Since its inception Sex Expo, formerly the Sexual Health Expo (SHE), promoting greater sexual knowledge has always been the cornerstone of the groundbreaking consumer event. In New York City and Los Angeles, it has — with the help of the national adult retail chain The Pleasure Chest — been featuring workshops on a wide range of sexual topics. For its latest installment, Sex Expo New York 2017, presented by the camming platform Chaturbate and set for Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Brooklyn Expo Center, will include workshops on everything from anal play to BDSM to family planning. But Sex Expo is not strictly an intellectual or educational event. It has its fun, playful, festive side as well, and there will be plenty of fun at this year’s East Coast show.
Sex Expo NY 2017 will feature stage shows as well as contests, raffles and other fun activities. Sex Expo has always served up its share of sexy fun, but with the former Sexual Health Expo changing its name and rebranding as Sex Expo, that side of the event is being ramped up in Brooklyn. And one of the most important contributors to the fun side of Sex Expo has been Reid Mihalko, who served as master of ceremonies at SHE NY 2016 and SHE L.A. 2017 and will also emcee Sex Expo New York 2017. Mihalko has been a Sex Expo fixture on both coasts, and bringing him back for this year’s New York show was a natural choice for the event’s organizers.
I’m role modeling that you can be this goofy and people will still want to sleep with you. I’m also role modeling that you can talk this openly about sex and pleasure and not have lightning strike you from the heavens above. You’d be surprised how much people fear talking about sex.
Mihalko, a well-known sex and relationship expert, is in heavy demand for his knowledge and expertise and often speaks on college campuses and at adult conferences and conventions. In fact, he will be hosting a workshop on three-way sex at Sex Expo’s Brooklyn gathering. But Mihalko’s workshop will be only part of his contributions to Sex Expo NY while serving as emcee for its social activities. Sporting his trademark tuxedo, Mihalko will be impossible to miss at the Brooklyn Expo Center.
“I can’t get enough of talking to people about sex and relationships, and being Sex Expo NY’s man-on-the-street emcee is the perfect excuse to put a microphone in my hand and get our smartphones out so we can Facebook Live our geeky, fun times with attendees, the fabulous prize giveaways, and our informative interviews with Sex Expo sponsors and vendors,” Mihalko told XBIZ. “Plus, it gives me a reason to wear my tuxedo. As ZZ Top sang to us, ‘Every girl’s crazy for a sharp-dressed man with a sex toy, right?’”
Mihalko added that having a fun and festive atmosphere at Sex Expo and including activities like contests and giveaways does not detract from the event’s educational appeal — it enhances it. The more relaxed attendees feel, Mihalko said, the more likely they are to open up about sexual matters rather than feel shy or awkward discussing them.
“Let’s face it: too many people get their sex ed and sexual wellness information from the Internet,” Mihalko stressed. “And trying to learn how to be a better lover from watching mainstream porn is like trying to become a better driver from watching ‘The Fast and the Furious.’ But we know we’re not supposed to be taking driving cues from Vin Diesel. Culture doesn’t teach us that porn is an entertainment medium, and no one talks to us about where to find great sexual health and wellness advice — specifically, advice that you can take home with you and apply that same night.”
Reid’s website, ReidAboutSex.com, which features a still from Meg Ryan’s comic fake orgasm scene in the 1989 romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” is informative as well as entertaining and humorous. That ability to be educational and fun at the same time has been a big part of Mihalko’s appeal at Sex Expo shows on both coasts. Mihalko knows how to entertain and teach at the same time.
Mihalko says that wearing a tuxedo is an important part of his strategy at not only Sex Expo, but also, at past Adult Novelty Manufacturers Expos (ANME) and executive dinners for the Eldorado Trading Company (one of North America’s top pleasure products distributors) and other events.
“I’m so excited and honored to be invited back, tuxedo freshly pressed, to host Sex Expo, formerly SHE,” Mihalko enthused. “And the amazing folks at The Pleasure Chest, Chaturbate, and We-Vibe have asked me to teach my popular ‘Negotiating Successful Threesomes’ workshop in Brooklyn.”
According to Mihalko, the tuxedo has the effect of making people feel more relaxed and comfortable about discussing sexual topics — which is exactly the point of Sex Expo, he stressed. When attendees see an emcee wearing a tuxedo, Mihalko said, it loosens their inhibitions as well as their tongues.
“People see a person in a tux, carrying a microphone and a smile — and they think ‘I’m on a game show! I’m a winner!’ rather than ‘Scary, shameful topic that’s dangerous,’” Mihalko explained. “Have tux, will travel.”
Mihalko’s sense of humor is another thing that has made him a popular master of ceremonies at the Sex Expo. From raffles to contests to stage shows, Mihalko’s personality is a perfect fit for Sex Expo’s fun side.
“I’m role modeling that you can be this goofy and people will still want to sleep with you,” Mihalko asserted. “I’m also role modeling that you can talk this openly about sex and pleasure and not have lightning strike you from the heavens above. You’d be surprised how much people fear talking about sex.”
