Originally planned to be a monthly event, X-Con had its first expo on Sunday at downtown Los Angeles’ Entertanium, tucked away between metal recyclers along gritty Santa Fe Avenue.
The Entertanium, with its 32,000 square feet of space, is one of the world’s largest porn production facilities and doubles as LA Couples, a swingers club, on weekends. The facility was host to X-Con, which appeared as more of an open house than a true trade industry convention.
Repeated calls to Entertanium CEO John Borman and promoter Layla Jade were not returned, but an XBiz conversation with one of the employees at the facility revealed the convention will still go on but only every other month.
Last Thursday, X-Con kicked off Sunday’s inaugural convention at a Hollywood nightclub where, despite an offer of free champagne, turnout was light.
Sunday’s X-Con, which also had slim numbers, included vendor tables from Private Dancer magazine, Las Vegas Novelites, Red Light District, KSEX Radio and others, as well as several rooms of erotic art. The event also had nonstop porn playing in Entertanium’s theater.
Despite the low turnout, Nina Hartley, Alexis Amore, Carmen Luvana, Cleopatra of the Nile, Butterfly, Pamela Peaks, Kat Kleevage, Julian St. Jox, Selena Silver, Olivia O'Lovely, Vicky Vogue and the Suckulent Girls were among some of the porn stars who were on hand.
The $25 event was scheduled during one of the toughest weekends to catch the adult online community. The Phoenix Forum, an annual three-day conference, was held at the La Posada Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., the same weekend.