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OTTAWA — from www.ottawacitizen.com – When most people look at Ottawa, they see a great place for taking in a museum, going for a skate on the world’s largest skating rink or getting a job with the federal government. What Liz Lewis saw was the ideal location for launching a sex show business that is now expanding into cities across North America.

Sexapalooza moved to the newly renovated Ottawa Convention Centre this year after starting at Lansdowne Park five years ago. This year’s event drew hundreds on Friday and Saturday looking to peruse the sex toys on offer from vendors and to take in seminars on sexuality.

The 49-year-old Lewis, who is originally from Peterborough, said Ottawa was where she wanted to launch her idea because it fit all the criteria she was looking for. It had a university, a college, wasn’t close by to any other big cities and had about a million people, many of whom were government workers that would still be willing to spend money even in the event of an economic downturn.

Most importantly, though, it had a venue in Lansdowne Park whose managers were on board with hosting the event.

Lewis attributes the event’s success since that time to her experience as an exhibitor at sex shows in Western Canada. This allowed her to see what worked and what didn’t and, as a result, Sexapalooza is less hardcore than some of the other shows out there.

“I attract a different type of person. We don’t have porn stars here so the show is not full of young or single men,” she said. “The show attracts women and couples, people in relationships (who) … enjoy sex or want to be enjoying sex with another person. It’s marketed to people who are people.”

That has helped created a brand that allows customers to feel they can come and indulge their interest in a subject that isn’t usually discussed.

“It’s talked about so openly that you feel like you’re in such a comfortable environment,” said Laila Yousufzai, a woman in her 20s who works at a bank in Ottawa. “It makes it fun. You can come out and talk about those things.”

She was taking in the event with a friend Saturday night for the first time and was enjoying it so much she vowed to be back next year.

The business model is also part of the reason why she can expand the show.

Lewis was the organization’s only employee when it started five years ago. Now she has three permanent employees and will be looking to add another in the coming months.

The event’s five years in Ottawa have been so successful, she’s also taken the idea on the road. The show expanded into Columbus, Ohio, in January and, before the end of this year, will set up shop in Toronto and at three other locations in the United States.

Sexapalooza makes money from the event by charging vendors to set up stands and by getting admission from those interested in taking part. Lewis declined to say how much money the annual event brings in, saying only that there are a lot of overhead costs involved with taking out advertising, booking the venue and paying employees.

The event was popular on Saturday night. Hundreds of people streamed through the doors, many of them paying a cover charge of $20 for the day or $30 for the weekend.

Vendors say it’s not surprising Ottawa would be such a good location for launching the event.

“We’ve tried some events in other cities: Winnipeg, as an example, Toronto, Hamilton. Ottawa is always the best for us,” said George Bruce, the owner of Tuesday’s The Romance store on Wellington Street, as he sold his goods at the event Saturday night.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Sexapalooza+creates+comfortable+environment+sexy+discussion/6139741/story.html#ixzz1mHqF2OSE