The Sex Show will run from Feb. 8-10 at the Denver Merchandise Mart. Show manager David Stein told XBIZ that he expects between 15,000 and 20,000 attendees to make their way to the event, which will mark the third year of the show.
“Denver loves this show,” Stein said. “The demographic [in Denver] is a dream come true.”
Stein said that exit surveys conducted at past years of The Sex Show revealed that more than half of the show’s attendees are women, mostly attending along with their partners, and the age range of the attendees was 25 to 45.
“We see more roving gangs of single women in their 30s on the show floor than roving gangs of men in their 20s,” Stein said.
Sponsors for The Sex Show 2008 include adult companies Adam & Eve, HotMovies.com and Pink Visual.
Asked whether the sex-positive show ever receives criticism for the relatively high profile representation of hardcore adult entertainment companies, Stein said that he does get questions about the “porn presence” at the show, but he deals with such questions in stride.
“My answer is that porn has a place in sex,” Stein said. “We are not a ‘porn show,’ we are a ‘sex show’ — but porn definitely is a part of it.”
Stein said that in his view, there are four pillars to The Sex Show.
“The seminar series is the most important part of it,” Stein said. “But porn is a part, the main stage entertainment is a part and the shopping experience is a part of it.”
Stein said that in terms of the shopping experience offered by The Sex Show, one reason that sales at the show are brisk is “there’s safety in numbers.”
“Sure, as people walk around there are thousands of other people around — but they’re all in there for the same thing, and it’s not like walking down the street to your local adult store,” Stein said. “People are embarrassed to be seen going into an adult store, but they can shop comfortably at an event like this.”
For more information on the event, visit TheSexShow2008.com