First Gay Phoenix Forum Kicks Off; Cybersocket Awards Packs the House

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The first ever Gay Phoenix Forum got off to a busy start Thursday as hundreds of industry professionals traveled to the sprawling desert city for four days of networking, seminars, parties and the ever-popular Cybersocket Awards, which were held last night at the Amsterdam, a popular gay club within walking distance of the downtown hotels.

The unofficial start of the show took place Wednesday night as early-arriving attendees enjoyed the traditional invitation-only dinner held by Epoch and a sponsors dinner held by CCBill. Both were well-attended affairs that helped set the tone for the show: a convergence of high-level players from the gay adult community for business and pleasure.

Thursday saw the arrival of the remainder of attendees, most of whom were staying at the host venue, the Central Phoenix Inn and Suites, with the rest staying at other hotels and resorts close by. The highlights of the day included a welcome barbecue, sponsored by CCBill, DRMNetworks, CCBill EU and CaveCreek Web Hosting, an Epoch get-together at the Wyndham Hotel and, of course, the Cybersocket Awards.

Cybersocket tried something different this year by inviting consumers to the event. According to Cybersocket President Morgan Sommer, CCBill and the host venue, Amsterdam, spent a lot of time and money publicizing the awards locally, and it paid off. The place was packed to the rafters and so crowded during the awards ceremony that movement was all but impossible.

Chi Chi laRue was the hostess extraordinaire, rattling off the nominees and winners like a machine gun, often looking for a zinger to shoot at an audience member or winner.

Among others, XBIZ was the winner of the Best Magazine category. XBIZ President Alec Helmy accepted the award, expressing his appreciation for the award and offering kudos to the XBIZ editorial staff.

"We're all thrilled about XBIZ World being awarded Magazine of the Year,” Helmy said later. “Thanks to Morgan and Tim of Cybersocket for putting on such a fantastic event."

He added, "Because of its focus on the gay market, this [Gay Phoenix Forum] show offers a unique networking opportunity. The attendance has been very impressive and everyone I have spoken with is really enjoying the show."

The show picks up today with a full slate of seminars, networking events and parties.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Florida AG Sues EU-Based Adult Companies for Failing to Age-Verify Users

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida against five EU-based adult companies for allegedly failing to require age verification before allowing access to adult content.

SkyPrivate Launches 'Telegram Pay-Per-Minute' Feature

SkyPrivate has launched a new pay-per-minute (PPM) private show option on Telegram.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Money and Mental Health' Online Event

Pineapple Support is hosting a free, online event to help performers balance financial wellbeing with mental health, Aug. 18-19.

Arcom Warns 5 Adult Sites Over Age Verification

French media regulator Arcom has sent enforcement notices to the operators of five adult websites that the agency says have failed to implement age verification as required under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

MojoHost Debuts NVIDIA Blackwell-Powered Hosting

MojoHost has announced the launch of NVIDIA Blackwell-powered hosting featuring RTX 6000 Pro MaxQ GPUs.

FSC: Identity Theft Targeting Adult Performers

The Free Speech Coalition has put out an alert warning of an individual found to be targeting adult performers for identity theft.

Assylum.com Implements New Age Verification System

Assylum.com has introduced an age verification system across its member sites.

European Commission to Assess Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX Compliance With Digital Services Act

The European Commission plans to conduct a study to determine how well adult sites Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX are addressing illegal content and other potential harms under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

German Higher Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

The Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate on Thursday upheld a “network ban” on Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn for failing to comply with German age verification regulations.

Alabama Notifying Adult Sites of New Tax Set to Take Effect Sept. 1

The Alabama Department of Revenue has begun sending notices to adult site operators about a new 10% tax on their revenues, set to be enforced starting Sept. 1.

Show More