was told it was almost like a big family – and it feels that way, everyone has been very friendly.”
We-Vibe took the opportunity to accept feedback from buyers at ANME with surveys and the gift of its Salsa vibrator as a “thank you” for offering their thoughts. “We got a lot of great feedback,” We-Vibe’s Sarah Bobas said. “We want to know what are the key features that shoppers are looking for so that we can meet the demand; and retailers are really the ones that know.”
We-Vibe also took the opportunity to spread product awareness about ANME with a campaign differentiating its “Me Time” pleasure products for solo play, and “We Time” signature couples toy. It’s ad campaign also teased the brand’s upcoming releases, which are set to debut in October.
Sportsheets exhibited its grip on the “Fifty Shades” craze with new additions to the Sex & Mischief collection directly inspired by the literature, including the signature men’s tie, which was part of the booth’s swag for buyers. “We’ve gotten a phenomenal response at the show,” Sportsheets’ Joanne Queenin. “Our sales have more than doubled and consumers continue to drive demand.”
Also capitalizing on the “Shades of Grey” craze was LELO, which presented merchandising ideas for cross-promotion. “The Mini Luna is currently the No. 1-selling sexual wellness product on Amazon,” U.S. Director of Sales Donna Faro said. “Sales are so strong right now and it’s a great opportunity for retailers. We had such an exciting response to our focused POS display pieces and our new products. People were actually waiting to talk to us – we felt very welcomed at this show.”
Among the new display solutions for retailers are a LELO island display with built-in chargers and anti-theft alarms, and a PicoBong display stand made from surfboards. Additionally LELO introduced Video Display that come pre-loaded with LELO promotional videos, with more material available on-demand from the company’s Retailer Ordering System.
Vibratex attended ANME almost six months shy of its 30-year anniversary, and Vibratex’s Stephanie Kienzle said ANME offered an opportunity to catch up with colleagues and check out the latest releases.
“I always love this show because I get the opportunity to see everyone’s full line and see how they feel it should be presented – there is an integrity to this show,” she said. “ANME also presents a great opportunity to communicate with the retailer and get feedback for future designs.”
