The organisers of Eroticon 2017 have revealed the names of some of the event’s speakers and, rather fittingly, Reveal magazine features editor Paisley Gilmour is one of them. She will join a panel comprised of writers and editors from the mainstream press, giving sex writers tips on how to promote their work outside the adult industry.
Other confirmed speakers include obscenity lawyer Myles Jackman and erotic author Malin James. The former will be speaking about the current landscape of censorship in the UK and how writers can help to join the fight, while the latter will be giving a workshop on how to write narrative sex – giving attendees tools and advice to help them write incredible short stories.
The event will also feature The Big Gay Review, who will be giving advice on affiliate schemes, and how sex toy reviewers can make the most of them, Ruby Goodnight is dropping in from the States to give bloggers and companies advice on how to use social media, and the KinkCraft team will be hosting hands-on workshops for attendees who want to try their hand at crafting their own kinky toys.
Eroticon, a two-day conference for sex writers, was previously held in Bristol but it has relocated to Camden, London, for 2017. It will have sessions that range from advice on blog promotion and working with adult industry companies, to panels and workshops on writing and campaigning. The organisers say Eroticon will be bigger than ever in 2017. Its new venue can hold up to 200 people as well as provide plenty of space for sponsors to exhibit their products and mingle with the attendees. And the first sponsors to come onboard have both benefited from Eroticon attendance in the past: Doxy and Hot Octopuss.
William Garland, director of Doxy, said: “Winning brand and product recognition among the attendees has allowed our small enterprise to compete on an equal basis with established industry names. We couldn’t be happier that our association with Eroticon will be continuing next year.”
Adam Lewis, co-founder of Hot Octopuss, said: “When we launched as a small start-up just three years ago, the sex blogging community welcomed us with open arms. It was sex bloggers’ support that made it possible for us to make such a mark in the sex toy world when we were completely new to it and had very little marketing budget, and it was the feedback of sex bloggers (among others) that helped us develop Pulse II. The sex positivity of the community also helped inspire our ongoing #SexNotStigma campaign. 2017 is going to be a huge year for us because we have three new toys coming out, so we also couldn’t possibly miss the opportunity to show off these products to some of the most important influencers in the sex toy world – we can’t wait to find out what you all think!”
The new organisers – Molly Moore (who runs the Sinful Sunday project as well as her own blog mollysdailykiss.com), Michael Knight (Molly’s partner and tech guru for over 50 sex bloggers), and Girl on the Net (ETO Erotic Journalist of the Year) – explained that their focus for this year is on accessibility: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. Alongside our new venue, we’re also running a ticket pool for writers who couldn’t otherwise afford to come, and discussing ticket sponsorship options with companies who want to help out. There will also be more day tickets available, so that those who can’t come for the whole weekend can still drop by to take part in the talks and meet sponsors. It’s working so far – we sold out early bird tickets within 24 hours of making them available.”
Eroticon 2017 takes place on 4th and 5th of March next year. More info about the event can be found at www.eroticon.co
