YNOT EUROPE – The 4th Annual Asia Adult Expo completed what organizers called “a most successful run” Aug. 21. According to Kenny Lo, chief executive of parent company Vertical Expo Services Company Limited, new exhibitors increased by 30 percent in 2011, and trade visitors increased by 16 percent to 35,000 people.

“During its four years’ development, AAE has moved towards the direction of professionalism and becoming one of the world’s most vital industry events,” Lo said.

Exhibitors at the 2011 event, which took place Aug. 19-21 in Macao, included manufacturers and wholesalers of more than 100 brands from Australia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Japan and the UK. The exhibits filled a 6,000-square-meter hall. Trade visitors came from more than 39 countries, including Brazil, Portugal and Russia.

“In fact, key persons from [Brazil’s] Associação Brasileira das Empresas do Mercado Erótico (ABEME), Ben Wa International, Concorde, Erotic Sign Magazine, Lovehoney, National Company 69, Pjur, Rends, SOD, Supplier of Happiness and others mentioned AAE with positive comments,” Lo noted.

Paula Aguiar, president of ABEME, revealed his organization closed deals with several companies during the expo, placing U.S. $250,000-worth of orders. He also said “a bigger buyer group” representing ABEME will attend next year.

Apart from its trade elements, the expo also offered a busy entertainment schedule. About 50 programs occurred during the three-day show, either on-stage or in the fairgrounds. BRW108, a Japanese association composed of more than 80 popular actresses, sent four performers to AAE; Australian Badboys & Bombshells returned for the forth time, as did performance artist Pricasso (who, according to show literature, “paints with his special companion”).

According to AAE’s site visitor survey, visitors considered the expo a beneficial channel for collecting market information. Eighty-five percent of visitors indicated their objective in attending was to get a grasp on developing trends in the industry. More than 90 percent of interviewees said they “reached their goals” for the show; another 90 percent indicated they consider the expo “an influential event in Asia.”

The success of the Macao event has convinced the parent company to expand to other regions.

“This year, [the] AAE series will expand to Shenzhen, a very young city with 12 million population,” Fairs Director Wilson Tong revealed. “Next year, we are planning to launch two to three more AAE shows in other key cities in Greater China and Asia.

“Other than our show expansion, we are also launching later this year an AAE online store providing a platform to our exhibitors to penetrate Asia’s market,” he added. “AAE Club is a group of AAE visitors who are eager to receive AAE information. We had around 35,000 members before AAE 2011. Members will increase to over 100,000 by the end of 2012.”

The 5th Asia Adult Expo is scheduled to take place Aug 17-19, 2012, at the Cotai Strip Convention and Exhibition Center at The Venetian Macao. For more information, visit the expo’s website or email Tong.