The AVN Expo and Award Show weekend should be experienced by all fans of the adult film industry at least once in their lifetime. It is a fun, upbeat, and an incredibly accepting event. The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else…and not in a weird, seedy way.

This was my second year attending the AVNs (from now on, I will refer to the whole weekend as the AVNs, unless otherwise specified). Just like last year, I was incredibly impressed by the overall execution of the event, as well as the awesome vibe that permeated the entire weekend.

The Hard Rock Hotel welcomes the industry each year with open arms. It is the perfect location for this caliber of event, evidenced by the fact that most people never leave the hotel (why would you need to, with fun people, porn stars, and awesome food?). With accommodations that fit everyone’s needs, the rock and roll atmosphere is the perfect background for the AVNs.

 

The most admirable aspect of the AVNs is the honest level of acceptance and professionalism. Watching the performers get to be themselves, without any sort of judgment, is priceless. The veteran performers mingle with the up-and-cummers, the cam girls yuck it up with the award-winners. This is everyone’s chance to shine.

 

As much as I liked engaging with the performers during the expo, watching them interact with their fans was even more interesting. These ladies love their fans. There is no question about it. Most of the performers recognized people in the crowds from their Twitter feeds and felt comfortable calling attention to the connection. The level of fan engagement was impressive. It would have been very easy for these ladies to get up on the stages and just chat with one another, but nearly all of them went out of their way to pay complete attention to their fans.

 

The incredibly hot Misty Stone really stood out in my mind this year. She had multiple fans in wheelchairs who were waiting patiently to meet her, and she went out of her way to make sure that they felt included in the festivities. She spent more time talking and fawning over these fans than any of the others. She was gracious, authentically friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in what they had to say. These are the sorts of moments that the mainstream world doesn’t get to hear about.

 

The AVNs are an environment of inclusion. Although the female performers get the majority of attention, there was a much stronger presence of transgender starlets than in previous years. Their fans flocked to their booths, standing in long lines to take photos with their favorite actresses. As a big fan of transgendered performers, I loved seeing the lovely ladies getting to be their true selves. Plus, they are HOT AS FUCK!

 

Here’s a few highlights from the weekend:

 

Meeting Ava Devine at the Expo was a thrill. She is one of my favorite performers, primarily because of her incredibly dirty mouth. She talks nasty like no one else in the industry. She looked beautiful and was super engaging with her fans, hugging and chatting it up with everyone. I have to admit, I was a little star-struck!

Karlee Grey was another stunner. She is so cute and bubbly, with the best bush in the business. She had no problem admitting that she has an emotional attachment to her bush, which I can totally relate to. The Hubs and I happened to catch her during a lull in the excitement and were able to hang out with her for an extended period of time. She was just so fun, we didn’t want to leave!

 

Britney Amber is super sweet. She looked absolutely gorgeous every time I saw her. Last year we bonded over our love of cheap dresses and this year was no different. I could seriously picture myself hanging out with her on a Saturday, wearing sweats, and going to get coffee.

Brooklyn Chase and I had a great conversation about how much our feet hurt! It seemed to be a common complaint amongst all of the ladies. They deserve HUGE accolades for enduring the pain of stiletto heels for multiple days on end. Next year, the Hard Rock Hotel should set up those Footsy Wootsy foot massagers that they have at the county fair…for reals.

 

Speaking of being on their feet for days at a time, I need to give a shout-out to the hardest working woman at the AVNs: Lauren Phillips. She is an absolute beast. Every time I saw her, she was working it at the cam booth, always giving it her all to her live audience AND her cam audience. She’s excellent at multi-tasking (which we know because she was awesome in Interracial Double Penetration Gangbangs, which was her very first interracial gangbang)! She is so beautiful (and TALL). I’d like to climb all over her!

 

Vicki Chase is always one of my favorites. I met her last year in San Francisco and we immediately hit it off (you can check my blog for the steamy details of that interaction). She was on the Vixen Stage, which is one of the hottest places to be during the expo.

With plush couches and a fully-stocked bar, Vixen does their booth up right. The ladies were doing a twerking contest at one point, hosted by the fabulous Harley Dean. Harley kept the energy high and the fans frothing at the mouth. With the Vixen girls on one side of me and Lauren Phillips on the other, I was a happy girl!

On the red carpet, I was lucky enough to meet the incredibly talented Dana Dearmond. I was sort of intimidated to call out to her because

she is such an intense performer, but she ended up being a sweetheart and got out of line for a few minutes to chat with me!

When she found out that I do film reviews, she mentioned that she had a few negative experiences with reviewers, but I assured her that I am all about positivity.  

Let that be a lesson to all the reviewers and armchair-reviewers out there: BE NICE.

The highlight of the AVNs was meeting Francesca Le and Mark Wood. They are absolute PORN ROYALTY. I was completely star-struck when I saw Mark Wood at the bar before the awards show, but I was even more floored when I ran into Francesca Le down on the floor of the show. The two of them could not have been any friendlier. While their status in the industry would have made it understandable if they were aloof, this was the furthest thing from the truth. Mark and Francesca were gracious and funny, honest and genuine. I could have hung out with them all night (in both a sexual AND non-sexual way).

The Hubs is a MAJOR Francesca Le fan. He has her original work on VHS and can pretty much name everything she has ever filmed. One of my favorite moments of the trip was watching him get star struck when he finally got to meet his naughty fantasy goddess in person.

It’s hard to believe that she even has work that was on VHS because Francesca seriously looks like she’s 25. She is absolutely stunning and her body is fucking beyond belief! Mark Wood is seriously a lucky guy…wanna be friends with me and the hubs?

Like me, Mark and Francesca are incredibly passionate about rescuing pit bulls. They are actively involved in the bully-rescue community and are always advocating for the cause. As someone with an adorably amazing rescued pit, we had an immediate connection. Some guys use their cute dogs to lure in the ladies, I use mine as an excuse to talk to porn royalty! I’d love to hook up with them and raise awareness for our precious pitties!

Mark and Francesca are always spreading the word about the importance of pet rescue. They ask that everyone who is considering adding a fur-baby to their lives would please check with their local shelters and rescue centers. There are SO many amazing pets out there who need and deserve love. ADOPT. DON’T SHOP.

All in all, the AVNs 2018 were fucking awesome. I flew home on cloud nine (via Allegiant AirJ). The vibe is stellar, the crowd is awesome, and the ladies are gorgeous. I don’t want to make it sound TOO appealing or it might be more crowded next year!! Just kidding, the more the merrier!

 

If you are a fan of the adult film industry, do yourself a favor and get your ass to the AVNs at least once in your life.

 

XOXO

Daisy Jane