LONDON — "Obscenity" lawyer Myles Jackman, Reveal Magazine Features Editor Paisley Gilmour and erotic author Malin James are among the first speakers announced for Eroticon 2017, a two-day conference for influential sex writers that will be held in London next year on Mar. 4 and 5.
The event, previously held in Bristol, U.K., is moving to its new home in the Camden area of London and will have sessions that range from advice on blog promotion and working with adult companies to panels and workshops on writing and campaigning. The speakers announced so far reflect the breadth of topics that will be covered at the event.
Jackman will be speaking about the current landscape of censorship of porn in the U.K. and how writers can help to join the fight. And Gilmour will join a panel comprised of writers and editors from the mainstream press, giving sex writers tips on how to promote their work outside the adult industry.
James will be giving a workshop on how to write narrative sex, offering attendees tools and advice to help them write short stories.
Other speakers will include The Big Gay Review, a sex toy reviewer who — according to Eroticon — “has achieved extraordinary traffic growth in the two years he has been blogging.” He will be giving advice on affiliate schemes and how sex toy reviewers can make the most of them.
Ruby Goodnight, who will be coming in from the United States for Eroticon, will be giving bloggers and companies advice on how to use social media. And the KinkCraft team will be hosting hands-on workshops for attendees who want to try their hand at crafting their own BDSM toys.
An Eroticon spokesperson said that in 2017, the event “will be bigger than ever” and that the new venue in Camden, London “can hold up to 200 people as well as provide plenty of space for sponsors to exhibit their products and mingle with the attendees.”
So far, Doxy and Hot Octupuss have come on board as sponsors for Eroticon 2017.
William Garland, director of Doxy, said, “Winning brand and product recognition among the attendees has allowed our small enterprise to compete on an equal basis with established industry names. We couldn't be happier that our association with Eroticon will be continuing next year.”
Adam Lewis, co-founder of Hot Octopuss, said, “When we launched as a small start-up just three years ago, the sex blogging community welcomed us with open arms. It was sex bloggers’ support that made it possible for us to make such a mark in the sex toy world when we were completely new to it and had very little marketing budget, and it was the feedback of sex bloggers, among others, that helped us develop Pulse II. The sex positivity of the community also helped inspire our ongoing #SexNotStigma campaign.”
Lewis said, “2017 is going to be a huge year for us because we have three new toys coming out, so we also couldn’t possibly miss the opportunity to show off these products to some of the most important influencers in the sex toy world. We can’t wait to find out what you all think.”
The new organizers for Eroticon include Molly Moore, who runs the Sinful Sunday project as well as her own blog MollysDailyKiss.com; Michael Knight, Moore’s partner and tech guru for over 50 sex bloggers; and Girl on the Net.
In a joint statement, Moore, Knight and Girl on the Net said, “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. Alongside our new venue, we’re also running a ticket pool for writers who couldn’t otherwise afford to come, and discussing ticket sponsorship options with companies who want to help out. There will also be more day tickets available, so that those who can’t come for the whole weekend can still drop by to take part in the talks and meet sponsors. It’s working so far; we sold out early bird tickets within 24 hours of making them available.”
For more information on Eroticon, visit their official website or follow them on Twitter.
Pictured: Myles Jackman