Company Vice President Renaud West said a line had formed 30 minutes before Adultcon's doors opened Friday afternoon and that Saturday the lines were so long, they blocked the Staples Center's emergency exits. Security had to call to have the lines file in a different direction.
Attendees were greeted by smiling women in tiny skirts and a table of free schwag, and were then set free to roam among the various booths selling photos, DVDs, toys and even Sybian rides.
Crowds of men and women surrounded the Spearmint Rhino's mini-strip-club setup, watching stars, such as Tera Patrick, dance and spin around the gold pole.
The mob around Playboy's booth remained consistently thick with hands extended clutching digital cameras and cell phones hoping to capture the action.
Each attendee held a $5 chip in hand, ready to use it toward the purchase of various toys, DVDs and Polaroid photo shoots. Models from Pulpo Inc., Girls Gone Wild and Sinsation Pictures stood in barely-there ensembles waiting for fans to pose with them in front of Polaroid cameras.
Patrons left the West Hall with blue plastic bags filled with adult goodies.
For September's show, West said he has rented the 100,000-square-foot South Hall to hold the next show, which he expects will lure even more adult fans and curious patrons. Adulcon's current 60,000-square-foot space will likely be too small for the next slew of Adultcon attendees.
West attributes the turnout to the growing mainstream acceptance of adult entertainment. The range of attendees this year was impressive — 30-year-old lesbian couples, married couples in their 60s and even groups of women circulated through the black curtains.
"It's hard to get women to come to these kinds of shows," West said.
