PANDA goes big at the Exotic Dancer Expo
Every year, the Exotic Dancer Expo and Award Show brings the best from all across the country to Las Vegas for an epic week of education and fun. Nowhere was this more evident than at the PANDA party during the Sunday night prior to Expo.
Held at the House Showclub, the event was carefully organized by PANDA President Dane Hansen and other board members. The evening started with a meet and greet of DJs from every corner of the country. As always, these events are great ways for jocks to connect to other people that understand the challenges in this part of the industry. Gatherings like this are exactly what got the ball rolling for the organization and always high on the to do list for all attending jocks.
After the meet and greet, the night really got underway with the Dream Girls showcase, a burlesque-style show that captivated all the members of the audience. Following that were the light-hearted PANDA awards, which ended in a surprise PANDA of the Year award for Dane Hansen, and then the roast of “The Stripfather” himself, Glenn Miller.
Known to many as Michael J Peter’s first male DJ, Glenn revolutionized the industry for all of the DJs that have come after him. Roast master Bobby Mac stole the show as usual, rendering us all breathless with laughter. The roast ended with a video of M.J.P. congratulating Glenn personally for all that he’s done and the award presentation for the man of the hour. Following Glenn’s acceptance speech, some of the top mix DJs in the business took the stage spinning the hottest EDM and Top 40. Special guests from DJ City really made the night special.
The party was a hit, but it was just the beginning of the splash that PANDA made at the Expo this year. This was also the first year that the organization had its own booth on the floor. Board member Danny Meyers brought a life to the booth that was palpable, doing interviews with the top names in the business. From surprise visits from Ron Jeremy, to the incomparable Chelsea Charms’s unique way of holding a microphone, the antics at the booth were a blast. Other board members were also sharing information with passers by on what our organization is and what we would like it to be as it grows in membership in coming years.
Be sure to check out the interviews from the biggest features, DJs and show celebrities on the website address listed below!
Another big part of the fun during the Expo were the interactive panels held by the DJs. Mike “Platypus” DeSuno and Jimmy Boucher kicked it off with the DJ 101 panel. They set a great precedent with getting crowd participation from owners and DJ’s alike. It was a completely different feel from Expos of the past. Owners even got the chance to be in the driver’s seat as DJs were picked “at random” to be stand-ins for dancers. It definitely brought on a laugh or two to see some of the big names attempting some of the more challenging aspects of being on a microphone for a living.
On the 2nd day of panels Dane Hansen, Danny Meyers, and Shawn Claveau brought the same kind of excitement and energy to the show. Danny educated everyone on the art of being an MC for Bachelor parties, bringing riotous laughter to the crowd more than once. Shawn followed with his insights on how clubs can use their TVs for in-house advertising. Both panels were great for any DJs or owners trying to give their club that extra “oomph” by increasing the quality of their show.
The final panel for DJs was the PANDA board meeting for all members. After inspiring updates from the board, the crowd was asked to share their experiences. The feeling of brotherhood was obvious as DJ after DJ stood up to tell their stories. Inspiring accounts of people that had changed their lives with the help of the DJ community showed the power that PANDA can have in our industry.
As always, Expo is one of the best times of the year. The parties, the Expo floor, and the award shows are always the highlight of the year. Special congratulations going out to the nation’s DJ, Tony Batman. There’s no harder working man in show business and we’re proud to have his as our representative of the cream of the crop for the next year and long into the future.
All around, this was the biggest showing of the organization yet, but it’s only just the beginning. Stay up to date on all the news of upcoming events, interviews, and more on the website at pandamembers.org. As always, thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Ron “DJ Ron James” Sparkman
Entertainment Director, Spearmint Rhino, Dallas, Texas
