Page 53 - AVN March 2016

by TODHUNTER
and being away form the smoke and the noise
Taking Care of Business AVN’s VIBE program brings buyers and sellers together
The VIBE program successfully completed its fourth
“VIBE was back and better than ever this year,”
Wyatt Case, vice president of sales at Smash Pictures,
year at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in January.
said Bob Mosca, CEO of Jackson Supply Company.
told AVN. “I didn’t know what to expect. It was my
The Very Important Buying Executive program is
“Great to see the DVD business well represented at
first time. I’ve been used to the booths downstairs,
an invitation-only meeting program “placing the
VIBE besides the novelty side. A great way to start
best adult manufacturers with the top adult retail
the year off on a positive note. Not just that the
buyers, e-tailers, distributors, anyone who sells adult
timing of the show and the content was excellent, but
products,” according to program director Timothy
the whole process was also well executed.”
Ferencz. VIBE started as a DVD sales program in
Suppliers, too, were pleased with the results they
2013 and was expanded to include novelties in 2015.
got from participating in VIBE.
“This year we sold out. There was a 30 percent
Hugo Harley, managing director of
increase in exhibitors and a 33 percent increase in
Media Partners, told AVN, “One of the things we
buyers,” Ferencz reported. “On the DVD side and the
learned at VIBE was that people weren’t sure what
novelty side we had 65 meetings total over four days.
‘Media Partners’ is but they knew our ‘Cocky Boys’
We’re the largest meeting program out there.
line. Getting that feedback three times in the
“We’re a one-stop shop,” Ferencz said. “If you’re
first day from new customers, we decided we have
a buyer who qualifies, all you have to do is get to
to change it. We love the format. It’s not seeing the
the hotel. We take care of your rooms, we take care
same people over and over, and we can re-assess.
of your meals, we do your entire schedule, you get
We tweaked our approach at VIBE last year
AVN Awards tickets, you get a VIP cocktail party, you
and increased our sales for a couple of different
get treated like a VIP. Once you get in, everything is
companies by 10 to 20 percent.
taken care of here for you.”
“Seeing a person, meeting the salesperson, being
Scheduling and organization are arranged by the
able to talk to them instead of phone or email.
VIBE personnel. “They get 20-minute meetings. We
Twenty minutes is great to explain who you are and
organize everything so the buyers go from room to
give a person the rundown on what you can do for
room, often on the same floor,” said Ferencz. “There
them. When you’re sitting there in that room with
are about a dozen meetings a day, breaks for breakfast
them, you get things that will improve business. We
and lunch, and we have the VIBE lounge where they
got a better understanding of our own business and
can relax and network.”
how we can help other people. We want to help our
Buyers were pleased by their experience at the
business partners make more money and hearing
2016 VIBE.
about it is very, very helpful.”
“VIBE is such a strong program because of the
“It was the best show we’ve had in the last three
level of participation it attracts,” Brian Sokel, COO
years,” General Manager Danny Gorman of Juicy
of TLA Entertainment, told AVN. “This year I saw
Entertainment said. “We did a lot of pieces. It was
studios participating that have never participated in
organized and everybody was in a positive mood. It
the past (or at least haven’t over the last few years)
seems like the DVD business is getting revitalized.
so to see the VIBE team working to bring in new
We had people from Europe we hadn’t seen before,
players shows their dedication to buyers. It really is a
opened up a bunch of new accounts. It went really
key program for us and our marketing and planning
well.”
efforts annually.”
“It was fantastic. Really smooth and well run,”
and being able to talk to people one-on-one—and
understand each other with clarity—was a big, big
plus. In addition to meeting people I already knew,
we got new business. Finding out what they were
about and how we could work together. We’re doing
it next year.”
“I think this was the best show in years,” Devil’s
Films VP of Sales and Production Steve Volponi said.
“They really overachieved with the meetings. They
had us booked ... It was almost exhausting,” he added
with a laugh. “It was definitely the busiest we’ve been
at the VIBE. We did a lot of business. We got some
people from Germany that we hadn’t been dealing
with. We were packed. It was bangin’.”
Buyers are qualified by a minimum annual sales
volume and approval by the suppliers. “When
someone wants to be a part of the program they
can fill out a form and we send it out to the
manufacturers,” Ferencz said.
“We measure our success by the degree of
participation,” Ferencz said. “The number of people
we have participating, and the number of people
we have trying to get into the program. By word
of mouth, we’ve grown 30 percent every year, so
that tells me that the program is valuable to both
manufacturers and buyers. They can get their
business done for six months to a year over four
days.”
Retailers and suppliers who are interested in
participating in the VIBE program during the 2017
AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, which will take
place January 18-21 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas, can contact VIBE Program Director
Timothy Ferencz at (818) 718-5788 x 128 or by email
at timothy.ferencz@avn.com.
Save These Dates
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2016 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), AVN Media Network released the show dates for the 2017 Internext Expo, AVN
Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), Adult Novelty Expo (ANE) and the 34th Annual AVN Awards.
All will return to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.
The 2017 dates are as follows: Internext: January 14-16, 2017
AEE: January 18-21, 2017
ANE: January 18 - 20, 2017
AVN Awards Show: January 21, 2017
In January, the expo drew more than 500 adult stars, more than 200
exhibitors showcasing products and services, 15 parties, numerous networking
events and a plethora of educational programs and seminars.
Called “the CES of sex toys” by Wired magazine, the AVN Novelty Expo
will once again take over the Paradise Tower in 2017, and will be restricted to
trade attendees. ANE gives industry members a productive space to expand
their relationships, learn new trends, and meet all of the important people and
companies in the pleasure product industry.
The culmination of the week will be the 34th annual AVN Awards Show,
which will be held Saturday, January 21, 2017 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
and Casino Las Vegas. The annual awards show recognizes titles, individuals,
and companies for contributions to and excellence in the industry.
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