LOS ANGELES — Hot on the heels of the virtual ANME/XBIZ Show, XBIZ is pleased to announce the winners of last fall’s XBIZ Retreat “Most Valuable Buyer” contest.
As a bonus to incentivize business conducted at the virtual editions of XBIZ Retreat, buyers are entered into a contest to reward the Top 3 most prolific as rated by participating vendors based on several criteria.
In first place, winning $2,500 in prize money is Lovehoney. In second place, winning $1,500 is Australasian Adult Product Distributors (AAPD); and in third place is Imbesharam, winning the $1,000 prize.
In addition to the Top 3 MVB prizes, another incentive offered to all participating buyers was the opportunity to win a $550 gift card by fulfilling their scheduled meeting commitments.
“We have been attending XBIZ for years and have found it a great place to meet new suppliers and catch up with our existing ones,” Lovehoney’s Jo Hall said. “In the current situation, 2020’s show was a fantastic success with a great format which worked well for us all. We look forward to attending the next show, hopefully face-to-face! Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. It means so much.”
AAPD’s CEO Linda Zerella embraced XBIZ Retreat’s virtual format as an alternative during the pandemic.
“As we are experiencing crazy times with travel restrictions I found the virtual show to be a great way to catch up with existing suppliers as well as meeting new ones,” Zerella said. “Receiving the perk was an added bonus and the win was unexpected and a nice surprise. Thank you, XBIZ, for putting on the show.”
Imbesharam co-founder Raj Armani was also awed at having received a bonus prize as an MVB on top of the additional incentive reward.
“Yay, I just found out that I won $1,550 for attending XBIZ, making some great deals and new friends,” he said. “Talk about having the cake and eating it, too. This is my sixth year attending XBIZ and the second time I got a splendid ROI. The first time was when we won [an] XBIZ Award in 2015. To the entire team at XBIZ, I would like to express my gratitude and congratulations, for you are truly world-class in the business. The XBIZ Retreat show, though being 100% virtual, delivered a close to real-life experience.
“The team excelled all the way, from preparation, communication to day-of-event timeliness, coordination and tech support,” he added. “The team was on top, there when we needed and made us feel welcome and part of the community. Thank you XBIZ for this award and thank you for having me at your Retreat every year, no matter L.A. or Berlin, you call me, I will be there!”
As XBIZ Retreat partnered up with ANME to host last week’s biggest virtual expo for pleasure products and adult retail, buyers were once again incentivized to maximize their participation in the event with a $200 gift, regardless of their purchase volume. ANME/XBIZ also hosted a Most Valuable Buyer contest, once again awarding $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 prizes, respectively, to the top three winners, which will be announced next week.
Read coverage of the ANME/XBIZ Show here, and coverage of the last European edition of XBIZ Retreat here.
For more information about participating in the upcoming edition of XBIZ Retreat, contact theretreat@xbiz.com.