BERLIN — XBIZ Retreat Berlin wrapped its second annual edition last week with participants praising the event’s unrivaled formula for mixing business with pleasure, while talking about all things related to international success.
Sponsored by Satisfyer for the second time in a row, XBIZ Retreat Berlin kicked off with a cocktail reception at the Martim Hotel Berlin’s Le Bar, where attendees arrived to meet up and were greeted with an open bar and a selection of appetizers showing off the local cuisine.
The next morning, XBIZ Retreat Berlin’s mandatory breakfast was followed by a speed networking session during which attendees had the opportunity to get initial introductions out of the way, thereby allowing participants to cut to the chase during their scheduled meetings.
Day-one meetings were cut short so that attendees could attend the Satisfyer-sponsored Beer Tour that allowed attendees to visit local breweries, sample an array of beers and learn about how they’re made while checking out the historic city’s sites. The tour ended with a traditional German meal — and more beer — at Brauhaus Lemke.
Some XBIZ Retreat attendees followed up their dinner with a show — a strip-off that was part of the other adult industry B2B event in town, XBIZ Berlin. The two groups would converge once again the following night at the XBIZ Europa Awards, a glamorous, exciting evening during which several XBIZ Retreat participants took home trophies in various pleasure products and retail categories. Some of the winners on hand included Satisfyer, Mystim, LELO, ABS Holdings, Amorelie and Eropartner. To check out the full list of XBIZ Europa Awards, click here.
The extravagant red-carpet ceremony, which debuted last year, honors excellence throughout the European adult industry, recognizing outstanding achievements in all of its facets, including pleasure products and retail. Adult stars Rocco Siffredi and Misha Cross served as this year’s hosts of the awards show, which was presented by ManyVids.
XBIZ Retreat attendees got the festivities started earlier that evening at Fes Turkish BBQ. The Satisfyer-sponsored dinner served up a colorful selection of appetizers and side dishes, with attendees bonding over the unique experience of barbecuing a flavorful array of meats.
Suggesting that the European market would benefit from having two annual XBIZ Retreat events in the region, ABS Holdings head of global sales Justin Vickers says that Europe lacks the multiple annual B2B shows that take place in the U.S.
“Last year we landed a deal with M Shop and Bruno’s GmbH stores so [XBIZ Retreat] has been successful for us,” he said. “It’s nice to have the one-on-one time because you get to talk about what you want to talk about. It’s not like doing a big spiel in front of a group in your booth. If someone wants to talk about more private things, they also have that option too because there’s no one else around. You meet the people that make the decisions. I think it’s also fun to do all the meals together because it’s not always about selling; it’s about building a relationship, and this event helps to establish that trust. Then later you can travel to go meet them at their location now that you’ve created that initial connection.”
During one night’s dinner at XBIZ Retreat Berlin, Henrik Castenlund — the ecommerce manager of Sweden-based retailer M Shop — received a text message. It was from Chad Jenny, national business consultant of Adam & Eve.
“I didn’t even know him before attending XBIZ Retreat,” Castenlund said. “It’s like a family now, we all follow each other’s lives now. People really care about each other and I didn’t ever foresee that — that business could end up like a family relationship. Now I wouldn’t miss XBIZ Retreat for the world.”
Bathmate Brand Manager Tim Brown says that attending an intimate show such as XBIZ Retreat Berlin “makes the most sense” compared to open-floor trade shows that come with a lot of interruptions.
“From our point of view, we see a lot of the bigger players here and we get that one-on-one time without interruptions,” he said. “We get ROI because it’s our target market — we think it’s greater than at a traditional trade show. Berlin is a spectacular city. I can see the appeal for people wanting to come, and it’s pretty easy to get here. It’s convenient because there are a lot of direct flights.”
CB-X is a returning XBIZ Retreat vendor that has participated in the event both in the U.S. and in Berlin.
“Our particular product, because it’s such a niche product, it starts with relationships and the Retreat provides the perfect setting for you to build friendships,” CB-X’s Michael Tullis said. “That’s why it’s so successful for us. I keep coming to these because it’s part of the sales process. I met some of the same buyers last year that have had the chance to get to know our products and are now ready to buy. They’re here for the right reasons, they’re in the right mind setting and we don’t have to do any hard selling. Meeting with all of these buyers is something that we could have never done on our own. With traditional trade shows there are no guaranteed meetings.”
Dwayne Waring, head of sales for European distributor Creative Conceptions, says that the central location of XBIZ Retreat Berlin makes it accessible for most companies based in Europe.
“In terms of the sex industry, it’s probably the heart of the European sex industry,” he said. “Coming from the U.K., it’s not too far and you know who you’re meeting with [at XBIZ Retreat] before you arrive so you don’t go into meetings blindly. You can plan what you want to speak about. It’s much more productive than a regular show and the quality of buyers that are here is great.”
Waring says that Creative Conceptions attends XBIZ Retreat in particular to promote its own line of games and toys. For its latest participation in the event, the company unveiled new Quickie Gags, which complement its popular Quickie Cuffs.
“We carry a lot of exclusive brands but we’re not at the show to step on any toes,” he said. “Our presence in the marketplace is good but it could always be bigger. We’ve certainly come a long way since last year. We have connections with some of the big buyers now. The presence is growing and we’re always looking for more distributors.”
Liebe is a new collection of pleasure products offered by Spanish distributor Dildos Assorted. Astrid Eva Louise Holmgren Akerstedt, owner of the family-owned business, was on hand at XBIZ Retreat with her daughter-in-law to showcase the expansive assortment of toys.
“This opportunity was perfect for us to see customers before eroFame, so that we make sure that they stop by and see us there,” Akerstedt said. “It’s the first time the full range is being introduced, and it’s great that we had this opportunity. I think the show is perfect timing and perfect everything. It’s a fantastic way to get to know customers that you wouldn’t get to a chance to otherwise, and it helps that they have to meet with you whether they like it or not! Usually at a show, there’s the chance they’ll take a glance at your products and walk by.”
Regarding her second time attending XBIZ Retreat Berlin, Danielle Seerley, senior sales executive at Voodoo Toys, said, “I really like the assortment of customers here because they’re all new to us. I think it’s a good dynamic. I like that it’s a small group because it makes it more intimate. Our goal is to secure regions but not oversaturate the market. I want to be more strategic because there are a lot of distributors and it’s better to not have them all carrying the same stuff.”
“I went to XBIZ Retreat in L.A. and now I’m addicted,” said Claudia Sousa, owner of Red Feelings in Portugal. “I can talk directly with brand representatives and tell them my thoughts, plus I can also give them feedback from consumers because I’m still doing home parties. This can help them with what they’re doing.”
Pipedream Products’ European representatives attended XBIZ Retreat for the first time.
“It’s something completely different from a traditional trade show and I really like the whole atmosphere,” Pipedream Brand Ambassador Annika Scherer said. “You really have time to speak to the customers without any interruptions, stress and noise. Here it’s really quality time that you have to gain more efficiency that really makes a difference.”
While landing deals is the ultimate goal for vendors and buyers who attend XBIZ Retreat, the exclusive event for global brands and retailers provides the ultimate platform for learning about international trends from around the world. Here are just some of the trends and challenges that were the talk of XBIZ Retreat Berlin.
Sex-Toy Shopping Worldwide
XBIZ Retreat is the perfect event to be introduced to adult retail trends in unfamiliar territories around the world. Buyers discussed how local culture, religious beliefs and diverse attitudes towards sex are shaping the adult retail marketplace in their regions.
Pink Rabbit is a 60-shop-strong chain that’s currently franchising new locations. Additionally, the company is installing touch-screen kiosks in supermarkets to make shopping for pleasure products that much more convenient. According to Maria Bolusheva, the head of Pink Rabbit’s commercial department, Pink Rabbit also has a license to sell to mental health facilities and retirement homes in Russia.
“In Russia the adult retail industry is different than in Europe — up until now there are not a lot of people that are comfortable shopping in adult shops, which is why we’re known as a Family Strengthening Shop,” she said. “We are located in shopping malls and we even have rooms for children. We even have children’s toys.”
Yoav Elani has been in the adult retail business since 1992, officially opening his company Import Master in 1996. At that time, he said, he worked closely with Honey’s Place founder Helene Kusens, who helped him bring videos, magazines and toys to Israel… aka, the Holy Land.
“When I told my parents I was leaving law school to open a sex shop, they thought I was crazy,” Elani said. “They associated everything negative with it. However, people in the adult industry have always been business-oriented; it’s filled with the right people.
“When I first opened the business I went to a rabbi,” Elani said. “I told him, ‘I’m not a religious person, but tell me: is this a blessed business or will I burn in hell forever?’ He said that anything that will help a husband and wife be closer to one another, not only is it a blessed business but it’s a mitzvah — it’s something that will actually make you gain points with God. So through that angle, you can sell into religious groups. Nowadays, we have religious women coming together for lectures about sex toys and intimacy and they incorporate the Bible.”
Berlin-based Amorelie became a household name due to its daytime TV commercials that promote a playful and natural approach to sex and sensuality.
“Our TV commercials have helped to facilitate conversations about sex,” said Mira Waidelich, senior manager of B2B distributor sales. “When we were coming up with concepts, the main goal was to express what sex means to people and we came up the slogan, ‘Today we’ll love each other differently,’ to represent how we all perceive sex differently whether we’re single or a couple, straight or gay, and it doesn’t really matter.”
Easy Tiger’s Maz Ciantar says that her shop's location in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, draws tourists in the summer while also serving the local gay community and all consumers in general. The store, which was established 10 years ago, is set up to be non-intimidating and educational for first-time buyers.
“When people come down for their trips, visiting Easy Tiger becomes a part of the experience,” she said. “We like to break the taboo and misconceptions about what people think a sex shop is. I love it when women come in a little scared and leave empowered, and then they come back and they bring their friends.”
Regarding the attitudes that shoppers bring into the store, Ciantar said it depends on their age.
“Some younger guys come in as more of a joke but then they do see that it’s not just gimmicks,” she said. “I think Fifty Shades opened up people’s eyes to what sexual pleasure is all about — that even bondage doesn’t have to be so hardcore, it could be soft.”
Bruno’s GmbH, established more than 30 years ago in Berlin, is one of the oldest gay retail shops in Germany.
“It’s a safe place for every gay person to shop,” Bruno’s Managing Director Franz Landgraf-Happach said. “We provide porn, books, fashion, different American brands, games — it’s a really wide range. We’re proud to be able to help the community.”
At Bruno’s, Landgraf-Happach says, gay porn DVDs are thriving — and he says it’s because of a cultural characteristic that Germans possess.
“I think Germany is very well known for technology and its hardworking people but I think they have the mentality that people want things to own — they want to say ‘It’s mine,’” he said. “And the internet is not as trusted. Also, on the countryside, they may not even be able to get on the internet because the service is not so reliable.”
Satisfying Demand
Satisfyer has become widely recognized as a company that will spare no expense to reach the maximum number of consumers around the world. The company has been the first, and so far only, presenting sponsor of XBIZ Retreat.
“Satisfyer is known as a company that wants to see its name everywhere,” said Annika Traumann, a Satisfyer sales exec. “It’s the secret to our success; we have a quality product and we take marketing seriously. You need the advertising; you need all the trade show branding.”
Comparing it to a flower that needs water and sunlight to grow, Satisfyer’s Irina Kramer says that the company is nourishing people’s acceptance of pleasure products worldwide.
“More people are realizing that they have to take pleasure into their own hands and more people are finding that Satisfyer is a good product for that,” she added.
According to Elani, Import Master has previously partnered with sexologists and gynecologists to sell its brands; however, over the past two years, he’s started working with religious communities to introduce toys as marital aids. Satisfyer’s line of couples’ toys has served as valuable tool to reach those trying to maintain marital bliss.
“The Satisfyer Partner series has been a bestseller within religious communities,” Elani said. “In religion, masturbation may be wrong, but a man pleasing his wife sexually is one of the promises he makes when they get married.”
Similarly, Castenlund says that with divorce rates in Nordic countries at an all-time high, pleasure products are effectively being marketed as intimacy aids. He also points to Satisfyer as a bestseller for M Shop.
“We have one bestselling product and it is the Satisfyer — it’s numero uno,” he said. “We’re selling thousands.”
Andrius Kauspedas from Lithuania-based Foneka, which operates 15 stores, credits Satisfyer’s generous product giveaways as the vehicle for introducing the brand to the masses.
“Companies like Satisfyer are leading the path because they have beautiful products that will be embraced by mainstream,” Kauspedas said. “It’s affordable and good-looking and they go crazy with marketing.”
Trump’s China Tariffs Have Arrived
XBIZ Retreat also provides attendees a platform for discussing today’s challenges to the global marketplace. The U.S. marketplace is one that’s on every global manufacturer’s radar. With China being the source of many pleasure products that enter the U.S., President Donald Trump’s recent expansion of the types of goods that are subject to import taxes will affect the industry.
“No one’s really talking about it but it’s coming — it’s here, actually,” BMS Factory sales account manager Gordon Bannister said. “September 1st is the first time we experienced it, but since we’re based in Toronto, we get a sort of break. However, because we sell into the U.S. we’re suffering from the same stringent laws — and if we got hit, then everyone else is going to get hit because it doesn’t matter if it’s coming in through the California port, the Mexican border or Canadian border; it doesn’t matter where. If it’s being recorded, you’re subject to those tariffs.”
Noting that the tax increase only applies to products that are manufactured in China, Bannister suggests that companies begin to explore other options, such as manufacturing in other countries or focusing on products that aren’t made of the materials that are subject to the tax increase.
“I’m not sure what the economic benefits will be for America in the long run but right now it’s something that we have to have a serious conversation about because it’s here and we can’t be in denial about it,” Bannister said. “When it happens, I think it’s going to come as a wave and people are going to have to shift their focus to things that aren’t on that list because it’s not going to affect every product in our industry.
“I think what’s happening is that manufacturers are sitting on a lot of stock that was imported prior to the taxes taking effect … so imagine a grocery store that has all their fruits and vegetables in stock now. When that sells out and they have to get more from the source, then that’s going to be subject to up to 30-percent higher taxes.”
Trending Toys Around the World
XBIZ Retreat buyers opened up about what the hottest sellers are in their region, explaining how varying tastes are worldwide.
ABS Holdings is a U.K. powerhouse, a manufacturer, distributor and operator of the 40-year-old Simply Pleasure retail chain. About two years ago, the company bought Prowler, a chain of gay adult stores that was established in 1989, and today it’s a popular brand of products offered by ABS.
Vickers was on hand at XBIZ Retreat Berlin to showcase ABS’ popular lines.
“It’s going to be different for each of our products,” he said. “For example, for our toy line we’re focusing on that in Europe because that’s what we’re known for — our Minx Linx Kinx line. We’re seeing a lot of growth in Germany and even in Spain with our Prowler line. We’re also seeing a lot of growth in the U.S. and Canada. It’s interesting to see the difference because in the U.S., they’re not so keen on the toys but the leather does great. However, in Europe it’s the toys and not the leather, so we’re just trying to specialize in what works in that region.”
Mossimo Bonera, owner of “Doppio Senso Night,” a late-night Italian home-shopping TV show, attended XBIZ Retreat Berlin to pick up new products to offer on his show. In Italy, Bonera says rabbit vibes and porn DVDs are among his top sellers.
“‘Doppio Senso Night’ is a talk show about sex education,” he said. “We talk about sex in an ironic way to capture more viewers, and during the show we sell products. The show has been on TV for six years; it airs at midnight, and we shoot one new episode per week, with a new season starting in October. I typically propose three different toys and DVDs every week and about 80 percent of my viewers end up calling in to buy products.”
Ciantar points out that Easy Tiger’s sister stores, though located not too far from Bournemouth, each reflect a unique customer base.
“We have three sister shops called My Amazing Fantasy with locations in Salisbury, Andover and Weymouth,” she said. “Each of those is totally different from each other. In Weymouth they love the DVDs, in Salisbury it’s a lot more couples, and in Andover they love dolls. It’s funny that in different areas people like different things — even down to lube flavors.”
Up-And-Coming Regions
XBIZ Retreat Berlin connects manufacturers to buyers from around the world to share their knowledge of emerging global regions and their aspirations for reaching those that are untapped.
“Thanks to this show there’s a greater focus on Russia for us — that’s a new sector for us, but other up-and-coming regions I think are outside of China, in Asia,” Bannister said. “I think there’s a greater focus on their own native citizens — I’ve heard that Korea actually gives grants to adult shops that sell sexual wellness products because they were having issues with low population.”
At XBIZ Retreat Berlin, Claudia Sousa of Red Feelings offered her expertise on the Portuguese marketplace — or lack thereof — in an effort to shed light on a Portuguese-speaking consumer demographic that is often ignored.
“I’m looking for investors for the distribution business because Portugal only has one distributor and it needs the better distribution it deserves,” she said. “Portuguese people buy in Spain but they shouldn’t have to — they should have their own marketplace. That’s why I would like to open a distribution business. We have 10 million people in Portugal. Additionally, there are Portuguese regions in Africa, and the sex business is very poor there. They have big cities with a lot of people that would buy.
“There are big Portuguese communities around the world — in Africa, France, South America, Australia, we’re everywhere. There are tens of thousands of Portuguese speakers around the world and they speak Spanish too, but they should be better catered to.”
Bathmate, manufacturers of hydro-pumps for penis enhancement, caters to consumers around the world by making its products available around the globe with instructions for use in English, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish. According to Brown, the company sells 20,000 pumps per month.
“We now sell in 120 countries worldwide,” he said. “The U.S. is always going to be our biggest market, you have 365 million people in the U.S., but we’re always looking at new regions where we can expand into, as well as always supporting our existing markets. Because we have a product that’s unlike any other we want to make sure that we provide the right levels of support globally.”
CB-X is a niche brand, but a global leader within the male chastity category. According to Michael Tullis, his focus is to continue to keep growing its presence in the European marketplace.
“We sell about as much in Europe as we do in North America,” he said. “It’s about 50-50 and so both those markets are on our radar nonstop. The European market is a little bit more progressive and more open-minded so I think they are leading for a niche product like ours. They’re kind of who we look to first. Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany are growing regions. Czechoslovakia and Russia are areas that we haven’t reached so we’re focusing on that.”
Import Master's Elani is eager to reach currently un-served parts of the world, such as the Middle East.
“The next challenge that I’d like to undertake is Muslim communities — I’m sure that there’s a way to sell into the Muslim society without making it break any Muslim laws. I’m sure that if we do this right it’ll be a jackpot.”
XBIZ Retreat is an all-inclusive, invite-only event for adult retail market leaders that takes place in Los Angeles in January, Miami in June and in Berlin in September. For more information, visit XBIZRetreat.com.
