Sex Expo Continues With Day 2 of Contests, Kink and Sex Positivity

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Even as the weekend was winding down, Sex Expo New York was still in full swing with attendees lined up at the entrance for yet another day of workshops, product showcases, raffle drawings, stage games and more.

Thousands of attendees poured into the Brooklyn Expo Center during the show's two days, enjoying VIP goodie bags and other free giveaways as they perused the packed aisles of some of the top brands in the pleasure industry.

While Saturday saw the kick-off of the event with highlights including the official ribbon cutting, opening Women of Sex Tech panel, press reception and Q&A with “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Karlie Redd, Sunday welcomed a slightly more relaxed crowd of attendees who nonetheless were eager to experience all that the premier sex-life show had to offer.

The show's Master of Ceremonies, April Lampert of the “Shameless Sex” podcast, was again on hand to get the party started from the main stage, kicking off the action at noon with a “Sex Positions for All Body Types” contest sponsored by Organic Loven’s Taylor Sparks.

Sparks, who also hosted the “Your Ass or Mine: Spanking for Lovers” seminar the day before, which illuminated the best positions and techniques for erotic spanking and brought some bare-booty action to the workshop room stage, invited participants to hop on stage and show off their skills.

Meanwhile, by the time Clone-A-Willy was drawing crowds to the central stage in preparation for its giveaway contest, the first workshop of the day was getting underway in the seminar room.

Quickly filling to capacity, Leidy Dahiana captivated the crowd with her emphatic presentation on “The Erotic Blueprints,” engaging the audience to join her as “co-collaborators” for the ensuing half hour where she shared her philosophy on the five types of sexual personalities, even inviting a volunteer to help her demo exploration practices towards the end.

As an advocate for pleasure in its most “juicy, delicious form,” Dahiana prompted the crowd with snaps and “si’s” as she walked them through energetic, sensual, sexual, kinky and “shape shifter” types, illuminating the “superpowers and shadows” of each.

Cruising back through the main expo hall, Temptations Resorts hosted a couples contest, the winner of which received a two-day all-inclusive stay at the company's Desire Riviera Maya Pearl resort in Cancun, Mexico.

In a "Newlywed Game"-style challenge to see just how well partners knew one another, participants were asked to answer questions about their significant other, the responses to which were written down in advance and revealed during the game. Questions ranged from favorite sex position to who their celebrity “pass” would be, ultimately bringing down the house and bringing the couples closer together.

“This was one of the highlights of the whole show,” enthused Lampert from her vantage point over the crowd. 

As throngs of people buzzed about in light-up bunny ears courtesy of Motorbunny, by mid-afternoon exhibitors were taking the pulse of the crowd and already beginning to reflect on the show as a whole.

Megwyn White, the director of education at Satisfyer, a Sex Expo sponsor, shared that attendees this year were palpably “more educated and curious about products than ever before.”

“In the past, it felt like people had far more insecurities to ask questions and were less inclined to touch and feel,” White said. “This year you could see the passion in people’s eyes around learning about their bodies and sharing their unique experiences, which is most likely the product of the market’s boom in innovation and people becoming more familiar with sextech as a medium of exploration.”

From Satisfyer’s revamped booth, situated front and center upon entering the expo hall, White and others interacted with guests throughout the weekend in a chic yet comfy-casual setting — one which some associated with a fellow innovative, sexy brand.

“Some said our booth was akin to an Apple store design,” White revealed, “but instead of a genius bar we featured reps that were impassioned to educate consumers on how Satisfyer’s products can be streamlined into their everyday lifestyle.”

As one of the most buzzed-about and fastest-growing sectors in the pleasure industry, CBD products made a big splash with consumers. Amongst the various CBD intimate products that were available from retailers, the original CannaSexual herself, Ashley Manta, delighted attendees with a presentation on “Enhancing Pleasure” with cannabis products, sponsored by Sybian.

Manta walked folks through the basics of how to begin incorporating cannabis products into their sex lives to enhance and deepen intimacy, offering a handful of inspiring, motivational messages along the way.

For curious newbies, Manta suggested starting with topicals. “Even if you take a bath in them — which I’ve done — they won’t get you high,” she advised. She ended her presentation on a political note, calling out the disproportionate criminalization and incarceration of people of color, particularly with regards to charges relating to marijuana, and was met with thunderous applause.

The kinksters of Brooklyn likewise came out to play at this year’s expo and thankfully, a number of fetish brands and professionals were on hand to oblige them.

Charlotte Taillor of the Taillor Group, a local femdom organization geared towards BDSM and kink education, brought a collection of top Dommes for one of the expo’s raunchier booths, inviting the curious and kinky in for a taste of what they had to offer.

When not spanking passersby in her booth, Taillor was busy facilitating a “Kinky Game Show” in which volunteers attempted to guess which of her several crops and canes she was using on them based on the sting, as well as a BDSM 101 workshop over the course of the weekend.

Workshop attendees recited the “Kinky Oath,” promising to respect and empower women, before diving into the basic tenets of BDSM, including the guiding principles of “safe, sane and consensual” play and more.

Sex Expo first-timer Kinbaku Studio consistently drew a crowd as master rigger Susuwatari suspended an astonishing 40-odd people over the weekend.

“We started a signup list to try and fit in as many people as possible but we’re not going to be able to get through all of it,” said co-owner and manager Lady Lyonene. “We’re going to need a bigger booth next year!”

Their signup list also doubled as a means to follow up with attendees after a session. “We always check in 24 hours later,” explained Lyonene. “We take responsibility like that and are very serious about it.”

With each rope bottom, Susuwatari went through a brief yet thorough checklist to negotiate goals and boundaries, as well as to address potential safety issues ranging from poor blood circulation to anxiety.

According to Lyonene, “Some people were completely new to rope and this was their first time trying it, while others were more experienced ... I think our favorite parts were hearing people go from ‘Oh, that looks too crazy, I could never do that’ to them negotiating and actually trying it and asking when can they do it again.”

House of SXN, The Chocolate Domme, Love Lorn Lingerie and Touch of Fur with its flogger-wielding Dom, Clark, amongst a few other exhibitors, rounded out Sex Expo’s kinky collective, attracting both experienced players and curious folks who were eager to explore the world beyond vanilla sex.

As the day wound down from its former fervor, Billy Procida of the “Manwhore Podcast” took to the stage, where he raffled off a Motorbunny to one lucky winner — though not before plying the crowd for some insider info on their sex lives.

“Who here has had sex the most recently?” he inquired, somewhat surprised to learn that two audience members allegedly had been getting it on earlier that morning in the bathroom. Procida cracked a quick joke before dishing out a bag of free swag to the couple and eventually announcing the grand prize winner, who took home one of Motorbunny’s ride-on-top vibes.

Amy Baldwin, Lampert’s co-host on the “Shameless Sex” podcast, wrapped up with the last workshop of the day, “Penis Pleasure 101,” a follow-up to Saturday’s corresponding “Pussy Pleasure 101.”

Aside from mechanics, she offered attendees perhaps the most insightful advice, concluding that communicating with a partner ultimately is the key to pleasing any pussy or penis effectively.

As attendees filed out at the end of the day, exhibitors began breaking down their booths, officially marking the end of Sex Expo 2019. With attendance continuing to increase and the roster of brands ever-growing, it’s safe to say that Sex Expo will be back to titillate and excite, educate and inform — and most of all, share its sex-positive message with the surrounding community again next year in Brooklyn and perhaps beyond.