What Happens in Vegas…
By JP • Jan 25th, 2007 • Category: BlogI had the ‘pleasure’ of going to the AVN trade show at the Venetian – again. The first time, I was all “ooh & aah” and “isn’t this cheeky?” But come on, it’s like my 4th time, and it’s not quite the same after repeated viewing. I really thought I could get away without going this year, but alas – someone called in sick, and I was off to Vegas once more.
My favorite part about checking in at the registration desk was how they manage nicknames: I go by my initials at work, and the person behind the desk asked “Is that your talent name?” I blushed. I loved that they need a space on the registration form for the “talent name.”
I shouldn’t complain about having to make the trip. Trade shows are uniquely interesting, but also tiring, and yet fun. I love bonding with my co-workers at an off-site event, if nothing else. And the drag show dinner at Lucky Cheng’s has to be seen to be believed! Where else would I catch glimpses of my (and my boyfriend’s) favorite porn stars up close & half naked?
That being said, there’s something a little bit je ne sais quoi about seeing the gorgeous guys in person. When it comes to the gay porn “talent,” they actually don’t look all that great in person – here I am grossly generalizing – a lot of the boys look, well, like they’d been up all night. And perhaps not due to over-caffeination. Not enough sleep; puffy around the eyes; reddish complexion, etc, etc. The fantasy disintegrates under the fluorescent lights.
On the other side of the aisle, though…the straight porn. The ladies all look exactly like they do on video. Which is kinda scary, actually. The same plastic face, lacquered hair, acrylic nails – like dolls come to life. Girls are not my thing, in case this isn’t already obvious to you, so it’s hard to say whether this artifice would be a turn-on if I were a hetersexual man. But something tells me that my aesthetic wouldn’t be all that different.
The really fun part of the show was watching one of our company’s new consultants arrive at the show for the first time and be bowled over by the outsized, surreal, Vegas-like atmosphere. Our new friend collected literature, catalogs, various schwag, invites, photos, etc. This seemingly straight-and-narrow suburban straight guy was like a kid in a candy shop. He got some random invitation from a guy on Day One, and on Day Two, he was boarding a bus to attend a dinner party at a bordello out in the desert! Wow, good for him! I didn’t have a chance to catch up with him afterwards & missed hearing about it – I need to get all the dirt. He had asked me to go along, but I had “previous engagements.”
This is also the only trade show that I’m aware of that invites the public to attend (limited hours & segregated sections, of course). To see the hordes of men & women queued up to enter is amazing. SO MANY PEOPLE wanting to see the porn stars up close & personal. Fascinating.
It’s also interesting to note that this show is always the same weekend as the CES (the Consumer Electronics Show, the nation’s largest trade show (or so I hear). Word on the street is that the whole AVN show was born of the CES show – some early-on geeks realized that power of technology (and later the web) in creating & disseminating porn. What started as an off-shoot to the CES show has grown into the AVN show. It’s as if Steve Jobs were responsible for Jenna Jameson’s success. And maybe he is.
