2024 AVN Show Begins With Big Energy, Fanfare

LAS VEGAS—With an hour to go before showtime, AVN Media Network CEO Tony Rios and 12 CAMStars cut the ceremonial ribbon signifying the opening of the 2024 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo on the world famous Strip. Rooms adjacent to the main show floor hold a seminar space and The Lair, a BDSM-styled area. Vendors, performers, production entities, talent agencies and Internet channels sit side-by-side along the wide aisles. A high ceiling holds air ducts to maintain a comfortable temperature in the notoriously uncomfortable Las Vegas climate. "I'm pleasantly surprised at the setup," performer Karla Lane said. "I'm glad that we're all in one area. You can walk around and see all your friends without getting lost." MyFreeCams has a sizeable presence, with high desks with mounted halo lights and computer hookups. The trademark MFC-branded swag is spread across the tables and regularly replenished. Brazzers also has a large representation, with signing stations backed by a giant video wall, a lounge, and podcast area. A Brazzers store offers branded sex toys, baseball caps, sweaters, T-shirts, license plate frames, bucket hats, keychains, socks, and pastel pink and blue hoodies. A separate PornHub booth has signing stations and a claw machine with PornHub branded items inside. A worker does last-minute vacuuming at the Naughty America booth. John Stagliano is at the compact Evil Angel booth at 11:45. Mark Schechter of ATMLA told AVN that Amirah Adara—in from Europe—would be appearing at the agency's booth along with Alexis Malone, Cory Chase, Erin Everheart, Alex Grey, London River, Myra Moans, Natasha Nice, and Romi Rain, and Tommy King would be signing at Hookup Hotshot and Vanna Bardot would be signing at Jules Jordan Video. "I wasn't shooting boy/girl scenes for five years," Adara told AVN. "I figured maybe it's time. I'm back. For now I'm exclusively on my OnlyFans, and we're going to be starting a website soon. We already shot a few scenes while we were here in Vegas." "It's my boyfriend's first AVN," veteran performer Kiki Daire said at the Nexxxt Level booth. "He's having trouble with my banner. I already took video and laughed about it. You know the rule: If you bring 'em, you gotta put 'em to work. He's not only hot and fun, he can also fix things." "We have video of him cleaning a grill with a log," Katie Morgan added. "I've been doing this show since 2001, now it's 2024: 23 years," she continued. "What I love about AVN the most is that I live in Vegas. All my friends come to me. I do conventions all over the country, but this is the one in my town. So it's definitely my favorite." "I'm looking forward to a good turnout," Nexxxt Level co-owner Jonathan Morgan told AVN. "We've got a lot of great models here including Victoria Zdrok, Rebel Lynn, Alaina Taylor. We're going to have pretty much our entire roster, including Stormy Daniels. It's exciting being in the world's biggest tent. They put us under here like a circus. This is convention 34 for me. I think if I hit 35 I get a gold watch." New performer Elizabeth Skylar, in red-white-and-blue with star-shaped pasties, was apprehensive at the Naughty America booth. "I just started going pro stuff in July of 2023, I started camming and doing OnlyFans in 2020. I worked my way up the ladder and here I am. This is my first AVN. I have no idea what's going to happen," she added with a laugh. 2022 Best New Starlet winner Blake Blossom had the high-traffic corner desk at Naughty America, with a lengthy line of fans waiting their turn for a moment with her. "I'm looking forward to the Awards show, and meeting all the fans. That's the most fun part for me," Jennifer White said while zipping up her boots at the Evil Angel booth. "I want to see who wins Performer of the Year, and Star Showcase." "This is my first AVN since COVID, and I'm coming back from a year-and-a-half break, so I'm looking forward to seeing all my girls," Gia Derza said, also at the Evil Angel booth. "I want to just have a good time. I'm looking forward to doing scenes I have a passion for." When reminded of a forced-orgasm scene she did for Kink.com, her eyes brighten. "I lost feeling in my legs! Everybody was laughing. I came, like, 20 times. I lost count. It was crazy. I love being a submissive. I love stuff like that." Natasha Nice is signing at Brazzers. "It's always so nostalgic. I love it. I honestly love it. I get in here and I get all excited and all my memories come back and I'm like 'Oh, this is so much fun!' My fans bring me candy and Red Bulls, that's always fun." Jules Jordan Video has brought the venerable prop The White Couch to its booth. "I'm looking forward to having the experience of a lifetime, like I did last year," Xxlayna Marie said at her signing station next to The Couch. "New people, new experiences. I'm excited to see what it brings. Meeting the fans is so mind-boggling. There are so many people that I have yet to know at all, but know me so well. It's nice to be able to reciprocate that energy." Jewelz Blu poses for pictures on an iPad mounted with a halo light at the Elevated X booth. "I love meeting my fans. Everybody is super-sweet. I have a very dedicated fan base and it's a very heartwarming experience to see them." Naughty America planned ahead for Expo, Maddy May told AVN. "They picked me up in March, and I shot for them, and now I’m here, being extra naughty. The crowd is good, the people are respectful. Everybody's coming to get photos signed. There are a lot of people here that I haven’t met that I wanted to meet, like [online mal performer] Flesh Mechanic." "It's going amazing. I'm so happy to connect with my fans," performer Suttin said. "Last year was my first year, and I was there for one day. I had a fan from my OnlyFans who I recognized immediately, even though I had never seen him before. That was fantastic. He was even better in person. I'm happy to be signing for Naughty America." "I just got here. Day one," performer Aubrey Kate said, sitting behind stacks of her DVDs at the Evil Angel booth. "I had a line for an hour when I got here, it just now let up. Everything is amazing, everybody's buying DVDs. The last couple years, people have been a little... cheap, but everybody's buying this year. It's cool because it's a different convention hall, all in one area. It's really nice." "I have three nominations," Vicki Chase said, standing next to a larger-than-life-size poster of herself promoting Ninfomana. "Best Star Showcase for Ninfomana, Best Gangbang, Ninfomana, and Best Blowbang for Deeper. You could say I know my way around a party with my mouth." James Bartholet's Galaxy Publicity booth featured AVN Hall of Fame performers Christy Canyon, Ginger Lynn, Micky Lynn, and Seka, with planned appearances by Sophie Dee, Misty Stone, Loni Legend, and Jillian Janson.  "I've only been at the booth for an hour so far, but the vibes are right," Best New Starlet nominee Queenie Sateen said at the PornHub booth in the late afternoon. "An action-packed last week of January. I'm excited. I'm excited for the people I'm going to meet and I'm excited for the Awards show. I feel like no other performers are gunning for Best Music, it's like low-hanging fruit. Hopefully I'll get a Porn Grammy." "I thought I wasn't coming to Expo," AVN Hall of Famer Joanna Angel said at the Inked Angels XXX booth. "Sometimes people think, like, a Porn God makes me appear. I don’t have my own studio anymore, I have to get invited by someone. Then I got invited by Inked Angels. I'm also signing with PornHub. It's good to be here, it's like coming to a family reunion." Late-afternoon arrivals Angela White and Kira Noir drew massive lines at Brazzers, with stanchions strung around and behind the booth. "I just got here, and I'm so excited. Very busy, very fun. I'm just warming up." new talent Angel Windell said at the Foxxx Modeling booth. "I have fans already," she added incredulously. "I'm looking forward to walking around and meeting the other performers. I want to go over to Evil Angel and meet the girls. I've worked for them, but I never met another Evil Angel girl. And Flesh Mechanic. It'll be really interesting to see what all the hype is about. Angela — or Jennifer — White." She's proud of a scene she did for Deeper, with Chris Diamond: "It was insane. It was so much fun. He has a really big dick, and it just destroyed my body... in the best way ever," she added with a grin. "The sex was super-intense, they didn’t take any cuts, we shot the whole thing through in one take. Also, I'm half-Mexican, he's from Spain, we both have Spanish under our belts. When he dirty-talked in Spanish to me, he made me squirt. The Spanish got me there." "It's really nice to be here," AVN Hall of Famer Sunny Lane said. "It's good to be under one roof, all together like that. Last year, with the three separate areas, it was rough. It's nice to be with our peeps. I'll be signing at the AVN booth on Saturday." She's working with a mainstream producer on a documentary about porn, and shooting customs and OnlyFans. "It was amazing," Elizabeth Skylar said after several hours of signing at Naughty America. "I had a lot of fun, everybody's been very respectful. I love it. I had one fan who brought me a bunch of Canadian candy. It happens to be stuff that I've tried, and I loved. He was a mindreader. Toffee Crisp and Aero, the chocolate bar with the little bubbles. I was like, ohmigawd, no way!" The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo continues through Saturday. It is open to the public. Admission is required for the Expo and for the AVN Awards Saturday evening. Photography by Toby Acuna