Hungary- Interest in one of Budapest’s most striking trade fairs, the Erotika exhibition and fair, will likely be high this weekend, but while sex toys are still in fashion, Hungarian-made pornographic films are suffering due to low-cost competition and an AIDS scare.

The fair, which this year runs from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2, is as much a celebration of porn as it is an industry forum. There will be no furtive glances or fake moustaches from the proud and enthusiastic consumers as they mingle with providers of multifarious erotic goods and services, and take in an attempt to create a world strip-tease record.

“I’m really looking forward to the fair,” a regular Erotika attendee confided to the exhibition’s website. “There are always interesting things, and it’s good that there are no taboos. Last year I bought lubricator from a 60-year-old man.”

However, despite the enthusiasm surrounding the fair, those in the sex industry have differing views about whether Hungary is an erotica hotspot – either as a market for selling sexual goods and services or as a place to shoot pornography.

“There’s certainly great demand for porn in Hungary, and it’s getting bigger and bigger,” said Tímea Tomor, head of adult film and magazine distributor Tom Média’s wholesale division. “There is interest in all the types of erotic films we sell.”

“Hungary is a place where such things are freely tolerated,” co-organiser of the fair, Nándor Strausz, told The Budapest Times and Budapester Zeitung, comparing his homeland favourably with other places where he has tried to get involved in the business, such as Romania and Russia. “It was banned for 50 years, but we were the first to develop a domestic erotica industry after the change of system.”

“Hungarian girls are pretty and the prices are low. But the Czech Republic is a strong challenger now as the costs of making a film there are lower,” he continued.

It isn’t only the Czech Republic that is vying for the title of regional porn king. “For about two years now, people have been saying Romania is the place to shoot because it’s cheaper,” said Roland Szabó of Harashow, a production company which offers erotic shows for special events.

Hungary’s attempts to stay at the top were also recently hit by an outbreak of disease. Requesting anonymity, some filmmakers who shot films aimed at western channels said things are not so hot right now after panic ran through the local porn film industry this summer when some stars were found to be HIV-positive.

Despite these concerns, the Erotika fair is growing in popularity, and this year it will be held in the Hungexpo exhibition centre – rather appropriately located in District X – for the first time.

“We are bigger than ever this year, with 75 exhibitors and 6,500 square metres of exhibition space,” Strausz said. “90% of the exhibitors are Hungarian companies, though there are a few German and Italian companies.”

The fair will not just be a static display of sex toys. Many companies have chosen to put on live shows to demonstrate their products in their full vibrating, gyrating glory. In a departure from the porn industry’s normal procedure of getting straight to the point, Tom Média’s Tomor chose to tantalise when discussing her company’s stand. “I don’t want to say too much about what we will be putting on, as there will be some surprises,” she said.

Tibor Szikszay, office manager of long-term fair contributor Connection Bt., which specialises in sexual implements imported from German partners, was not quite so coy. He claimed that his company would have a bewilderingly large selection of 3,500 different types of sex toys on display at its stand.

“All the biggest local porn film producers, the main sex magazine publishers in Hungary like ÖKM, Tutti Frutti Party and Tom Média, and companies selling lingerie and sex toys will be there,” Strausz said. “The fair is good publicity for the companies and a good opportunity for them to make sales.”

Zsolt Papp, of Bella Model Management Agency, which places Hungarian talents in movies by major international porn producers and manages such local celebrities as Maya Gold and Michelle Wild, said that exposing itself to the public was one of the reasons his company almost always participates in the fair. “It is good for the fans to see their favourite stars close up, and the models win new fans this way too,” he said. “There are also possibilities for significant business deals as most of the major players are there. Appearing at Erotika is a question of prestige.”

Perhaps one of the biggest draws for visitors, other than the opportunity for enthusiasts to add to their collection of buzzing gadgets, will be the attempt on Friday at 4pm to set a Guinness record for a strip-tease marathon. “Judy Nero and Linda Rácz will be stripping for four whole hours, taking turns to do 30 minute sets,” said Strausz.

Exactly how the girls are going to draw out the process of undressing for a solid thirty minutes was unclear, but even if they run out of new and interesting ways to peel off their underwear, they could still create a new record. “Currently there is no record for the longest striptease performance, so we will be the first to claim this,” Judy Nero told The Budapest Times and Budapester Zeitung. “Since this is the tenth exhibition, we thought we would add something to the jubilee atmosphere. Some people have criticised us, but I don’t know why this would hurt anyone. Everybody would like to have a Guinness record, and my field is erotica,” she continued.

For those who prefer their strippers to hail from across the Atlantic, American porn actress Brittney Sky, star of Between the Teens, Barely Literate, and The Apprentass, will perform on stage all three evenings.

If customers get bored of all the stripping, they can go to the “Erotika Casino” to play roulette and win erotic prizes, and there will also be a “Porno Theatre” courtesy of Hungarian actress and director Deborah Valentine.

And it is not all girls, girls, girls – Chippendale strip shows and transvestite acts are also on the programme.

Besides the commercial and erotic thrills, the exhibition also offers the possibility of a free anonymous AIDS screening at the stand of the Hungarian Prostitutes’ Interest Protection Organisation.

The fair attracts a largely Hungarian crowd, but enthusiasts are prepared to put their sweaty hands to the steering wheel to come from other countries. “Groups come from Croatia, and people also come from Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia,” said Strausz. “A lot of Asian people are usually there too, but I think they are mostly Chinese people who live in Budapest. But this year, a Korean TV channel will be filming the event.”

The entry fee for each day is HUF 3,300. It is open Friday and Saturday 1-11pm, and Sunday 11am – 9pm.