Porn Valley Dispatch: Awards Withdrawal

Maybe because porn's very nature is all about Immediate Gratification that the business has so many award ceremonies. "Awards are an extra incentive to bring people to trade shows," said AVN president Paul Fishbein—and he should know, because in the wake of his company's 24th annual awards last Saturday, AVN along with porn studio Adam & Eve and adult DVD rental outfit Wantedlist are bringing back the F.A.M.E. Awards for the second time to June's Erotica L.A. expo.

Join us after the gap for a preview of XBiz' awards and convention next month as well as non-trade magazine-affiliated AdultCon's awards debut in June. - GP

- - -

While the financial incentives are tempting, one need look no further than last summer's fantastically expensive but abortive Temptation Awards ("I think the guy went broke and fled the country," said Adultcon's Renaud West of Temptation's producer) to see the potential downfalls of an oversaturated adult mega-events market.

But XBiz, which has slowly increased its footprint in the adult trade world, starting as an Internet business mag and expanding to a website, video magazine, and fan site, will present its sixth annual awards at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel in February, to be hosted by the light saber-unaware Tera Patrick. XBiz' awards are particular to its core audience, bestowing trophies for affiliate marketing programs, websites, and Internet payment programs rather than, say, "Best Ass".

Like the other awards, XBiz' version caps a convention. (Full disclosure: I will be participating in the unfortunately-named Viral Marketing: The Mother's Milk of Success seminar.)

Adultcon, which is a direct competitor of the AVN-sponsored Erotica LA, will be presenting its first awards June 9 at Hollywood's Key Club as the culmination of its fan and trade show. The show is advertised as being short "with no entertainment", and female winners in 17 categories "will receive an award called THE NECKLACE. It spells out Adultcon with a diamond."

To administer the Adultcon Awards, a council of elders has been created called the American Academy of Adult Arts And Entertainment.

In terms of value to businesses, only the AVN and XBiz Awards seem to translate into actual cash, but for a fan, the opportunity to watch someone like Jenna Haze accept an award (as she did last Saturday for "Jenna Haze Dark Side") with the speech "I love sucking cock" is priceless.

· F.A.M.E. Awards (thefameawards.com)
· XBiz Hollywood (xbizhollywood.com)
· Adultcon Awards (adultconawards.com)

Previously: Porn Valley Dispatch Archive