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New owners and new venue for Eroticon 2017

New owners and new venue for Eroticon 2017

Early bird tickets for Eroticon 2017 have gone on sale. The two-day conference for erotic writers, sex bloggers and other erotic creatives will take place on the weekend of 4th and 5th of March 2017 at Arlington House in Camden, central London, following the recent sale of the Eroticon business and its associated digital properties by founder Ruby Kiddell.

Ruby, also known as Ruth Douglas, launched the event in 2012 after seeing the need for an event for sex writers to meet, learn and network without fear of judgment because of their subject matter. There have been a further five conferences, including one in Atlanta, USA. Each event has had a clear mandate to give bloggers and erotica writers access to inspiring teachers as well as giving commercial organisations exclusive in-person access to the writers and by extension their readers. The event has been the launchpad of many successful collaborations, most notably the two writers behind the Vina Jackson persona who penned the series of five Eighty Days… books.

Ruby said: “It is true to say that without Eroticon the Eighty Days books would not have been written because the writers would never have met. It’s pretty awesome to know that I’ve created an event that instigated such a successful creative collaboration.”

The new owners of Eroticon are sex bloggers Girl on the Net, Molly Moore and Michael Knight. “I’m confident that the new owners have the skills and resources to grow Eroticon and to allow it to reach even more people and deliver the outstanding learning and networking opportunities that it has been known for,” Ruby said. “I’m thrilled that it is in such capable hands. I had taken the business as far as I could and it was time for fresh ideas to come in and take it forward.”

Launching the early bird tickets for Eroticon 2017, the new owners said of Arlington House: “It’s easy to get to, being a five minute walk from Camden Town tube station, or a short bus ride from Euston or Kings Cross St Pancras. It’s got three beautiful, modern rooms (all wheelchair accessible) which we’ll be using for the workshops, then transforming into one large hall for group events like the keynote and the Sunday readings. The Arlington House team can cater to any dietary requirements, so don’t forget to let us know if you have any when you buy your ticket. Arlington House is run as a social enterprise – all money the venue makes goes back into providing support for homeless people who need it.”

The agenda for Erotica 2017 includes a Friday night meet-and-greet, Saturday daytime talks, workshops and demos, “something very special” for Saturday nights, and Sunday daytime talks, workshops, and demos, rounded off by erotic readings.

Girl On The Net said: “I first came to Eroticon in 2014, and I genuinely wouldn’t be where I was today without it. I made new friends, learned so much about sex writing and blogging, and made the contacts that have helped me to build my career. I also fell a bit in love with a Doxy Massager which hasn’t left my side since. When Ruby announced that she was stepping down, Molly, Michael and I were keen to find a way to keep the event running, and build on Ruby’s hard work that has made it such a success. This year we’re bringing it to London, hopefully making it more accessible to more bloggers both in the UK and internationally, and we have a few fun surprises up our sleeves which we’ll be announcing in the coming months.”

Tickets for Eroticon 2017 are £170 though a limited number of early bird tickets are available at last year’s prices (£150). The organisers are also allowing delegates to chip in to support others who could otherwise not afford to attend. This money will go into a pool which will be used to issue heavily subsidised tickets later in the year. There is also a payment plan system, so delegates can pay for their tickets in instalments. “We will also be putting together a guide on cheap accommodation in the area, and alerting you to travel deals when we spot them,” said the new organisers. “We want to make Eroticon 2017 accessible to as many people as possible. So grab your tickets, get the date in your diary, and follow @writesexright on Twitter for updates.”

Having fixed the venue and dates, and selling their first tickets within an hour of announcing, the Eroticon team are now moving on to the next stage – booking the speakers, juggling the schedule, and discussing sponsorship opportunities with interested companies. To discuss event sponsorship, contact [email protected]

The first confirmed sponsor for Eroticon 2017 is industry favourite Doxy, and the company’s William Garland said: “In terms of reach and influence, Eroticon has the TARDIS-like quality of being so much bigger inside than you might reasonably expect. Winning brand and product recognition among the attendees has allowed our small enterprise to compete on an equal basis with established industry names. It’s great to hear that Eroticon will move to London in 2017 and is promising to attract more people and speakers from a wider background. We couldn’t be happier that our association with Eroticon will be continuing next year.”

Commenting on the Eroticon sale and her future plans Ruby Kiddell said: “I’ve been humbled by the reaction to Eroticon through the years and worked with some amazing people. It has been life changing for me and I can’t thank everyone that has supported me along the way enough – thanks guys. For the immediate future I’m focusing on providing copywriting and marketing support to small businesses in the adult industries through my consultancy, Imp Ideas Ltd. I’ve learned so much in the last five years which, when combined with my career in marketing, gives me a unique insight into how small and developing businesses in the adult sector can build their client base and make the most of their marketing budgets.”

She can be contacted via [email protected] or by visiting http://imp-ideas.com Eroticon continues to be hosted online at http://eroticonlive.com and http://writesexright.com