That’s what show promoter Kari Calder said after hearing from Tampa officials that the “Sex and So Much More Show” is not welcome at the city-owned Convention Center.
Saskatoon, Canada-based Showcase Productions is attempting to ramp up its offerings, with additional cities for its “Sex” show — Tampa being one of them.
But Calder’s Showcase Productions is facing a roadblock from Tampa officials, who say that the Convention Center is no place to hold a show that includes sex toys, adult DVDs and erotic lingerie despite the fact that there is a promise of no nudity.
“I think the show will take place,” Calder told XBIZ on Thursday. “We think the Tampa area is a great place for our show — it has the right size and demographics and a great word-of-mouth reputation in adult entertainment.”
Calder said that six weeks after she sent the Convention Center officials a letter, she received a short email response, saying that her show is an “adult-use” event that violates zoning laws.
City Attorney David Smith did not return messages to XBIZ before post time, but he told the Tampa Tribune that the “Sex and So Much More Show” includes “the exposure of certain anatomical parts” and would need to take place where adult-use zoning exists.
A rarity among municipalities, Tampa's City Council approves every event at the Convention Center.
Showcase Productions plans to fight the matter if the city doesn’t reconsider, said Calder, who emphasized the show does not include any nudity in any of the cities where it holds shows.
“There is no nudity and the dancers wear pasties over the nipples and thongs,” she said.
Showcase Productions typically takes 125,000 square feet of space at venues, which have been only hosted at convention centers so far. The adults-only, three-day $20 event includes workshops on sexuality, live lingerie shows, burlesque troupes, belly dancers and contests, Calder said.
The company’s first “Sex” show in November drew 15,000 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. That show, however, was criticized by the Minnesota Family Council, which called upon the city to closely monitor the event.
It also had a show in February at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. That show also had opposition from Rep. Jim Welker who, at the time, told XBIZ that “it is unacceptable for Colorado to become a culture that exposes impure behavior to our children without batting an eye.”
Both Minneapolis and Denver do not have zoning ordinances that affect business at their convention centers.
Calder said that her company is adding two additional cities to its circuit besides Tampa, which is home of NightMoves adult magazine and its annual NightMoves awards show.
The “Sex” show will tour Detroit and Phoenix, with the latter slated for May.
