Chicago – After an application was made to the Supreme Court of Victoria on 02/08/2024 to wind up Australian Exhibition Group Pty. Ltd. (AEG), the operator of Sexpo Australia, the matter was heard on September 23rd, 2024. Sexpo Australia advised interested parties late on same day that it was indefinitely postponing all planned events, including the Adelaide event that was scheduled for October 4 to 6, just 11 days from the notification, and unpublished www.sexpo.com.au shortly afterwards.
Sexpo Australia’s Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) pages remain active, albeit with no mention of the cancelation of its events.
On October 15th, 2024, Sexpo Australia informed exhibitors “the company has begun the process of entering into administration as the deadlock and legal fees make it impossible for the business to continue operating.”
David Ross, often referred to as Mr. Sexpo, conceived and launched Sexpo – health, sexuality, and lifestyle expo in Australia, in 1996, before exporting the event to South Africa in 2007, and then London in 2015.
Maxine Fensom, a long-standing and well-respected adult industry identity, and owner of Sexpo U.S.A. (https://sexpo.com/) says, “The action against Australian Exhibition Group Pty. Ltd. (AEG) has no effect on Sexpo U.S.A. operations as AEG has no interest in the U.S.A. Sexpo trademark,” she said.
David says, “After the 2019 sale of Sexpo Australia to Australian Exhibition Group Pty. Ltd., I no longer have any interest in the local event, but still, it’s a crying shame to see what’s happened to my baby.
“I have received numerous phone calls from disgruntled exhibitors, telling me that Sexpo Australia (AEG), was still sending out invoices and reminders, and accepting payments until, at least, midday on 23/9/24, just hours before the postponement notice was sent,” he said.
Maxine and David have now teamed up with a view to filling the gap left in the market by Sexpo Australia’s demise, focusing on the core production values that were so very successful when David started Sexpo in 1996.
Maxine says, “Exhibitors and public are equally disgruntled due to the last-minute nature of the cancellation, and the lack of communication from Sexpo Australia’s management, leaving them out of pocket for all the expenses associated with travelling to, and exhibiting at a major event.
“The brand may now be too damaged to consider buying the trademark, but the name of the event is less important than giving the public what they want from an adult exhibition, so we are also considering launching under another name,” she said.
David says, “I have a very good reputation amongst Sexpo exhibitors and so the fact that the local brand is now tarnished, it maybe that the Australian trademark is worth nothing, except, possibly, to Maxine and myself.
“In fact, I have been contacted by several affected exhibitors asking if I have any intentions to launch a new event, stating they would be happy to be involved.
“We are currently seeking expressions of interest from potential investors to launch a new event.
Interested parties can contact David at [email protected].
“So as to avoid the financial pitfalls AEG experienced, we will not move forward without full funding, as producing successful exhibitions requires months of planning and significant financial investment.
If there’s enough interest and we’re fully backed, we’ll be offering early partners substantial discounts on exhibition space,” he said.
For further information, contact:
David Ross: [email protected] or PH + 61 (0) 419 266 981
Maxine Fensom: [email protected] or PH +1 (310) 722 7864