LOS ANGELES — Residence 11 hosted its first in-person and virtual event, the Desire Summit, at Los Angeles’ Velvet Noir on Feb. 11.
Timed to coincide with Valentine's Day, the Desire Summit, a rep said, “brought together the site’s sex-positive, open-minded community with more than 25 internationally renowned speakers and experts from the most influential sex-themed podcasts, TV shows, blogs and bestselling romance and erotica books. The intimate event was a full day of audience participation, free-flowing discussion and thought-provoking conversations on some of the most stimulating, taboo and talked about issues when it comes to sex, relationships, pleasure and intimacy.”
Speaker session topics ranged from erotic rituals, mismatched desire, managing jealousy, polyamory, sex and aging, kink and toys, to the world of romance novels, a genderqueer future, audio erotica and more.
Sponsors had the opportunity to reach an audience looking to explore their self-care in new ways. Attendees were treated to a swag bag with sex toys from Fun Factory, Blush and The Pleasure Chest; romance novels from Avon Books; a free “Go F*** Yourself” Course from Ganja Yoga and a special discount to Bloom Audio Stories.
Residence 11 Editor-in-Chief Rachel Kramer Bussel said, “Desire Summit was exactly what we had hoped for: a space where our in-person and virtual audiences could learn from and interact with talented speakers on sex, relationships and literature and get practical advice to immediately apply to their personal lives. From Kevin Patterson’s and Erin Tillman’s tips on how to manage jealousy in polyamorous relationships — and how common that is — to sex therapists Nicoletta Heidegger and Yana Tallon-Hicks on the many ways desire may not match up in relationships, to the laughs heard across the room, especially during Dirty Lola’s frank and funny guide to the wide world of dating apps.”
The Desire Summit, Kramer Bussel added, “kicked off powerful conversations and served up a vital space for discussion and curiosity around our most intimate selves.”
Residence 11 will post event highlights here.
The next Desire Summit will take place Oct. 6-8 in Brooklyn, New York. To purchase tickets, click here.
