Exxxtacy 2010 Brings Porn to the Midwest in Chicagoland

ROSEMONT, IL - When I first heard about an adult convention coming to the Chicagoland area, the first thing I did was laugh. Then I laughed again. What followed was a randomized arrangement of head-shaking, eye-rolling, and even more laughter. As long as I've been living in and around Chicago, there's never been anything remotely close to the annual porn trade shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles (as well as, more recently, Miami and New Jersey). I've been conditioned to believe that such a show could never happen in my neck of the woods. Once I came to terms with the fact this show was happening, I started to speculate on how it would turn out. Brand new show in an untapped part of the country? I attended the first eXXXotica New York in 2008, and I most definitely was not impressed. The 2009 show was a vast improvement, but Chicago would have to overcome its own debut jitters.
Walking into the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on Exxxtacy's opening day (July 16, 2010), it looked like my worst fears had been realized. With less than two hours left before the official start of the show, virtually none of the booths and tables had been set up yet. That left me to get a feel for the lay of the land. For some bizarre reason, tucked away in corners of the show floor were various carnival attractions: bounce house here, dunk booth there, and a giant Twister pad that looked like it had seen better days. As for the square footage of the exhibitor area, it was definitely bigger than the first eXXXotica New York show I mentioned earlier, but comparatively smaller than the rest. On top of that, there was a large square-shaped arrangement of tables on the floor, with a large space of nothingness in the middle. Would things start looking up by opening time? In a word, yes.
The exhibitors and talent brought a lot to the table. From the constant rotation of interactive shows at the Clips4Sale booth to the one-on-one dances offered by performers like Sea J Raw, there was a nice variety of entertainment for the fans. I thought the main stage was poorly placed in one of the far corners of the hall, but I did appreciate the ability to watch the shows from the dining tables set up nearby. With the exception of that Twister pad, none of the carnival attractions came into play on Day 1. From opening to close, the show floor never felt overly congested this day. An informal poll showed sales to be better than expected. I never went more than five seconds without seeing money being exchanged for autographs and merchandise. With the exception of a small handful of girls, fans were allowed to take solo pictures free of charge. However, if they wanted a photo with their porn idols, a small fee of $5 was usually required.
As the day neared its end, one intriguing trait of this show became clear. At other conventions like AVN's Adult Entertainment Expo and the various eXXXotica shows, any kind of nudity is strictly forbidden. This is made abundantly clear on signs posted at the entrance and around the show floor. Sure, you would still catch the occasional flash, but they're usually of the blink-and-you-miss-it variety. For Exxxtacy, it was obvious that most performers assumed the same rules were in play. However, no such policy was posted in the program or on any signs. The first time I saw a bare nipple pop out here, my instinctual reaction was to look around for security. And sure enough, a couple security staffers arrived to survey the scene. But nothing happened. No verbal warnings. No demands to cover up. Nothing. I asked one of them if they were supposed to do anything about nudity on the floor. As it turns out, they didn't have a problem with it. None at all. As long as the girls weren't being harassed, and any touching appeared consensual, then security didn't have to do anything about it. The only times security did intervene was with a loud and disorderly drunk, as well as a couple belligerent guys who went out of their way to berate and heckle the talent. Ah, Chicago, dependable as always when it comes to morons. But I digress. I couldn't be happier with Exxxtacy's stance on show floor nudity. Their standard operating procedure makes total sense to me, and it also illuminates how ridiculous the other U.S. shows are when it comes to the matter.
Day 1 photos to follow...
Edited by - anime nut on Jul 19 2010