The nominations have been sorted and counted and we can now reveal who the finalists for the 2013 ETO Awards are. As every award winner is also given a complementary bottle of champagne for their table, companies which may want to pack industrial quantities of Alka-Steltzer in their overnight cases include Lelo and Scala Playhouse, which are nominated in five categories each, alongside ABS Holdings, JOPEN, Pipedream and Planet Earth, all of which have three nominations.
The 2013 finalists reflect the evolving nature of the industry itself and companies and brands making their first appearance among our finalists include Fun Toys, Give Lube, Tease Products, Omora, Renegade, Platinuim, Dusedo, Ultimate, JOPEN, Silver Moon and Arrow. If that last name is unfamiliar it really shouldn’t be as its most notable contribution over the last year was to publish a certain erotic fiction trilogy. The first lady of ‘mummy porn’ herself, EL James, has received two nominations; Best Erotic Author and Services to the Industry. Boutique retailer Coco de Mer appears to be thriving under Lovehoney ownership as it also appears for the first time, nominated in Best Individual Store and Most Innovative Retailer categories, and another new name in the Best Online Retailer category is Strawberry Blushes. Elsewhere, some of the most influential sex writers and pleasure product reviewers will be fighting it out for the title of Best Erotic Journalist.
ETO editor Dale Bradford commented: “We’d like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to nominate their favourites this year. Our unique selection process, where the finalists are nominated by our readers, ensures that the ETO Awards continue to recognise the industry’s most innovative products, the most proactive brands, the hardest working distributors and the finest retailers. As always, it will be a privilege for us to present the winners with their awards on June 23rd.”
The complete list of finalists can be seen on page 26 of the May issue. To vote for your favourites please visit www.erotictradeonly.com but please don’t leave it too late – voting closes at midnight GMT on Friday 7th June.
The 2013 ETO Awards will be presented on Sunday 23rd in the Oasis Suite at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, situated on the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) complex, just outside Birmingham. If the date and venue look familiar, that is because the Awards Night is held on the evening of the first day of the annual ETO Show – the UK’s only dedicated trade event for the adult retail sector.
