MIAMI — XBIZ Miami’s educational sessions swung into full gear today with three NETbilling sponsored seminars tackling some of the adult industry’s most important web/tech topics.
First, in an XBIZ Miami exclusive, the topic of #SexTech took center stage with a forward look at the innovation driving the digital media marketplace, as well as the pleasure products segment where technology is bridging the gap between fantasy and reality.
Offering the wisdom of an experienced panel featuring Terpon CEO Jean-Claude Artonne, Eddy Olivares from Lovense, CAM4’s Ela Darling, Utherverse CEO Brian Shuster, plus attorney and #SexTech expert Maxine Lynn, with yours truly serving as moderator, the session spanned a wide range of relevant topics.
Among the talking points were the facts that #SexTech is not just about sex, it is about making sex better — with a dual focus on innovation and female empowerment that positions sexual health as a matter of human necessity and satisfaction.
The #SexTech talk also covered the “kitchen table cobbling” origins of much of today’s top hardware and the hobbyist-driven innovation enabled via APIs, which for example, allow the Lovense to be actuated with an XBOX controller, or the “soldering iron in hand” approach to VR camming that led Darling to be “the world’s first VR cam girl.”
Also up for discussion was the need for intimacy education and the role that relationships — especially long-distance connections — plays in moving #SexTech forward.
Next up, one of adult’s most robust and competitive market segments was in the spotlight, as the subject of Cam Networks Today was addressed by industry veterans Vanessa Eve from Streamate, Chaturbate’s Shirley Lara, Shay Efron from ImLive, FreeWebCams’ Eric Wexel, Aaron Zolkin from Cams.com, and CAM4’s Gunner Taylor, with moderation by XBIZ’s Stephen Yagielowicz.
This timely panel tackled everything from the pros and cons of different business models such as pay-per-minute and tip-based shows, to the acceptance of Bitcoin as a payment mechanism (and cash out policies for this cryptocurrency that widely fluctuates in value). The topic of scaling services to handle the technical demands of large-scale VR camming— and the reluctance of many networks to do so, also stirred attendee interest.
Other topics concerned customer service requirements and the needs of customers and models using the latest generation of haptic devices, along with the ascendancy of gay and transgender models, which now account for up to half of all cam performers. The issue of performer reliability, the ongoing issue of consistent camming schedules, and its impact on overall profitability was also discussed.
Altogether, the discussion made clear that camming attracts a group of best-of-breed network operators on the forefront of customer service and technical innovation, offering advice for models, studios and affiliates alike.
The final session of the day was the annual Adult Law: A Mid-Year Snapshot session, featuring noted attorneys including Paul Cambria, JD Obenberger, Maxine Lynn, Larry Walters and Karen Tynan, with moderation by the Free Speech Coalition’s Eric Leue.
This stellar assemblage revealed the ins-and-outs of 2017’s current legal scene, with topics ranging from mandatory age verification to Net Neutrality, DMCA changes, privacy policies, the U.K.’s Digital Economy Act, the threats posed by the proponents of porn as a public health crisis, and more.
Each of the attorneys provided attendees with a valuable takeaway.
Cambria underscored the importance of doing something — anything — to provide age verification as a defensive measure that takes away the appeal of pursuit on the part of prosecutors, while Tynan emphasized the need for both pre- and post-shoot model interviews that disclose consent.
Walters pointed out the benefit of obtaining not only a pre-scene release, but a post-production release as well, especially in scenes that may push the edge, while Lynn advised innovators to secure patents for their products as a necessary business step.
Obenberger offered an intriguing glimpse into the power of “no,” by advising the use of a pre-shoot checklist where performers check-off or otherwise affirm their intentions, such as a willingness to do anal, but are faced with a definite “no” situation such as “can I douse you with kerosene and set you ablaze?” as an indication that he or she was not only not under duress, but didn’t just check “yes” to everything without reading it first, while Cambria underscored the importance of obtaining consent especially from foreign performers to help avoid accusations of sex trafficking.
XBIZ Miami’s first-day seminars provided a valuable dose of information overload for attendees, packing numerous tips and insider secrets for profitability and safe operation into a few interesting hours — with more knowledge building set for Day 2.
Stay tuned for more…
