LAS VEGAS — The convention center at the Paris Hotel and Casino remained abuzz with business networking and deal-making throughout the three-day run of the Altitude Intimates Show, which brought together lingerie and pleasure product vendors, distributors and buyers for showcases, educational seminars and a Satisfyer-sponsored opening night poolside cocktail party.
As the exclusive bash for Altitude attendees, Satisfyer’s cocktail party took place on Monday evening as the sun was setting over the Paris Hotel and Casino’s Eiffel Tower replica. A large, floating, Satisfyer-branded illuminated ball danced in the pool as music played, contributing to the dazzling Vegas ambiance, while guests enjoyed poolside complimentary drinks and dinner late into the night.
On the sold-out exhibitor space featuring more than 76 companies, lingerie brands dominated the show floor and discussion topics, however pleasure products held their ground as the must-have items for adult retailers.
Christopher Scharff, an apparel industry veteran of more than 30 years, and founding member of Altitude Intimates, told XBIZ that the latest edition of the event — now in its third year — also saw a growth in attendance.
“The show was very successful from the standpoint of the double-digit increase in buyer attendance compared to last year,” Scharff said.
A large center aisle welcomed attendees with sizable booths showcasing the latest lingerie fashions from leading brands such as Dreamgirl International, Leg Avenue, and Coquette. Attendees were then greeted by a wider variety of pleasure products from XBIZ Award-winning Specialty Distributor of the Year, Xgen Products.
To cater to some of the lingerie-focused buyers, Xgen presented several new lingerie styles and new collections.
New additions included five new styles of bra-and-panty sets in lace or mesh from Baci Lingerie's White Label Collection, as well as new intimate apparel from Envy Menswear, Lapdance, Teacher’s Pet and Latexwear. Xgen also introduced a new Euro-themed lingerie brand called VIP, and Cheeks Denim — a collection of barely-there denim booty shorts.
“We don’t want to overwhelm buyers with too many new products so we’re introducing collections that are easy to digest,” Xgen Products President Andy Green said. “Teacher’s Pet is our fastest-growing line and we’re pleased to add two new styles of skirts with suspenders and lace trim.”
New toys from Xgen included new items from Frederick’s of Hollywood Toys and Bodywand — including the new Bodywand Luxe, a new style of wand made of silicone with a rose gold chain set for release later this year.
“The new Bodywand offers a deeper, stronger vibration,” Green said.
Right next door, East Coast News maintained a steady crowd with a constant rotation of brand reps on hand to showcase the wide variety of collections that the distributor carries.
“We’re showcasing a lot of our semi-exclusive brands with new products from Kiiroo, Zumio and the Minx, Linx and Kinx line,” said Lynda Mort, vice president of sales and marketing.
“Doxy is doing phenomenal,” Mort said, pointing out the wand’s widely revered power and its unique die-cast model, which is weightier and delivers a more robust and rumbly experience.
Also on hand at the ECN booth was WOW Tech, which showcased its new Moxie wearable Bluetooth-controlled vibe for hands-free clit stimulation. “It’s creating a real stir,” Mort noted.
Adult Drop Shop also was on hand at the ECN booth to showcase the distributor’s ecommerce solutions. Jamie Horne, the director of operations, discussed the company’s range of ecommerce, web solutions, data feeds and drop-shipping products, which include the websites: AdultDropShop.com, MyFreeSexStore.com and MySexyWishlist.com. The sites are backed by IVD, ECN and Xgen, which offer a catalog of more than 10,000 adult products combined.
“We make it fully customizable to build an online store,” Horne said. “You don’t have to be technical at all — you just have to focus on marketing it.”
Horne told XBIZ that he had sold multiple Adult Drop Shop accounts within the first two days of the show.
Magic Silk and Male Power had several representatives on hand to showcase the brands’ latest releases.
“We have the most new styles than ever before,” Magic Silk/Male Power’s David Handsman said. Among the collections are Oil Slick — which features an iridescent material, and Painted Petals, which offers styles featuring a floral pattern. Among the most unique items that debuted from Magic Silk was its new Wrap — a clever piece of material and a ring that can be transformed into a variety of stylish looks.
Along a more pleasure products-focused aisle, Portland-based manufacturer Spartacus Leather showcased its wide range of modern-style BDSM gear. Offering an expansive selection of leashes, blindfolds and whips in a variety of trendy colors such as rose gold and vegan-friendly materials, Spartacus also is now tapping into the popularity of CBD products with a new line of CBD bath bombs that will be available next month.
“We also offer pheromone-infused bath bombs — which we are the only ones to offer,” Spartacus’ Albert Koftikian said. “We’re also the only ones to offer a massage candle in a leather scent called Spank Me Leather.”
Members of Svakom’s international team were on hand at Altitude to discuss the company’s newest releases, as well as the brand’s vast recent growth.
“The brand is growing so much,” Svakom’s Alex Feynerol said. “We’ve had a 300 percent increase in sales over the past three months and a 40 percent increase over last year’s sales.”
At Altitude, Svakom showcased its new Ella Vibrating Bullet, which is compatible with an app, as well as the Tammy Double Ring and Nymph. The company is slated to release two additional toys in the coming months.
Voodoo Toys showcased its newly rebranded line of toys that are designed to be retailer-friendly.
“We want to be the brand that drives retail and is female-friendly and inclusive,” strategy director Sally Cotching said.
To introduce retail buyers to the brand’s new look and objectives, the Voodoo Toys booth offered a menu of themed cocktail drinks. According to Cotching, next on the company’s to-do list is to get in front of the hordes of millennials, celebrities and social media influencers that will be at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend. Voodoo Toys is among the sponsors of the Nylon magazine Midnight Garden Party, which is set for Friday night.
“We’re one of four progressive companies that are sponsoring the event,” Cotching said, noting that the company will be giving out branded swag and hosting a photo booth.
Back at Altitude, Voodoo Toys’ Danielle Seerley also pointed out that Shibari’s other successful Hello Sexy and Gender Fluid products will remain under their own brands and are also retail-exclusive. “Also, stay tuned for our retailer-focused Instagram account that we will be maintaining as a resource,” Seerley said.
Electric Novelties returned to Altitude with its tried-and-true popular collections, including Glas, Lux Fetish and Blue Line for Men. New additions included the Oro stimulator, as well as an expansion to the Lux Fetish range with the Bedspreaders collection of kinky kits for couples, threesomes, group sex and play parties.
“It’s been great to hear from retailers and to get their feedback on our releases, as well as their orders,” Electric Novelties’ Zach Goode said.
The company also introduced the new Rabbit Essentials line of multi-function dual stimulators featuring easy-to-use control pads. The vibes are also USB-rechargeable and are made of body-safe silicone.
Ple’sür Body Products, which is based in Seattle, Washington, showcased its selection of kinky toys at Altitude. For the first time ever, the company presented its Pleasure Purse Portable Sex Machine. As the name suggests, the sex machine conveniently comes in a purse that also includes kneepads, a rechargeable portable battery and twist-and-lock removable vibrating dildo. Weighing in at under six pounds, the portable sex machine vibrates and thrusts.
“The pre-orders are going really strong,” Ple’sür Body Products’ Kevin Cooney said. “We’re widely known for our kink and bondage products — we’re constantly looking for unique products to offer our customers.”
Like so many pleasure product manufacturers that made their way to Altitude in support of their distributors, Eye of Love did not have its own dedicated booth at the show, however Jacqui Rubinoff, vice president of Eye of Love, was on hand to promote the brand.
“I met with a lot of our great customers and supported our distributors in introducing the new pheromone jewelry set,” she said. The company recently ventured outside of the adult retail biz with participation of the recent Los Angeles Fashion Week, where the brand’s pheromone perfumes were showcased at cocktail parties attended by fashion trendsetters.
Sportsheets brought its freshly revamped and rebranded packaging to showcase at Altitude. Additionally, Sportsheets unveiled its new Saffron collection of restraints in an oxblood color that’s made of faux leather. Sportsheets’ Sylvia Lopez noted that one of the highlights of the company’s Sincerely line of vibrator is its colorful light-up feature.
“For each vibration mode, it lights up in a different color, so you don’t have to remember how many times you pressed the button to get to your desired vibration speed or pattern, you just have to remember the color,” she said.
Eldorado manned a revamped booth designed by marketing director Patrick Lyons.
“Patrick — who's a genius — redesigned the booth according to categories,” Eldorado’s JB Brown said. “He noticed that customers would go wall by wall, so he wanted to make it easier to shop by genre.”
Among the product categories showcased in the booth were kink, anal, “exclusives,” bestsellers and staff picks.
“We’ve had four vendors per day offering sales presentations and meeting with buyers,” Brown said. “We’re also encouraging visitors to touch and feel all of our products — it’s essential for getting to know the quality that we offer.”
ZALO USA showcased its latest premium vibe at the Holiday Products booth with company president Peter Ovsonka and senior sales exec Mara Epstein on hand to debut the latest addition to the Queen line of stimulators. The dual-ended Hero vibe features a rapidly flickering tip for clit stimulation. As part of the elegantly stylish Queen collection, ZALO also revealed that the Hero is available in the line’s signature colors — Wine Red, Twilight Purple and Jewel Green.
Holiday Products also showcased a selection of its propriety offerings.
“People are really excited about Silky Sheets being back in stock,” Holiday Products’ Molly Romeo said. “Our next Love Box [Holiday Products’ subscription box] is currently in the planning stage.”
The Crazy Girl collection, now known as the CG collection, has grown up to exhibit a fashionable new look. The collection features the line’s popular sensual products such as clit-stimulating gel, anal relaxant, flavored blowjob cream and pheromone body sprays.
Holiday Products also showcased couples-friendly toys such as O-Wand that comes with attachments for clit and prostate stimulation, as well as the Lovely couples ring that connects to an app that provides sex tips and even direct advice from a sex therapist.
Satisfyer, which in addition to sponsoring Altitude’s cocktail reception, also provided goodie bags for attendees to pick up for free at registration, wowed attendees with an expansive booth that showcased the full range of Satisfyer toys for women, men and couples. Among Satisfyer’s inclusive offerings are rechargeable vibrators and Satisfyer Men strokers, a couples’ ring, as well as sexual wellness items such as kegel exercisers and Satisfyer’s new Luxury range, which are made with leather and a brushed aluminum model.
“We have something for everyone,” Satisfyer’s representative Elizabeth said.
The company also proudly showed off its marketing prowess with a big-screen video display and the company’s innovative and colorful displays for its new Satisfyer Vibes that magnetically hold up each toy.
“The displays provide an excellent balance of minimal style and bright colors,” said Elizabeth.
Most awe-inspiring however, is the company’s latest partnership with Elle magazine.
For the women’s magazine’s April issue, Elle launched its first-ever subscription box in partnership with Satisfyer that allowed magazine subscribers to opt-in to receive a free Satisfyer Traveler stimulator.
Though geared toward lingerie buyers, Altitude had a lot to offer for any and all retailers of intimate wares. With its exhibitor space filled with a diverse selection of lingerie and pleasure products, Altitude makes it easy for buyers to explore beyond the soft products category and bolster their business with the latest goods that tap into the latest consumer trends.
