17th Annual Gentlemen’s Club Owners EXPO

Tackled “Building A Winning Team In Your Club”
A championship game is played every night in an adult nightclub.  Kick-off is when the club opens its doors and the final whistle is when it closes.  The question that every club owner and staff member must ask himself or herself is, did their club win the game?

Did they beat the opposing team (the competition, including fellow adult clubs and mainstream entertainment establishments)?  Did they effectively manage their players (managers, dancers, bartenders, floormen, waitresses, DJs and house moms)?

The truth is, no one person can win the game all by themselves.  No owner or general manager can do it all.  It takes an entire staff—playing together as one unit, one team—to win each and every night.

In case you haven’t guessed it yet, the theme of the 17th Annual Gentlemen’s Club Owners EXPO (August 23-26, 2009, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas) was “Building a Winning Team in Your Club,” and each panel session and evening event carried the sports theme throughout.  But the ultimate goal was clear:  Adult nightclub owners and every member of their team were able to take home strategies to add to their club’s game plan.

For the first time in the history of the EXPO, seminars and workshops were dedicated to each key member of an adult nightclub’s staff: General Managers, House Moms, DJs, Entertainers, Bartenders/Waitresses & Floormen/Doormen.  Why does an adult club need a House Mom? How can clubs recruit, train and keep the best entertainers?  How should a club determine what music fits their club’s clientele?  What can bartenders and waitresses do to increase a club’s bottom line? These questions and many more were answered by a host of industry experts during the EXPO’s three days of workshops and panel sessions.

In fact, one of those “experts” included an expert on the importance of teamwork, and he provided the EXPO’s Keynote Address.  That “he” was none other than Dallas Cowboys legend Ed “Too Tall” Jones, an NFL All-Pro who played in three Super Bowls! Now a motivational speaker, Jones brought his years of expertise and unique wisdom to the EXPO, as he delivered the Keynote on Tuesday, August 25th.

In addition to these unparalleled seminars, the EXPO featured a 300-booth Tradeshow including businesses providing products and services to the adult nightclub and feature entertainment industries.  The EXPO also featured the 12th Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show, as well as two packed-house evening parties.  The first, the Opening Night “Kick Off” Party, was held at the ROK Vegas nightclub inside the New York New York Hotel & Casino on Monday, August 23rd.   The second, the “Post Game Celebration” Party, was held at Rick’s Cabaret in Las Vegas, and featured the Finals of the Miss Exotic United States Pageant Series.

Click images below to see EXPO 2009 Agendas:

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Click the links below for a recap of each of the Expo 2009 panel sessions and workshops:

The EXPO ‘09 Keynote Address:

Ed "Too Tall" Jones
For anyone that grew up in the 1970s—sports fan or not—there was at least one NFL player that seemed larger than life.  Literally.  When your nickname is “Too Tall,” it’s obvious that you’re going to tower over most people, including the rest of the behemoths on the football field. 
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EXPO staff workshop: “The Ambassadors”

They are your staff's front line!
They are your club’s ambassadors.  They are the first people your customers see and interact with. They are the conduit for your customers to the bar, to the entertainers, and to having an overall enjoyable experience. 
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EXPO staff workshop: “Bartenders & Servers”

featuring Tim Kirkland
From saying goodbye to the tactic of the upsell to the learning the psychology of a given customer, Tim Kirkland offered modest advice for club owners wanting to revitalize their alcohol and food sales: forget what you think you know.
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EXPO staff workshop: “House Moms”

The adult club's unsung hero?
For many adult clubs, the single most important woman in their club isn’t an entertainer—it’s the woman who helps take care of the entertainers: The House Mom.  Is your club’s House Mom simply the trainer handing out supplies, or is she...
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EXPO staff workshop: “Entertainers”

The club's most important commodity!
Can you name any other business where 95 percent of a company’s staff is comprised of Type-A personality, aggressive women who are sexy, beautiful and used to always getting their way?  Welcome to the “I’m-ready-to-pull-my-hair-out” world of...
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EXPO staff workshop: “DJs”

on the mic with the industry jocks!
If your club’s DJ is more concerned with the tip-out he’s getting from your dancers than the big spender he just chased out the door by playing hardcore rap or abrasive heavy metal, then he’s...
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The 2009 ED Award winners....

The nominees for best club in the Southeast are:

• Club Madonna in Miami
• Strokers in Atlanta
• Tampa Gold Club in Tampa
• Tootsie's in Miami
• The Men’s Club in Raleigh, North Carolina
• The Pony in Memphis
• Thee Diamond Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Thee Southern Belle in Charleston, South Carolina

And the winner is...
Tootsie's in Miami

 

The nominees for best club in the Northeast are:

• Cadillac Lounge in Providence, Rhode Island
• Center Stage in Springfield, Massachusetts
• Cheerleaders in Philadelphia
• Club Onyx in Philadelphia
• The Dollhouse in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
• Gallagher’s 2000 in Queens, New York
• Gentlemen’s Quarters in Baldwin, New York
• Gold Club in Wilmington, Delaware

And the winner is:
Cheerleaders in Philadelphia

 

The nominees for best club in the Mideast are:

• Deja Vu in Saginaw, Michigan
• Industrial Strip in Hammond, Indiana
• Kahoots in Columbus, Ohio
• Oval Office in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Penthouse Club in East Saint Louis, Illinois
• Scores in Chicago
• Silk Exotic in Milwaukee
• VIP Gentlemen’s Club in Chicago

And the winner is:
Penthouse Club in East Saint Louis, Illinois

 

The nominees for best club in the Southwest are:

• California Girls in Anaheim, California
• Centerfolds Cabaret in Phoenix
• Déjà Vu in City of Industry, California
• Fantasy Castle in Long Beach, California
• Godfather Gentlemen’s Club in Canoga Park, California
• Hi-Liter in Phoenix
• Rick’s Cabaret in Las Vegas
• Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas

And the winner is:
Fantasy Castle in Long Beach

 

The nominees for best club in the Northwest are:

• Acropolis in Portland, Oregon
• Broadway Showgirls in San Francisco
• The Crazy Horse in San Francisco
• The Gold Club In San Francisco
• Great Alaskan Bush Co. Two in Anchorage
• Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in San Francisco
• Stars Cabaret in Beaverton, Oregon
• The Nile in Eugene, Oregon

And the winner is:
The Crazy Horse in San Francisco

 

The nominees for best club in the Central Region are:

• Bazooka’s Showgirls in Kansas City, Missouri
• Heartbreakers in Dickinson, Texas
• Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in Shreveport, Louisiana
• Night Trips in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Rick’s Cabaret in Fort Worth, Texas
• Sugars in Austin, Texas
• The Clubhouse in Dallas
• The Mens’ Club in Dallas

And the winner is:
Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in Shreveport, Louisiana

 

The nominees for HOUSE MOM of the Year are:

• Shari Nevis of Rachel's in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Debbie Ibarra of Scores in Chicago
• Melinda of Rick's Cabaret in New York City
• Jo Anne Jacobs of Delilah's in Philadelphia
• Scotty Rock of Silk Exotic Gentlemen's Club in Wisconsin
• Debra Samples of The Lodge in Dallas

And the winner is:
Shari Nevis of Rachel's in West Palm Beach, Florida

 

The nominees for GENERAL MANAGER of the Year are:

• Lloyd Ace of The Men’s Club in Houston
• Sherry Cooper of Déjà Vu in City of Industry, California
• Michael Shiell of La Boheme in Denver (pronounced la-bo-heeme)
• Ken Sistrunk of Rick’s Cabaret in New York City

And the winner is:
Ken Sistrunk of Rick’s Cabaret in New York City

 

The nominees for Club Chain of the Year are:

• Christie’s Cabarets
• Deja Vu
• Fantasy Showclubs
• Galardi South Enterprises
• MAL Entertainment
• Penthouse Clubs
• Pure Gold
• Rick's Cabaret
• South East Showclubs
• South West Clubs
• Spearmint Rhino
• The Gold Club
• VCG—PT's Showclubs

And the winner is:
Deja Vu

 

HALL OF FAME Winner 1:
Albert Bortz of Blush in Pittsburgh

HALL OF FAME Winner 2:
Greta Shamy of Delilah's in Philadelphia

 

The nominees for Feature Club of the Year are:

• Al’s Diamond Cabaret in Reading, Pennsylvania
• Blush in Pittsburgh
• Columbus Gold in Columbus, Ohio
• Erv’s in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• The Gold Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• On the Border in Milwaukee
• The Red Parrot in El Paso
• T’s Lounge in West Palm Beach

And the winner is:
The Red Parrot in El Paso

 

 

The nominess for Club Favorite Feature Entertainer of the Year

• Angelica Wild
• Brandi Morgan
• Claudia Monet
• Gia Nova
• Jaded Dawn
• Jesse Jane
• Shay Lynn
• Trina Michaels

And the winner is:
Jesse Jane

 

The nominees for Newcomer Feature Entertainer of the Year are:

• Ashlynn Brooke
• Bree Olsen
• Christina Aguchi
• Dakota
• Jennifer Jacobs
• Mackenzee Pierce
• Sondra Saxon
• Tali De’Mar

And the winner is:
Ashlynn Brooke

 

The nominees for Adult Movie Feature Entertainer of the Year are:

• Audrey Bitoni
• Belladonna
• Katsuni
• Lisa Ann
• Monica Mayhem
• Sunny Leone
• Teagan Presley
• Victoria Valentina

And the winner is:
Teagan Presley

 

The nominees for Overall Club of the Year for 2009 are:

• Delilah’s in Philadelphia
• Diamond Cabaret in Denver
• Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in New York City
• Pink Pony South in Atlanta
• Rachel’s in West Palm Beach
• Rick’s Cabaret in New Ork City
• The Lodge in Dallas
• The Men’s Club in Charlotte

And the winner is:
The Men’s Club in Charlotte

 

The Nominees for ED’s Overall Entertainer of the Year for 2009 are:

• Daisy Duxe
• Rachelle Laree
• Robyn Foxx
• Schevelle
• Suzie Malone

And the winner is:
Rachelle Laree