Dispatch: AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, 1/8-1/11/09 (2/3)

Part of an ongoing series // See the view from the other side of the stage as more pornstars joined the action

Longtime Adult Entertainment Expo patrons such as Dan Kartz also noticed the decline in business, stating that "'My girlfriend is Czech, so I really like European women, and because it has become so expensive to fly internationally, you don't have nearly as many international women here... Before, you could fly women over from the Czech Republic, from Germany, England, Spain, but it has gotten so expensive that it's mostly an American crowd. There are a lot less foreigners, a lot less foreign companies, too... There used to be a lot more free DVDs and free publications, but they've gotten pretty stingy. There are not a lot of quality giveaways this year.'"

But AEE spokesman Sean Devlin emphasized that "'Given the economy, given where every other trade show is now, we feel pretty good... We did have a number of exhibitors who are here who took smaller booths and brought fewer people. Giveaways were down, but the exhibitors decided that they have to be here. The show still has value as a showcase for products and services, has value as a place to conduct networking, and has value as a place to reach out to your fan base.'"

And Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesman Vince Alberta agreed that "'I think we would be the envy of any city to bring in not just the (AVN) but CES conventions, two major conventions, at the same time... This has been a very successful week for the city. There's a reason we've been the No. 1 convention destination in the world for the past 14 years. We have three of the 10 largest convention centers, with the Sands, Mandalay Bay and Las Vegas Convention Center, and have the hotel room inventory to accommodate everyone who wants to come here.'"

To be continued.

NOTE: Photo 16 and 20 are NSFW (topless action).

Pornstar Penny Flame arrived in a bathrobe and with megaphone. Video by XCritic (NSFW).

Special thanks to Roxy DeVille, Jesse Jane, Ashlynn Brooke, Tori Black, Jenny Hendrix, Audrey Bitoni, Randy Spears, Sunny Lane, Meggan Malone, Monique Alexander, Sasha Grey, Faith Leon, Sadie West, Tommy Gunn, Joanna Angel, Alexis Texas, Kayden Kross, Evan Stone, Stoya, Katsuni, Dana DeArmond, Nyomi Banxxx, Rebecca Linares, Memphis Monroe, Chayse Evans, Adrianna Nicole, Tony Batman, Spock Buckton, all of the participating companies -- especially Vivid Entertainment, Digital Playground, Evil Angel, Jules Jordan Video, and Hustler -- and AVN.