AMSTERDAM — A throng of fans from across Europe and around the globe descended on the Passenger Terminal building on Friday, eager to meet their favorite adult stars at the inaugural X3 Amsterdam fan expo.
They were greeted by a colorful extravaganza of performers, creators and exhibitors, including the cream of the crop of European talent, with a significant contingent of North American stars sprinkled throughout the venue.
Billed as the world’s biggest creator expo, X3 Amsterdam is X3’s latest expansion, spotlighting the personalities, media and technology shaping modern adult entertainment while giving fans the chance to experience it all up close.
Headlining the event were the X3 Amsterdam All-Stars: Clemence Audiard, Little Caprice, Sabien DeMonia, Britney Dutch, Clea Gaultier, Catherine Knight and Tiffany Tatum, each of whom hosted meet-and-greets with their fans just inside the exhibition hall.
The first of three All-Stars to meet her fans on Day 1 of the event was Audiard, who also happened to be the most nominated actress at the weekend’s XMA Europe Awards, with 13 nods.
“XBIZ gives me the all-star treatment this year,” she joked. “That said, I think I kind of deserve it!”
Dressed in her signature No Way Back attire, Audiard spent an hour signing flyers and taking selfies with fans, before ceding the space to Knight and Gaultier.
Right off the elevators, fans were met by the Brazzers Creators booth, which brought together a cohort of the studio’s best-known contract stars — Abigaiil Morris, Alexis Fawx, JMAC, Jordi El Niño Polla, Girthmasterr, Mick Blue and Danny D — all wearing X3 Expo jackets with “Brazzers in Amsterdam” written in pink across the back.
One of the most in-demand performers, to his own surprise, was Girthmasterr, who found himself caught up in a whirlwind of social media content shoots and signings with fans.
“The girls usually get the most attention,” he told XBIZ. “But many gorgeous women wanted pictures with me.”
As it turned out, so did 2025 XMA Europa Awards Male Creator of the Year The Irish Bull, who also stopped by for a picture with Girthmasterr.
“I needed to meet you!” The Irish Bull declared.
Danny D also encountered more than his share of fans, and marveled over how they keep coming back after his more than 15 years with Brazzers.
“It amazes me every year that people are still happy to watch my work,” he said. “I’m really just a kid trying not to get a real job!”
Be that as it may, it certainly didn’t stop him from scoring multiple 2026 Euro XMA awards nods.
“I know it sounds cliché, but just to be nominated is great,” Danny D told XBIZ. “There’s such high-caliber work that gets put out each year these days that anyone getting recognized is awesome. Some of the scenes I see I’m nominated against — I know how phenomenal they are.”
Blue said that he was also looking forward to the upcoming awards ceremony.
“I’ve never been to the XMA Europe Awards,” he shared. “It’s going to be really exciting.”
Meanwhile, veteran performer and Euro XMAs award nominee Keiran Lee marveled over the sheer number of creators at X3 Expo.
“They’re coming from all over the world, not only from Europe,” he observed. “It’s an opportunity to express themselves, network and meet people they never would have met before.”
Indeed, a number of American performers, creators and exhibitors had made the trek to Holland for the new event. Among those attending a European convention for the first time was performer/creator Hailey Rose.
“I didn’t know what the turnout was going to be like, but a lot of super-friendly and nice guys came out,” she said. “I’m really excited to meet fans I’ve never met before. It was absolutely worth coming.”
At the Fansly booth, Director of Marketing Leah Koons extolled the opportunities afforded by X3 making its way overseas.
“It’s a very different group of people here,” she said. “It’s so cool to meet this whole other side of the community. It’s also great how focused everyone is. They’re all here to do business. We’re here to network, to show face, to answer questions and get more in touch with this market.”
Also over from North America was Naked News anchor Marina Valmont, there conducting interviews with the stars.
“I’ve always loved Amsterdam, and I’m so excited that we actually get to meet our fans out here face to face,” Valmont said. “It’s the best of both worlds, because there are American fans and performers here among all of the European talent. It’s really filling up in here, too. I’m trying to get my interviews in early because it’s going to get so crazy and busy.”
X3 Amsterdam All-Stars Tiffany Tatum and Sabien DeMonia both gushed about the event as well. Tatum said the best word to describe the expo was simply “magical.”
“And it’s getting better and better,” she added.
DeMonia agreed, enthusing, “The space is great, the organization is fantastic. Today is already so good. I think tomorrow will be fucking crazy.”
Asked what she was looking forward to the most about her time in Amsterdam, DeMonia offered a very straightforward answer.
“Dick!” she yelled. “Big ones! Nine-and-a-half inches!”
Other big-name European creators were likewise having a ball on the show floor, among them The Irish Bull.
“It’s the best experience in my life,” he gushed. “I love this! I love being around my peers. Where I want to get to, I’m not there yet, but the people that are where I want to be are right here. So being able to talk to them is an amazing experience.”
Reigning XMA Creator Awards Female Clip Creator of the Year Victoria Peach wholeheartedly agreed.
“I love X3, and it’s so good to be here in Amsterdam,” she said. “The fans are pouring through the door, and I’m literally signing from the minute the show opened until the minute it closes. I love it.”
In the screening room, fans turned out to view the non-sex portions of Vixen Media Group’s multi-nominated “Pull,” starring Hope Heaven, Melanie Marie, Vixi Rafi and Dimitri Shadow, and directed by Julia Grandi.
Said Grandi before the screening, “We really hope it brings something to our people and to us.”
Grandi confided that “Pull” is deeply personal to her, as it is partly based on her own experiences.
“I was dating this guy, and everything was perfect until he started doing weird things I couldn’t understand,” she recalled. “I later found out he was taking classes on how to manipulate and control people. And he did it on me! It kept rolling in my head over time. I call this narrative therapy.”
Grandi is already working on a follow-up, “Push,” due to begin shooting in Greece on Monday with Lily Phillips and Jason Love.
“I have a flight at 4 a.m. Monday, right after the awards ceremony,” she said. “I need to be on set at 7.”
Back on the show floor, fans lined up to meet the Fleshlight Girls. At the company’s booth, XBIZ spoke with Fleshlight Europe CEO Juan Ziena and business brand development lead Zuzana Kasinski.
Ziena said the brand was able to reach more people with the new format of the conference.
“Fans can have physical contact with the brand, which brings a lot of feedback,” he noted. “It adds extra value to being here.”
Kasinski said she was already looking ahead to Day 2.
“I want more chaos,” she laughed.
At the Clips4Sale booth, VP of Creator Success Christy Verville said she was pleasantly surprised that fans and creators were already familiar with the brand.
“Kink and fetish are getting more mainstream,” Verville said. “That’s the trend we’re in. Now is really the time for us to flourish.”
This year, she added, Clips4Sale has been making an effort to attend more events and get the brand out there, including appearances at XBIZ Miami and XBIZ Los Angeles.
“It seems to be working,” she said.
Back in the screening room, Lustery and HardWerk honcho Paulita Pappel was introducing an SFW episode from the second season of her studio’s couples reality show, “House of Love & Lustery.”
“Three years back, I really wanted to go to Mallorca for a party,” Pappel confessed. “So I thought, ‘How can we make it happen with my company bringing me there?’ So we decided to make a reality show. Reality shows on TV are always selling sex, but you never get to see any of the actual sex itself. So we figured, ‘Why not do one that actually shows you the sex?’”
Following the screening of the episode, which featured real-life couples Catherine Knight and Rob Hudson, Sammmnextdoor, Mike and Nina, and Mia and Jimmy Stone, Pappel expanded on how the project came together.
“We had to watch a lot of reality TV for research, and plan for the different challenges that the couples would have to perform,” she explained. “But mostly, we really wanted to focus on the experience of the couples, and try to create a space for them to work on things like intimacy, performance fear, kink and communication. All of it to get them ready for the big end-of-season orgy.”
The first day of X3 Amsterdam wound to a close around 9 p.m. As a coterie of fans exited the Passenger Terminal, they could be heard chattering happily about the opportunity to meet, many of them for the first time, some of the biggest adult stars on the planet.
Meanwhile, the tired but exhilarated performers, creators and exhibitors packed up their booths and signing tables, comparing notes on the experience of participating in XBIZ’s first-ever European fan expo — and preparing for the onslaught they expected to greet them on Saturday. Day 1 of the inaugural X3 Amsterdam was officially in the books.
