Dozens of people lines up Friday outside of the Broward County Convention Center for the opening of Exxxotica, an adult industry convention. The three-day event began with appearances by some of the 150 adult film stars expected at the convention and even a Hugh Hefner lookalike. NBC 6’s Myriam Masihy reports.
Dozens of people lined up Friday outside of the Broward County Convention Center for the opening of Exxxotica, an adult industry convention. The three-day event began with appearances by some of the 150 adult film stars expected at the convention and even a Hugh Hefner lookalike.
Seth Ross attended the event for the first time this year and brought his wife Tina.
"There's a couple of performers that I really wanted to see that get me star-struck," he said.
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One of the celebrities at the event is Farrah Abraham, the MTV reality show star who made a sex tape but doesn't want to be referred to as a porn star. She spent her 22nd birthday at the convention.
"Today I'm just signing videos for people who would like to have a signature by me and embracing my fan base in another genre," she said.
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A genre that is a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S., with large film companies based in South Florida. The event is so popular, car restoration company Graveyard Classics attended for a second year in a row. Owner Joe Shulman said "food, women and cars go very well together," explaining that they got their "two biggest clients last year here."
Organizers of the Exxxotica convention say a recent bestselling book has given them an even bigger push. Exxxotica Director J. Handy said they've "seen it in the last year and a half the impact of ‘Fifty Shades of Gray.’"
"The female attendance since that book has definitely increased," he added.
The event has been taking place since 2006 in Miami Beach but this year organizers, looking for a more central South Florida location, moved it to Fort Lauderdale. It runs through Sunday and tickets cost $40 a day.
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