HONG KONG — The Asia Adult Expo debuted last weekend at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC), resolving an ongoing head-butting between the fair’s organizers and dubious city officials.
According to the South China Morning Post, the HKCEC initially denied the adult fair its exhibition grounds, claiming that the venue was fully booked for the foreseeable future. But organizer Vertical Expo Services believed that the rejection was due to discrimination of the Asia Adult Expo’s erotic theme.
"HKCEC was initially worried about the fair's racy image, but we've proved an adult trade fair can be just as professional as any other trade show, " Vertical CEO Kenny Lo Yuk-wa told the Morning Post.
Prior to its premiere Hong Kong showing, the expo was held in Macau. Lo explained that Macau was a less fitting location for the fair because of its leisurely atmosphere.
He explained, “… everyone knows Hong Kong is the place to get serious business done.”
The three-day B2B expo hosted around 150 exhibitors, who touted their adult paraphernalia, including sex toys and hi-tech gadgets.
Adult Asia Expo was held in tandem with the Intimate Lingerie Asia fair and was not open to the public or visitors under 18 years of age.
The fair featured both local exhibitors and western-based companies like Pipedream, which displayed a large pink, white and black BDSM-themed poster.
While many of the companies, China-based included, said they focused their wares mostly on western markets, there seemed to be an upswelling interest in Asian consumers.
Rosstar spokewoman Minnie Zhang explained that younger Asian generations are less conservative then eras past. Rosstar is located in Shanghai and was promoting its product “Mini Vibra,” an iPhone-controlled personal massager/music player, at the show.
