ETO has learned that the 2014 Erotica consumer event, which was scheduled to take place in November at London’s Tobacco Dock venue, has been cancelled. In a letter to exhibitors dated February 10th, the organisers have stated that the event will not run this year. The letter reads:
“With regret we write to inform you that we have decided to cancel this year’s show. We are not happy with the venue or the limited licensing options available to us by Tower Hamlets council and have decided not to proceed any further with plans for this year’s show.”
The letter, which was written by Nadia Girardot and accompanied by a refund cheque, added that the organisers hoped to work with exhibitors again in the future. ETO has contacted the organisers and we hope to have further details soon. At the time of writing the event’s website [www.erotica-uk.com] is down, with a simple page saying ‘Site is offline for maintenance.’
One exhibitor commented: “As a past exhibitor we were looking forward to the 2014 event, so we’re naturally disappointed to hear of this change of plans. We hope Erotica will return in some form in the future and would happily exhibit with them again if the opportunity arises.”
Erotica is one of the best-known consumer events in the UK, reportedly chalking up more visitors than the Ideal Home Show at its peak. It was staged annually at London’s Olympia from 1997 to 2011 and has traditionally acted as a curtain raiser on the Christmas season for many adult businesses. In addition to consumers it regularly attracts minor celebrities and receives significant coverage from mainstream broadcast and print media. The 2012 event was cancelled due to the rising cost of tenancy at Olympia and, after a year’s sabbatical, Erotica 2013 was staged at Tobacco Dock in East London for the first time.
