This is possibly the latest of the Eroticon 2015 posts, but due to some numpty (me) thinking that the start of the school summer holidays was a good time to move the conference to (it wasn’t) I’ve only just got time and space at my desk to write this up.

Overview

Wow, this year was awesome. I know, I say that every year, and I’m not lying, but this year felt very consolidated, very awesome and very needed.

While the change to August meant that fewer people could attend in some ways this was a positive. The conference felt more relaxed and consolidated – cosy even. On a personal level I felt that I had more time within the weekend to catch up and connect with more people as I was less overwhelmed by volume of people.

Sessions and speakers

Thank you speakers! As ever you were all awesome. Eroticon’s success is due to the generosity of the speakers who share ideas, experience and skills so generously with barely a book, product or business pimp in sight. Because you know what really pings me off – when you sit through 45 minutes of soft sell for someone’s business. That’s not what you pay your money for when you go to a conference, you pay your money to learn something to help YOU.

This year I had tried to streamline the sessions to two main choices each slot and a drop in session for people to choose from. This seemed to work well and was easier to manage from a logistics point of view. The drop in sessions could have been better explained in advance and that’s something I know to do better next time. (Yes NEXT TIME)

I had also wanted to have an emphasis on people actually creating something during the weekend, I’m not sure how well this went – I know Kink Craft were a great and successful addition on this front and hope they’ll come back again next year.

I still have in my head that one year we could create a zine, podcast, somethingorother across the weekend – with people contributing to the finished product. It’s an idea to work on – if you’ve an idea as to how this can be achieved I’d love to hear from you.

Sponsors

Thank you to all the sponsors who threw themselves so wholeheartedly into the conference; from donating prizes, supplying awesome gifts in the conference bags, socializing, talking and inpspiring and just generally supporting the event and the community.

Take a bow Hot Octopuss, Doxy, Love Sex Love Toys, Vibease, MysteryVibe and Pasante.

Eroticon really really couldn’t happen without you.

Thanks also to our friends at Simply Pleasure, SH! and We Vibe and RocksOff who donated prizes for the prize draws – you made many people VERY happy.

Delegates

You guys. YOU GUYS! Wow, aren’t you just a conference room of awesome.

Thank you.

If I were more of a hippy I’d say that this year’s event was very “healing” for me. I’d run out of steam and fallen out of love with the event but as usual your enthusiasm for Eroticon refreshed and inspired me. The impromptu brainstorming on Sunday afternoon was incredibly helpful in terms of getting direct feedback from you about what you love about the event, what it means to you and how to move it forward and keep developing it. It also felt like a huge warm hug.

All in all Eroticon 2015 was hugely validating for me from a personal and professional perspective.

What’s next?

There will be an Eroticon in 2016 – Eroticon Live news coming soon!

It won’t be in the US – sorry, I just don’t have the resources to make that happen in 2016

However (drum roll) there will be Eroticon Academy, an online version of the conference with monthly workshops from the brightest and best of the sex writing, blogging and erotica world. I’m still working on the website so if you aren’t already on the newsletter list sign-up for advance notice of events and opportunities. Go up to the sidebar and stick your name and email in the boxes at the top.

Ruby Kiddell