The educational seminars have been the backbone of the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO since the convention’s inception in 1993. Though the topics evolve as the industry evolves, one thing remains constant: The endeavor to educate and inform club owners and their staff on key areas of club operation.
In more recent years, the EXPO has also introduced more seminars geared specifically toward dancers, including touring feature entertainers and so-called “house” entertainers. These seminars concentrate on important areas for dancers including mental health, earning power, social media and career management.
No matter who you are, if you make your living in the adult nightclub industry these seminars will help you become more successful and profitable! Here is the current lineup of EXPO 2024 seminars.
Monday, August 26
The Legends of Dallas: ‘30-year veterans talk Big D history’
Monday, Aug 26, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
There was nothing quite like the heyday of Dallas Metroplex adult nightclubs. As the rough-and-tumble go-go joints of the 1970s gave way to the more well-run clubs of the ‘80s — everything from small, blue-collar venues to multi-million-dollar gentlemen’s clubs — Dallas and its surrounding cities experienced a strip club renaissance. In fact, ED Magazine once dubbed Dallas/Ft. Worth the number-one club market in the US. At EXPO 2024, a select trio of 30-year veterans of the Dallas club market — Scott Burch of Burch Management, David Fairchild of The Men’s Club and Dawn Rizos of The Lodge — will take a look back at what made Big D such a hotbed for adult clubs, and discuss how their club market has evolved over the past three decades.
EXPO Legal Panel: Let’s get fired up! Top attorneys answer rapid-fire questions on the most pressing issues facing clubs today
Monday, Aug 21, Noon – 12:45 pm, Sponsored by Pole Position
Join us at the EXPO ’24 Legal Panel for a rapid-fire Q&A on current legal and regulatory threats, including: How to ensure club safety when treating entertainers as independent contractors or employees; The practical impacts of the FLSA rule change for club owners; The appellate court reversal in Brown v. Peregrine Enterprises, Inc., dismissing arbitration due to the dancer/plaintiffs’ refusal to pay agreed-upon fees; Update on the PPP3 lawsuit and continued challenges for adult businesses to receive funds; A glut of new human trafficking laws in Texas, Florida, aimed specifically at adult clubs; and Washington State’s new “dancer’s rights” bill, requiring anti-trafficking, sexual harassment, and de-escalation training for staff and entertainers.
The Legal Panel features four of the industry’s top attorneys: Jeffrey Kimmel, Devon Lyon, J. Michael Murray and Brad Shafer. Moderated by ED Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan.
Keynote Address #1: Hospitality expert Michael Tipps of Maverick Theory
Monday, Aug 26, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
When Michael Tipps, Founder and CEO of the consulting company, Maverick Theory, and Monday’s EXPO Keynote Speaker, is brought on to assist a business, he first focuses on fine-tuning the mindset of the employer and their employees to attune them to that of the guest. It’s a psychological, subversive and submersive experience that has become Tipps’ top priority.
“Whether you work at a boutique hotel in New York or a strip club in Vegas, the fundamentals are the same,” Tipps argues essentially. “It’s all about the guest’s experience.” He calls his method of consideration, “Maverick mindset coaching,” and its culmination, as the name suggests, is applying universal tactics to an individual establishment to build something original.
“Why do club owners think ‘strip club,’ and make it look like one?” asks Tipps, who assures me he actually loves strip clubs. He just thinks that, historically, they’ve been creatively restrained by their title.
From names of clubs to eating and layout concepts, Tipps has tons of ideas for elevating the adult nightclub industry, some of which he has already applied to existing clubs that have hired him for consulting. If you’re interested in learning any more about Maverick Theory’s methods and ideas in guest services, don’t miss Michael Tipps’ Keynote speech at the 2024 ED EXPO in Dallas. Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Michael Tipps right here!
Break-out seminar for dancers only:
Empowering entertainers to sell dances more effectively Monday, August 26, Noon – 1 pm
This motivational seminar is designed for entertainers to excel in their performances and boost their dance sales. This seminar will explore effective strategies to ignite motivation, enhance attitudes, and drive success by creating a positive and supportive environment. Selling more dances is the goal for everyone in the club, and our speakers will explain how a team mindset where entertainers uplift and motivate each other is the way to achieve that goal!
Tuesday, August 27
Do women do it better? Why it’s more important than ever to hire female club managers
Tuesday, Aug 27, 10:30 – 11:15 am
The adult nightclub industry could not survive without women. You might think we mean the entertainers — and of course, that’s true — but we’re also talking about the women who are running clubs across the US today. This seminar will feature some of the top female club operators and will discuss the advantages that female GMs may have over their male counterparts, whether or not former entertainers can be successful managers, and how to best integrate a female manager into your club’s operations. Speakers will include The Pony Clubs’ Regional Director Stephanie Wilbanks and 2023 General Manager of the Year Renee Cipolla.
Let’s get engaged! Promotions and social engagement for clubs of all sizes and markets
Tuesday, Aug 27, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
There are many different ways to “engage” with your guests, and your strategy might well depend on your clientele and location. This seminar is designed for clubs of all sizes, markets and clientele — big city venue, ultra-club, or blue-collar stripjoint. You’re in competition with not just the other adult clubs in your market, but all entertainment venues. Our industry experts will offer successful strategies for effectively engaging with your potential guests, whether in-person or online, to help turn them into high-value regulars.
Keynote Address #2: Texas Legend Joe Bob Briggs
Tuesday, Aug 27, 12:30 – 1:00 pm
Joe Bob Briggs may be best known for his career as a TV host that stretches back several decades for TNT, The Movie Channel and more recently, AMC/Shudder, where his “The Last Drive-In” streaming show has earned a loyal legion of followers.
But there’s much more to this Texas legend than simply his life on the boob tube. In fact, Joe Bob Briggs (real name John Bloom) is a true connoisseur of the Lone Star State’s go-go joints and burlesque bars, stretching all the way back to the 1970s. In fact, Briggs wrote about the Dallas clubs in publications such as the Dallas Observer and D Magazine, as part of his “lifetime crusade against Puritanism,” as he so eloquently puts it.
At EXPO 2024, this Texas native is going to bring his infectious charm and energy to address an industry he has long admired, written about and still celebrates to this day.
“I’ll bring some energy and pep to a bunch of night people!” Briggs exclaims. “I’m a night person myself so I intend to wake everyone up with a proud-and-loud celebration of the all-American strip-club tradition and its importance for the causes of free speech and free expression and all the other rights with ‘free’ in the name.” Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Joe Bob Briggs right here!
Break-out seminar for dancers only:
Your work-life balance and your mental health Tuesday, August 27, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Creating and maintaining a balance between your “work” life and your private life is critical for an entertainer’s mental health. Our mental health experts will discuss the ways that entertainers can ensure that they’re not bringing their “work” home with them, while also maintaining a positive frame of mind while in the club. Helming this important seminar will be Dr. Monique Martinez-Quiros of Key Rose LLC, a doctorate-level, dually licensed (NV & AZ) behavioral health professional with a specialty in integrated behavioral health.
Wednesday, August 28
Find your friends, know your enemies: How hypocritical extremists plan to shut you down
Wednesday, Aug 28, 11 am – Noon, presented by ACE National
Without any hyperbole or exaggeration, there is an extremist movement in this country toward a theocracy, where justices and politicians are using the bible to justify new legislation aimed against adult businesses. It’s true — the Family Policy Council has targeted YOUR industry and they have a three-part strategy that involves passing legislation against anything deemed “adult.” The new age-restriction bans passed in Texas, Florida and elsewhere are just the first step in this plan. So, what can YOU do to prevent this extremist theocracy from passing harmful legislation against the industry? ACE Executive Director Angelina Spencer and her panel of experts will explain why this is no idle threat, and will offer specific ways in which owners and operators can get involved on a local level to network and build relationships that will help ensure that these powerful religious zealots don’t have their way.
Are YOU prepared? Civilian response to an active shooter
Wednesday, Aug 28, Noon – 1:30 pm
In 2023 there were more than 600 active shooter events in the US — you read that correctly, 600. This, of course, extends far outside of our industry into public spaces of all kinds and sizes. The question is, what would you do if you found yourself confronted by an active shooter situation? Would you know what you could do, or should do? In conjunction with Texas State University and the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT), Micheal Ocello (of RCI and ACE/COAST) will present a training course in life-saving for literally every EXPO attendee (note: this is not specifically a “club security” course, this is a survival course). This seminar will outline the steps for a civilian response to active shooter events (CRASE), and afterward, attendees will receive a certificate of completion from Texas State University.
Break-out seminar for dancers only:
The win-win formula: Fostering collaboration among managers, DJs, and entertainers
Wednesday, August 28, 11 am – noon
Fostering collaboration and teamwork among strip club managers, DJs, and entertainers can create an environment that maximizes profitability and delivers an exceptional customer experience. This semianr will discuss strategies for open communication, collaborative planning, and a focus on elevating the customer experience, and explain how these strategies can create a synergistic and successful environment where everyone thrives, and revenue increases. Presented by PANDA.