There is always much excitement, anticipation and busy-ness in the run up to Erotica and 2008 was no exception. Like last year, I was blessed with some great help and support. Dave and Karen drove up from their home in Devon on the Wednesday night and helped with set up on the Thursday. Everything went pretty smoothly, including a fabulously well-timed meeting with Fiona, at the traffic lights at Vauxhall on the way home, who had some neck rings for the nipple clamps weights she makes for JPOL.

We left the homestead at around 10.20am on Friday 21st November and Dave drove us in his boy-racer style to Olympia. At midday, the familiar annual November sound was heard over the loudspeaker and Erotica 2008 was open.

Trade on the Friday seemed a little slow to start, but it soon picked up to a fairly steady pace. There was a lot of interest in the menswear and, as the weekend progressed, I was glad to have followed my hunch and made extra stocks of strap trousers, waistcoats, shirts and ties, as they were particularly popular items. Dave and Karen attracted much attention and custom. The three of us worked superbly together, with Dave and Karen generating leads with their good looks and charm, and myself closing the sales with my knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for the clothes. During the afternoon, Dave and Karen were approached by The Guardian newspaper and interviewed and photographed for a new feature called "Take Ten" which is due to start in January 2009.

Saturday 22nd November saw a full quota of sales crew as we were joined by Phil and Simon. Phil's webmaster expertise was called on a couple of times as we were approached by web-based businesses wanting Jed Phoenix of London as a wholesale supplier. And a kilt-wearing Simon, despite not being on top form due to a bike accident injury induced bout of insomnia, increased the sales figures to make Saturday the busiest day of Erotica 2008. There were plenty of visitors, both new and familiar faces, to keep us upbeat. Erotica is open for 28 hours during it's 3 day run, and, after a day or so of being in The Grand Hall, it can feel like you've been there for weeks! Don and Kirsty were among the familiar faces who came and saw us on stand J20. Kirsty was dressed in her Victoriana jacket and long pinstripe bustle skirt, whilst Don looked most dapper in his cashmere strap trousers, Urban Squire waistcoat and purple lined strait jacket. To top off his outfit, I reunited Don with the fleece lined CP1 coat he'd asked me to modify to his specifications. We then chatted about the exciting possibility of a photoshoot using some of their military-style vehicles, before Don ordered a pair of new Empire trousers and they strode off to enjoy the rest of Erotica 2008.

By the time the third and final day of Erotica comes along, there's often a palpable sense of relief amongst exhibitors that the busy events season is almost over for another year. There are usually comparisons to sales figures from previous years, and discussions about whether it's worth doing Erotica next year. Myself and the jewellry designer Richard Larson regularly agree that we take each Erotica as an event in and of itself. As long as there are punters coming through the doors, taking flyers, showing interest, buying our products, and having a good experience that they will hopefully tell their friends about, then Erotica is an important part of our business calendars. There are also numerous social and networking aspects of Erotica we benefit from.

The stage show at Erotica 2008 was produced by Torture Garden. Both myself and Dave and Karen have worked with or at TG over the years, so it was good to see both Allen and David outside the club environment again. The stage itself was designed and constructed by Jim Hudson, who I know from the early days of Lost Vagueness and Glam-R-Us. He bought a pair of strap trousers a few years ago, so he was happy to be able to complete the outfit by ordering a waistcoat and a tie.

With Phil, Dave and Karen manning the Jed Phoenix of London stand, I managed to escape with Caroline for long enough to see the Erotica 2008 stage show in full. The highlights for me were Crazeehorse and their gravity defying aerial activities and shows of statuesque strength, and Buck Angel's Local Authority defying final strip show. It was good to see the responses of other audience members to what for most was their first experience of seeing a naked trans-man.

At 8pm on Sunday 23rd November, the voice over the loudspeaker announced that Erotica 2008 was closed. We packed down and loaded the van with the speed and efficiency of seasoned pros. Or was that just because we wanted some dinner?

See you at Erotica 2009!

Tags: Erotica 2008