SEXPO, is a health, sexuality and lifestyle exhibition that takes place in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Founded in 1995, the event has gone on to be held over 80 times nationally. SEXPO includes exhibitors, a health and wellness seminar theatre, special interest zones, amusements, bars, live stage entertainment and will often feature celebrities and guests from the adult industry.

History

SEXPO was created in 1995 as a way of bringing adult health, sexuality and lifestyle products and services into a safe, secure and mainstream setting. The first ever SEXPO was held in 1996 at the Carlton Crest Hotel, Albert Park. Due to its overwhelming success, the event was moved to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in 1997 where it has remained since. SEXPO has gone on to visit most capital cities of Australia, including many regional cities as well. Alexis Texas & Michelle McGee at Sexpo Launch in Sydney, Australia 2012

Alexis Texas & Michelle McGee at Sexpo Launch in Sydney, Australia 2012

In 2009,

Sasha Grey Marina Ann Hantzis (born March 14, 1988), known professionally as Sasha Grey, is an American actress, model, writer, musician, and former pornographic actress. Grey began her acting career in the pornographic film industry, winning 15 awards for ...

was the

G4tv G4 (also known as G4TV) was an American pay television and digital network owned by Comcast Spectacor that primarily focused on video games. The network was originally owned by G4 Media, a joint venture between the NBCUniversal Cable division ...

SEXPO host for

Attack of the Show! ''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013 ...

. At the Johannesburg 2013 edition, the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

was among the participants of the event. SEXPO debuted in the

in 2015. SEXPO Australia celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016 and SEXPO South Africa celebrated its 10th anniversary. Japanese pornstar Mao Hamasaki attracted a great deal of Asian visitors. The event also turned into an opportunity for attendees to

cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

. For the 2017 edition of SEXPO in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, the organizers bought display ads on the city's billboards and buses. Outraged, the parents of the city led a

Change.org Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...

petition to stop the ads in public areas. Queensland is a more conservative area of Australia, where Sexpo fits thanks to grey areas in the law. For the 2017 edition in South Africa, the organizers themed the event ''making sex great again'' based on

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's ''

Make America Great Again "Make America Great Again" or MAGA is an American political slogan popularized by Donald Trump in his successful 2016 presidential campaign. The slogan became a pop culture phenomenon, seeing widespread use and spawning numerous variants in ...

'' slogan. After missing a few years due to Covid-19, SEXPO is returning in 2022 with a stronger focus on sexual health, education and freedom with the Love Stage being a main feature. Famous adult actress Abella Danger will be attending.

Description

Its head office is located in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

. SEXPO is fully owned by Kenneth Hill, who also owns the Club X chain.

References

External links

{{Commons, Sexpo
Official Australian website

Official UK website
Erotic events Exhibitions in Australia Exhibitions in the United Kingdom Multigenre conventions Recurring events established in 1996