At the end of last year it emerged that the UK market was to get a new adult consumer show, called Passion, and here organiser Cathy Norris tells ETO what the industry can expect from the new event.

The idea behind Passion is nothing if not ambitious. Its launch announcement claimed it would “focus on attracting the couples (all genders), gay and female demographics that have, until now, largely been ignored by existing shows whose focus has been mainly been male orientated.” Its girlie pink logo suggests Passion is aimed at the softer side of the adult marketplace which, to date, has been ‘owned’ in the UK by Erotica and Cathy Norris is aware than comparisons will inevitably be made....

She says: “Obviously we will have many of the same exhibitors and so in that sense we are competitors. However, Passion is a completely different time of the year when there are no other competing shows in the UK.”

Passion, which is fully licensed, is set to take place at Earls Court in London on May 24th and 25th, while Erotica 2008 is scheduled for November 21st – 23rd at Olympia, also in London.

Cathy continues: “Erotica is a great show but Passion will be a more sensual and erotic experience for people of all genders and sexual orientations, especially women. Passion will have a very different look and feel to Erotica and its sensual theme will run throughout the show. Our aim is to attract new people to this kind of event; people who may in the past have been intimidated by other adult shows. Our logo, our choice of colours and our entire marketing campaign will be designed to appeal to women in particular and that is one of the reasons we have teamed up with Scarlet magazine.”

In terms of exhibitors, Cathy says: “Passion will have everything from beautiful lingerie and burlesque inspired corsets etc, to designer leather and latex, hosiery, shoes and boots, accessories, jewellery, hats, bustles and fascinators. Our DVD village will be showcasing the very latest films including R18s and we will have a huge assortment of the very best in sex toys around. In addition, the Passion Gallery will have some of the best erotic art and photography from all over the world. In fact if it’s erotic, sexy, beautiful or sensual – Passion will have it!”

Every consumer show has to offer visitors more than just shopping opportunities these days and a full programme of free entertainment has been lined up for each day of Passion. Cathy explains: “We are planning spectacular fashion shows throughout each day where Passion exhibitors will be able to show off their products. So visitors can see on the catwalk and buy or order from the stand. Our Burlesque Theatre will have continuous performances throughout each day and we are looking at some really unusual acts as well as some great classics! The Passion Club will be a place to chill out and relax with live music from some of the best club DJs playing ambient chilled music. But that’s not all, we want to create a real carnival atmosphere at Passion and so there will be ‘walkabout’ entertainment too with stilt creatures and walkers, jugglers and lots of surprises.”

In addition, the Passion weekend – which is a bank holiday – will also play host to other events including a masked fantasy ball on the Saturday night, so there should be plenty going on around the show.

There is no shortage of show experience in the team creating Passion, as Cathy explains: “Paul (Norris) and I, as you know, already organise The Xpo at the Barbican in the autumn which is a more niche market adult fetish show. We are an established exhibition business and in the past we have been involved with some very large consumer events in the UK. We also run events for clients outside of this industry. Together we have some 30 years or so experience in the exhibition and event business.

“Charlie, our sales director, is also known in this industry for her work on The Xpo. However I have worked with Charlie on many shows (not in this industry) over the last 10 years and in fact we have launched five new shows together. She is joined on the sales team by Nadine whom we have both worked with before on several projects.

“Brain Wiseman of Wise Guys Consultancy is known to many people in the exhibition industry and quite a few in the adult industry. He was one of the original team that launched Erotica and we are absolutely delighted that he has agreed to be our consultant for Passion.”

The Bottom Line

What every potential exhibitor will want to know about the new show is the expected visitor attendance however. Answering this question is probably more difficult than managing Newcastle United – be pessimistic and you could put exhibitors off, but being overly optimistic can run the risk of raising expectations too high, ending in disappointment. The organisers of Passion say they are erring on the side of caution by projecting 15,000 visitors over the two days, though obviously they are hoping for more.

With any event the venue plays a big part in its success and Cathy is confident that Earls Court can deliver for Passion. She says: “It’s a great venue with its entrance directly opposite the tube station, so it’s very accessible by public transport. It will be a very private venue with no other show taking place in the building at the same time as Passion. Restaurants, bars, cloakrooms etc, are all within the hall itself. Loading and unloading for exhibitors is really easy and there is parking close by. Earls Court is also very supportive of its events and has a great PR department that promotes all its shows in and around London, which is a great help on a launch show.”

Of course, an even bigger factor in a launch show’s success is its marketing. Cathy explains what Passion has planned: “As I mentioned before we have teamed up with Scarlet magazine and they will be working very closely with us to promote the event to their readership and also to their massive Harlot Newsletter subscription database. We will also be working very closely with the swinging community via websites and online dating services.

“We have a very healthy marketing budget and so we will be placing adverts in specialist magazines and mainstream magazines and newspapers. Our PR agent is working very hard to get previews and editorial in a wide variety of media and we have already had a lot of press interest. Obviously we will also be calling on our exhibitors to make sure they promote the show via their websites, shops and mailing lists.”

In addition to the usual advertising, editorial, event listings etc, the organisers are also planning a series of PR events from February through to the show itself. Kicking things off will be a press preview party at Volupte on the 12th of February where invited media will be given cocktails, canapés, burlesque performances and exhibitor previews.

According to the organisers, the initial reaction to Passion has been extremely positive and at the time of writing, 30 exhibitors had been confirmed, including: Angels Carrying Savage Weapons, AsdruMark, Belle-Epoque Trading, Ben Dover, BonerShaker / LadyShaker, Edencoeur, Erotic Boutique, Exclusive Brazilian Lingerie, Fabulous Fascinators, FC Swinging Holidays, Gift House International, Hanky Panky Hampers, Hedonism / Superclubs, The Hourglass, JDL for Leather, Jed Phoenix of London, John Tisbury Photography, Leg Avenue Direct, Libby Rose, Love Shack, Luxury Love Swings, OGS Solutions ( Libido Assist), Overt Clothing, Prong, Rawhide Corsets, Scarlet magazine, Slightly Scarlet, Strictly Broadband, Velda Lauder Corsets and What Katie Did.

Visit www.passion-uk.com for more information, alternatively email info@passion-uk.com