XBIZ Retail 2012 Advisory Board Expands to Include Top e-Commerce …

LOS ANGELES — XBIZ is pleased to announce the expanded XBIZ Retail 2012 Advisory Board, which now includes bellwethers from the online retail and wholesale/distribution sectors who have joined forces with the show’s Founding Board of top retail chain executives.

The inaugural XBIZ Retail Expo Conference featured a founding advisory board that includes: Bob Christian of Adam Eve Stores, Rondee Kamins of Adultmart/GVA-TWN, Mark Franks of Castle Megastore, Ed Braunstein of Deluxe Distributors, Hustler Hollywood’s Theresa Flynt, The Lion’s Den’s Shelly Sandau and Steve Brown of Romantix.

To reflect the expanded focus of XBIZ Retail 2012 — which is to cater to “all things adult retail” — XBIZ has widened the scope of its advisory board to include two additional market segments, online retail and wholesale/distribution.

The updated XBIZ Retail Expo Advisory Board is visible on the newly launched event website, XBIZRetailExpo.com.

XBIZ Retail’s Online Retail board members include Andrew Sullivan of Gamelink, Joel Kaminsky of Good Vibrations, Dave Levine of SexToy.com, and Jax Smith of SugarDVD.

“I am extremely pleased to be named to the XBIZ Retail Advisory Board,” Good Vibrations President Joel Kaminsky said. “I look forward to working with others in assisting in making this Retail Expo the most outstanding and most meaningful adult event to date.”

SexToy.com and CNV.com owner Dave Levine, aka “SexToy Dave” adds, “It’s an honor to have been selected to offer our advice to XBIZ Retail Expo. We will use our 17 years of adult e-commerce experience to make this a great event.”

SugarDVD CEO Jax Smith has previously participated in the XBIZ LA digital media conference and brings his expertise to XBIZ Retail.

“The L.A. conference has always been a great place for new business ideas,” Smith said. “This year, with all the changes going on in the retail market, it will be more exciting than ever. I’m looking forward to participating in this year’s XBIZ Retail conference. There are great new opportunities opening up every day in the retail market. It’s important to keep learning and the XBIZ Retail Expo is the perfect place to do this.”

Andrew Sullivan, vice president of online operations for online retailer Gamelink, also brings a wealth of knowledge to the XBIZ Retail Advisory Board.

“I am very excited to work with XBIZ to help map the very dynamic landscape of online retail and to hone strategies that will help our industry both succeed and innovate in the digital marketplace,” Sullivan said.

XBIZ Retail’s Wholesale/Distribution Advisory Board includes Larry Garland of Eldorado, Ken Sahn of Holiday Products, Bonnie Feingold of Honey’s Place, Brian H. and Frank K. of IVD/ECN, Phyllis Heppenstall of Peekay, Ari Suss of Sex Toy Distributing, and Bob Pyne Jr. of Williams Trading Co.

“I am extremely excited to be part of the ongoing efforts of XBIZ,” Heppenstall said. “XBIZ has been the leader for many years in providing the very best wealth of information to retailers and all in the adult industry. They are always looking for ways of improving —thank you XBIZ for all you do. Together we all will do better.”

Williams Trading Co.’s Bob Pyne, Jr., adds, “I am honored to be included on the XBIZ Retail Board for the January 2012 XBIZ Retail show. I feel that with some of the top owners and executives in the adult market on this board, we can put together a forum that will be informative and beneficial to all retailers that attend the show.”

Larry Garland, Eldorado’s CEO and founder, participated in XBIZ Retail 2011 as a panel moderator and says he’s pleased to return as an XBIZ Retail Advisory Board member.

“It’s an honor to be named an XBIZ Retail board member,” Garland said. “Working with our industry leaders is always a very positive experience and I look forward to making a worthwhile contribution to the XBIZ Retail Board that will benefit novelty and lingerie retailers worldwide.”

Similarly, Holiday Products’ Ken Sahn is excited to participate in the planning of the XBIZ Retail Expo Conference.

“I am looking forward to working with the board to help make this a world-class trade show,” Sahn said. Brian Herbstman of IVD/ECN adds, “I am very excited to be part of the XBIZ Retail Show. It’s an honor for me to have even been asked.”

Ari Suss, president of adult specialty distributor Sex Toy Distributing, said, “I am proud to represent SexToyDistributing.com at the XBIZ event and answer questions relating to online marketing, business management, operations and planning.”

Honey’s Place President and CEO Bonnie Feingold also will share her vast industry knowledge in collaboration with the XBIZ Retail Advisory Board.

“It is an honor to be involved with the XBIZ Retail Advisory Board,” she said. “XBIZ is a very valuable resource for our industry. I look forward to working with all of the other professionals who make up this board.”

XBIZ Retail exhibitors will consist of novelty manufacturers, lingerie, video, books as well as distributors and business solution/service providers.

It also will include the industry-leading trade show staple components that have become synonymous with XBIZ brand B2B events, including world-class seminars, innumerable opportunities for networking with industry leaders, keynote speeches and special events.

The 2012 XBIZ Retail Expo will bring together all segments of the adult retail marketplace, including e-tailers, home party organizers, wholesalers and manufacturers of all types of adult goods for an event unlike any other.

“On behalf of the entire XBIZ staff, I’d like to welcome the new Online Retail and Wholesale/Distribution segments of the XBIZ Retail Advisory Board and thank the Founding Board of retail chain leaders for all their support,” XBIZ founder and Publisher Alec Helmy said. “The expanded advisory board is a reflection of the broad and dynamic nature of the retail market and their valuable input will contribute to achieving the most comprehensive adult retail trade event to date.”

XBIZ Retail Expo follows the ANME Founders Show at the Burbank Airport Marriot Hotel in Burbank, Calif., will be held in conjunction with the highly anticipated 10th annual XBIZ Awards and the 2012 XBIZ LA digital media conference.

The 2012 XBIZ Awards marks the 10th anniversary of adult entertainment’s biggest industry awards show.

For more information, visit XBIZRetailExpo.com.

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Rev1000: High-Tech Route to Male Pleasure

The Rev1000 has seven speeds – Photo from Sextoys

For years, women have had the upper hand when it comes to sex toys. Innovations, such as the Rabbit, have kept female pleasure devices at the front of the industry’s priorities. But now one company hopes to change all this with a high-tech product aimed at men.

Called the Rev1000, launched in November 2011 and available from Sextoys, the male masturbator has seven speeds and seven functions providing 49 combinations for a man to try. The functions are basically different rotating patterns ranging from a standard clockwise rotation to various combinations of clockwise and anti-clockwise programmes, each of which can be matched to one of the seven speeds. And the handily placed control panel means the settings can easily be adjusted while in operation.

What’s in the Box?

The box contains the rather frighteningly looking device itself (see picture), along with charger and adaptors and, rather stingily given it costs £120, just one sachet of lubricant. The instructions warn against using the device without lubricant as that can lead to friction burns. There is also a spare inner sleeve. The sleeve is the part that makes actual contact and has an array of soft nodules that caress the shaft as it rotates.

When charged, it gives about 40 minutes of continuous use, which is more than enough for most men, and it takes just one hour to recharge, which is less than it takes most men, so no problems there.

Using the Rev1000

The control button at the top is very easy to get the hang of as users can scroll through the settings one way for the different programmes and the other way for the various speeds. The button at the centre is the start-stop, and the little instruction booklet explains the rotating pattern for each setting.

The first time it was used, everything went as expected. However, on subsequent tests the controls started to become a little random, with it, for example, jumping straight from the slowest to the fastest speed and then staying on that speed despite various button presses. Then it refused to turn itself off and had to be dismantled with a screwdriver to stop it spinning. After that rather traumatic experience, it went back to working almost normally.

Cleaning the Rev1000

For obvious reasons, the Rev1000 should be cleaned after each use. This is a bit fiddly as it involves unscrewing various parts and washing just them in warm, soapy water. The main unit with the motor is not waterproof and that needs to be kept dry. It then needs to be reassembled when everything is dry before it can be used again.

How Good Is It?

The experience is certainly novel, though the seven speed feature is a bit of a let down in that, while there is a big difference between one and seven, the incremental stages are not that noticeable. The rotating programmes are interesting, and create unusual feelings but do not exert the type of pressure that is often needed. Many will find themselves still finishing by hand, but that is not to say that the Rev1000 didn’t help.

An enhancement would be an up and down movement as well as rotating. As the technology improves and they can fit it into a better package, the possibility exists for them to be embedded inside life-sized dolls.

Until then, the novelty of the device could soon wear out. There does not seem to be sufficient stimulation for it to be any more than an occasional variation. A nice change and a step in the right direction, but more work is probably needed to make it a best seller.

Steve Rogerson

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Steve Rogerson is a UK-based writer specialising in television, technology, sports and beer.

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