A UNIQUELY SINGAPORE SEX SHOW

My ever horny friend Yuan Long told me about the Australian Sexpo oh so many months ago. Now she's the first to notify me of the local Sexpo coming to a convention hall near you... in Singapore.

From Todayonline:

Tuesday August 16, 2005

SEX in Singapore? A non-event, going by surveys of global sexual habits.
But one local company is hoping to change this, by organising Singapore's
first sex exhibition.

On display will be adult novelty products and sex-friendly furniture, and
there will be demonstrations of intimate dancing and a look at the
evolution of undergarment and sensual wear.

To be held in November at the Singapore Expo, it will be called - what
else - Sexpo 2005. The company behind the event, also called Sexpo, was
set up in March.

"We got the idea from the sex exhibitions in Australia which are organised
by the adult entertainment industry," said Mr Kenny Goh, a Sexpo
directors. "But for us in Singapore, we want to do it from a 'health'
angle.

"The exhibition will deliver frank, accurate and updated information on
sexual education in a family-friendly setting," said Mr Goh, 35.

"There is certainly a vacuum in terms of educational information on
sex-related issues and we see a lot of potential in the market. The
exhibition will be the first in a whole series of events ...

"Just like how we have computer and furniture shows every year, a sex
exhibition can be held to de-stigmatise sex."

Soon after the company was formed, Sexpo applied to the police for a
licence to hold the exhibition, said Mr Goh, who is also a director at
Cherubim Exchange, a medical diagnostics distributor. In May, after he was
asked to give more details, he was told that it had to be cleared by
"higher authorities".

To his relief, the in-principle approval was granted in July. Sexpo will
continue to work closely with the police in screening the programmes and
participants at the exhibition.

He said: "They expressed concern over the adult content. The three
guidelines given to us were that there must be no obscenity, no nudity and
no content on homosexuality."

While government agencies were uncomfortable about backing the exhibition,
Mr Goh said they have been supportive.

Government agencies such as the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will have
booths at Sexpo, as will voluntary groups such as Action For Aids.

Speakers at the various seminars during the exhibition will be educators
and medical personnel. The topics have been selected in consultation with
doctors and the HPB, and cover matters such as sexual positions and tips
on sex toys and bedroom games.

The initial target audience was working executives, but Sexpo then decided
youth should be included.

This raised the question of whether abstinence or safe sex should be
promoted.

After discussions with the relevant authorities, the focus on sexual
education for teenagers "will be more on abstinence as we strive to
reinforce the virtue of abstinence and stress on the non-physical
relationship for the teens", said Mr Goh, who expects the three-day event
to attract more than 60,000 visitors.

With tickets priced at $8 for visitors below 21 years old and $14 for
adults, Sexpo expects to see a healthy profit on its exhibition, which
cost some $500,000 to organise.

The Sexpo exhibition, occupying 3,000 sq m, will be in two sections.

The "Living Room" will cater to the general public with exhibits and
seminars focussing on adolescent sexual issues. The other section, the
"Bedroom", will house adult-oriented content, including the sale of adult
toys, and access will be restricted to adults.

One highlight of will be an exotic dance competition. Auditions for this
will be held in October.

Said Mr Goh: "I think it is quite challenging to hold such an event in
Singapore. That is why we want to position the exhibition properly. Upon
successfully launching the event, we can bring smaller scale events to the
heartlands." - Loh Chee Kong