Erotica L.A. 2002 - Day 1

I arrive at the show around 6:30pm (it started at 4 pm) and parked my car in the lot underneath the convention center. As I am looking for the show I realize I parked in the North lot and the show is in the South Hall. Needless to say I have a bit of a walk before I get to the ticket booths. I go upstairs and check in at the press booth to get a pass. I have to sign a release statement; which among other things says I agree not to grope any of the female’s present or ask them to get naked.

The setup is pretty much the same as last year except in a different room in the South Hall of the LA Convention Center. To the left of the door is Digital Playgrounds large TV display and music assaulting your senses. Straight ahead is the Wicked booth with Déjà vu Showgirls to the right of them, AVN to the left of them and above you are three large banners for Vivid (Vivid had no people present at the show.). Digital Playground owns the area behind Wicked as evidenced by a HUGE banner showing Tera Patrick and Devon. The smaller booths line the walls and the back of the hall behind the larger ones. The larger ones not mentioned above belong to VCA Pictures, Romantix (Le Sex Shoppe and Midnight Books parent company), Spearmint Rhino, West Coast Productions, Erotica LA and AVN. The smaller booths were populated by just about everything you could imagine from clothes to movies to drug paraphernalia (strictly for show I am sure).

The first woman I see is Devinn Lane signing at the Wicked booth. The lines aren’t that long yet so I get down to business. After the obligatory hug (Her giving me one. I would hug her all day for fun, she is a sweetie.) and small talk I walk around the convention hall to get the lay of the land.

The first time through I miss seeing Adult DVD Empire so I go back through. Finally finding them directly behind Digital Playground. Their banner is just as big as Digital’s but faces the back of the Hall. The booth is manned by JT (as it was all day every day). They have a selection on DVD’s out that range in price from $25 (virtual sex titles) to $15 for others. I introduce myself and chat for a little bit before returning to my wanderings around the floor.

I spend the rest of the night just walking around saying hi to people I hadn’t seen in a very long time and taking a few photographs (only three roles). Aria Giovanni is there at her own booth and I have her sign a picture I shot of her a couple years ago. She is “happy” to do so, for $5. I go ahead and pay her but am not really thrilled about the whole thing. I forgot to ask if the money was being donated to Free Speech as it is in a lot of the booths but some how I doubt it.

My night improves when Dee shows up to sign at the Video Team station in the Romantix booth. For those of you who have never had the honor she is one of the sweetest people you would ever want to meet and as cliché as it sounds you always wonder what she is doing in this industry at all. Her “mom and dad” are supposed to be meeting me at the show later that night and she is anxious to see them so I am tasked with making sure they come straight to see her.

I continue on and get to meet Hannah Harper (Legend Video), Tawny Roberts (VCA) Jodie Moore (signing for Private), Star E Night (Jill Kelly Productions), Monica Mayhem, Paris Showers, Monique Alexander (Sin City) and Jassie (Sin City) to name a few (I will put a complete list at the end). Tera Patrick is of course there and as usual mobbed. Not being that energetic I shoot some pictures from afar and avoid the crowd and the line. Strangely enough the AVN booths are manned only by spoke models that really would rather not have their pictures on an adult web site.

It is now almost 9:30 pm and Dee’s “mom and dad” still haven’t shown. So I endure the mile trek back to my car to retrieve the cell phone I left there to see where they are before she leaves at 10:00. They are still at home and decided not to come due to the Lakers game ending and the mad house of traffic now around the convention center. I keep them on the line as I walk all the way back to Dee’s booth in the hall and hand the phone off to her so she can talk to them. Everyone is now happy so I decide it is time to call it a night.

Day Two