After a three-year absence from Las Vegas, the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO made its triumphant return to Sin City this past August 14-17 at the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino. Though an EXPO was held in Miami in May 2021, the ongoing pandemic affected the show’s attendance.
But not this year. In fact, this year’s convention boasted more attendees than any EXPO in over a decade.
“We certainly expected this year’s EXPO to be well attended, given that we haven’t hosted our convention in Vegas since 2019,” says ED Publications’ Publisher, Dave Manack. ED Publications has produced the Annual EXPO since 1993. “But even we were pleasantly surprised at the increased and impressive turnout. People missed the EXPO, they missed the opportunity to get together with friends and fellow industry pros. I think it’s safe to say that the industry — and the EXPO — are back in a big way.”
The Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO remains the only national convention for the multi-billion-dollar adult nightclub industry. The three-day event boasted a slate full of networking events, seminars, parties, a 100-booth business-to-business Tradeshow and the Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards — aka, the “ED’s Awards Show.” Held on August 16 at the Paris Theater, this year’s big ED’s Award winners included Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami, which was voted the “Overall Club of the Year,” and Deja Vu, which received the “Club Chain of the Year” Award. The industry’s top entertainers were also represented with such prestigious awards as “Feature Entertainer of the Year,” which was presented to Justice, while Shar Zayn took the title of “EDI Overall Champion” for the second year in a row. (Note: The EXOTIC DANCER Invitational/EDI East & West, held each year, are the nation’s top showgirl dance competitions.)
“Our ED’s Awards Show (sponsored in 2022 by Knights Global) is the marquee event of the Annual EXPO; it’s our chance to celebrate the top adult clubs, feature entertainers and club staff from across the nation,” says Manack. “Our comedian host Bret Ernst was in top form, as were our two entertainer performers, Ms Parker and Shar Zayn. We’re already looking forward to our 25th Annual ED’s Awards Show in 2023!” (Note: A complete list of ED’s Award Winners for 2022 is attached to this release.)
Other EXPO 2022 highlights included the return of the “ED University” Certification Seminars, the EDI National Finals (held at Deja Vu Showgirls, sponsored by VIXEN), the Opening Night “Kick-Off” Party at the Hustler Club (sponsored by Entertainment Done Right), and the $10,000 Lingerie Contest (sponsored by BanQone), held at Spearmint Rhino. Lingerie contest winners included feature entertainer Autumn Knights (First Place) Stella of the Hustler Club in New York City (Second) and Shar Zayn (Third). Full coverage of the 2022 EXPO will be featured in the September issue of ED Magazine, the only national trade publication for the adult nightclub industry.
For more information on the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO, visit theEDexpo.com. For more information on ED Publications, call (727) 726-3592, or email Dave@edpublications.com.
Winners from the 2022 ED’s Awards Show:
Overall Club of the Year: Tootsie’s Cabaret, Miami
Overall “Small” Club of the Year: 2001 Odyssey, Tampa
Club Chain of the Year: Deja Vu
Club of the Year East: Sapphire, New York City
Club of the Year South: Dancers Royale, Orlando, FL
Club of the Year Midwest: Peppermint Hippo, Neenah, WI
Club of the Year West: Spearmint Rhino, Las Vegas
“Feature” Club of the Year: Michael’s Men’s Club, Broussard, LA
Urban Club of the Year: G5ive, Miami
Businesswoman of the Year: Stephanie Wilbanks, The Pony Clubs
General Manager of the Year: Jessica Armstrong, CLUB SINROCK, Portland, OR
Club Employee of the Year: Mike Watkins, Bucks Cabaret
DJ of the Year: Jeb Jarrell, Pony Bama, Huntsville, AL
EDI 2022 Overall Champion: Shar Zayn
Feature Entertainer of the Year: Justice
Club Favorite Entertainer of the Year: Daizha “OctoBooty” Morgann
Newcomer Entertainer of the Year: Hayla Faye
Miss ExoticDancer.com of the Year: Bambi Wilde
EXOTIC DANCER Hall of Fame: Warren Colazzo (Thee Dollhouse, Tampa)
