The traditional July ANME event returned to the industry calendar last month, in a virtual form and in conjunction with US trade magazine XBIZ. Taking place from July 12th – 16th, the event attracted over 1,000 attendees.
XBIZ associate publisher Sara Ramirez told ETO. “There were representatives from more than 100 manufacturers and 300 buyers that connected via video-chat for prescheduled private meetings. In addition, the event offered a slate of discussion panels that offered a lot of fresh insight into the current market, as well as freestyle networking among the entire attendee base, which included sex educators, media professionals and ancillary market players.”
The dedicated website contained drop-down menus that led users to Exhibitor Booths, where the user was invited to click on a chair around a conference table; the Event Schedule, where the complete events list was laid out; Speakers and Attendees lists, with clickable images that lead to CHAT and MESSAGE buttons; Chit Chat, for casual conversation; and Vendor Profiles, where buyers could find out about participants before making appointments.
Much like the main showroom at the physical ANME, the top of the Vendor Profiles page was dominated by sponsors CalExotics, Doc Johnson, Nasstoys, Penthouse Lingerie, and Satisfyer, with other participant vendors featured in smaller windows.
Scheduled events replicated some traditions from the in-person ANME shows: a virtual welcome reception took place the evening before the show started, a Virtual Cocktail Hour halfway through, and a Farewell Happy Hour; plus ‘Chatroulette’, a virtual networking opportunity, and seminars on topics of interest to retailers and manufacturers were held on Zoom.
ETO’s coverage of the event, by US correspondent Tod Hunter, can be found on pages 60 to 63 of the August issue.
