Source: Exotic Dancer
By: Company Press Release
Mercedez won the coveted ED’s “Entertainer of the Year” Award during the 2002 Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show.
It was an occasion worth celebrating. For the 10th straight year, thousands of people from across the U.S.and the world converged on Las Vegas for the Annual Gentlemen’s Club Owners Expo at Mandalay Bay, August 27-29, 2002. Though it began in 1993 with just a few hundred attendees, it has since become the premier event for adult nightclub owners & operators, feature entertainers, industry professionals and other members of the billion-dollar gentlemen’s club industry who seek the opportunity to learn, network, see the latest products and services, relax… and have fun.
“This industry has come a long way in the last ten years,” says Don Waitt, publisher and president of Exotic Dancer Publications, producers of the Expo and a host of publications including the annual Adult Nightclubs Guide, the new Adult Entertainers Guide, the new Industry Buyer’s Guide and the bi-monthly Exotic Dancer Bulletin. Waitt and Ed Publications also produce two leading industry websites: ExoticDancer.com and GirlsOfED.com. The Annual Expo has become an extension of the industry, an example of the industry’s progress. But the Expo isn’t our event, it belongs to the industry. We at ED Publications put a great deal of time and effort into creating a very special event for all of our attendees, and we sincerely feel that Expo 2002 was a fitting cap to our 10th Anniversary Expo celebration.”
Part of that celebration was certainly the 5th Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show, hosted once again by the hilarious, talented comedian Robert Schimmel at Mandalay Bay’s Storm Theater on Wednesday, August 28. The show not only featured Schimmel’s rousing wit, but included electric performances by each of the nominees for the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. In the end, Scores of New York City walked away with Gentlemen’s Club of the Year honors for the second time in three years, while Mercedez was crowned 2002’s Entertainer of the Year.
Clearly, the thousands of Expo attendees came to the annual event to have a great time. But they also came to improve their businesses or feature careers. They learned about the most pressing issues in the adult nightclub industry from leading First Amendment attorneys, marketing experts, club executives and other industry professionals during the Expo’s impressive panel sessions; they saw the latest products and services during the Expo’s three-day Tradeshow, which featured 250 booths and nearly 200 separate exhibitors; they witnessed performances by some of the hottest feature entertainers in the industry on the Martin stage each night during the Expo Tradeshow; and they got the rare opportunity to meet with old friends and make new ones at the Expo’s Opening Night Party at the House of Blues, and at the 1st Annual Club Owner Appreciation Party at Club Seven.
Once again,the Annual Fan Fair followed the Gentlemen’s Club Owners Expo. This marked the event’s sixth straight year in existence. At this special two-day event, fans had the unique opportunity to meet with many of the industry’s hottest feature entertainers, magazine covergirls and adult movie starlets. For the fifth year in a row, the ladies competed in the Annual Exotic Dancer Bikini Contest (produced by Pure Gold) at the gorgeous Mandalay Bay pool on Friday, August 30. Feature entertainer and adult magazine model Exotica won the contest for the third year in a row, and walked away with a $3,000 grand prize from the Pure Gold club chain. Friday evening featured the finals of the Miss Exotic Dancer USA Pageant Series, which was held at Las Vegas’ Little Darlings gentlemen’s club. After nearly 20 performances from the statewide finalists, Tai, who represented Night Trips in New Mexico/Oklahoma, was crowned Miss Exotic Dancer USA for 2002/2003.
On Saturday, August 31, the annual Fan Fair Tradeshow was found a new home at Club Paradise, perhaps Las Vegas’ top gentlemen’s club. Fans came from across the world to see their favorite entertainers, magazine models and adult film starlets, who signed autographs, posed for pictures and sold their posters and videos amidst a party-like atmosphere. On Saturday evening, eight top feature entertainers performed at the Fan Fair Feature Showcase at the Spearmint Rhino adult nightclub.
Categories & Winners:
Topless Club of the Year/Northeast: Delilah’s, Philadelphia, PA
Nude Club of the Year/Northeast: Al’s Diamond Cabaret, Reading, PA
Topless Club of the Year/Mideast: On the Border, Milwaukee, WI
Nude Club of the Year/Mideast: Big Al’s, Peoria, IL
Topless Club of the Year/Southeast: Crazy Horse, Myrtle Beach, SC
Nude Club of the Year/Southeast: Mons Venus, Tampa, FL
Topless Club of the Year/Central: The Men’s Club, Dallas, TX
Nude Club of the Year/Central: PT’s Gold Club, Denver, CO
Topless Club of the Year/Southwest: Club Paradise, Las Vegas, NV
Nude Club of the Year/Southwest: Spearmint Rhino, City of Industry, CA
Topless/Nude Club of the Year/Northwest: Divas, Eugene, OR
Gentlemen¹s Club of the Year: Scores, New York, NY
Club Chain of the Year: Deja Vu
Industry Innovator: John Gray, Spearmint Rhino
Hall of Fame: Ginger Lynn
Dancewear Company of the Year: Jacquie!
Photographer of the Year: Suze Randall
Production Company of the Year: Martin Professional
Entertainer of the Year: Mercedez
Adult Movie Feature of the Year: Dasha
Newcomer of the Year: Chrystal Waters
Big Bust Feature of the Year: Lovette
Most Innovative Feature of the Year: Glori-Anne
Club Owner Favorite of the Year: Leslie Wells
For more information, including a complete list of winners from the 2002 Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show, Fan Fair Bikini Contest and/or Miss Exotic Dancer USA Finals, please contact Ed Editor Dave Manack at (727) 726-3592 or email Dave@ExoticDancer.com.
