ETO Show 2026: Status, History and the Active Alternatives

ETO Show 2026 refers to the Erotic Trade Only Show, a UK business-to-business trade exhibition for pleasure products, lingerie and sexual wellness. No 2026 edition is confirmed: the live show has not run since its 2019 return and was knocked out by COVID-19 in 2020, so treat it as dormant.

What is (or was) the ETO Show?

The ETO Show (Erotic Trade Only Show) was a UK business-to-business trade exhibition for the pleasure-products, lingerie and sexual-wellness sectors, historically billed as 'the UK's No.1 erotic trade show' and 'the only UK-based B2B trade event that caters for the pleasure products and wellness sectors.' The ETO Show was strictly trade-only, with no public access and trade-status checks at the door, according to the Coventry City Council ETO Show Event Overview prepared from the organizers' own description.

The ETO Show was owned by and publicised through ETO Magazine (Erotic Trade Only), a UK trade publication. According to EAN Online, ETO first launched as a trade title in 2003, while the show itself began in 2005. The ETO Show ran at the NEC in Birmingham through 2016, then did not run in 2017 or 2018, with organizers citing economic and commercial factors including the impact of Brexit, per the Coventry City Council overview. The show returned on 10-11 March 2019 at the Ricoh Arena (now the Coventry Building Society Arena) in Coventry.

The ETO Show's exhibitors were manufacturers, distributors, niche suppliers and wholesalers of adult toys, lingerie, lifestyle garments, lubricants, condoms, sexual-health products and wellbeing supplements, alongside service providers. The Coventry City Council overview records that roughly 40% of exhibitors were involved in adult-toy manufacture or distribution and around 60% offered products or services aimed at mainstream retail such as lingerie stores, pharmacies and supermarkets. Products on the floor were for demonstration only, with no transactions completed on site.

What is happening with the ETO Show 2026?

As of mid-2026, no ETO Show 2026 edition has been confirmed, and the live exhibition appears dormant. The last confirmed ETO Show took place on 10-11 March 2019 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The 2020 edition (planned for the Ricoh Arena, with organizer named as Jonathan Kirk) was postponed to 13-14 September 2020 due to coronavirus and then cancelled, with the cancellation reported in late July 2020, according to EAN Online and Sated Design.

A '2021' ETO Show date (13-14 June 2021, Ricoh Arena) circulated on third-party trade-show directories, but it was explicitly cancelled, with the listing noting 'This event has been cancelled and will no longer be held,' per ntradeshows.com. No ETO Show editions for 2021 through 2025 could be confirmed as having physically taken place. Whether the show is permanently discontinued or simply on an extended pause is not publicly confirmed, so the honest position for an ETO Show 2026 guide is that the live event is dormant and any revival would need to be announced by the brand owner.

The ETO brand itself survives, even if the live show does not. The ETO business was acquired by All Purpose Media Ltd, headed by Jason Dante, from Carnal Creative on 28 July 2023, according to EAN Online. ETO now operates primarily as an online B2B trade publication and newsletter, listed on LinkedIn as based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Separately, the dormant corporate shell 'ETO SHOW LTD' (company no. 06344185) was dissolved on 7 November 2023, per UK Companies House; that shell is distinct from the live ETO brand.

What are the active alternatives to the ETO Show in 2026?

With the ETO Show dormant, the practical alternatives for anyone wanting a B2B pleasure-products or adult-industry trade event in 2026 are international rather than UK-based. According to ETO's own events calendar, plus the XBIZ Show and ANME Founders sites, the active 2026 events include the shows in the table below. The UK no longer has a dedicated domestic erotic trade show, leaving a gap that UK retailers and creators currently fill by traveling to EU and US events.

Which industry trends would shape an ETO Show 2026?

Even with the ETO Show dormant, the trends that defined its sector continue to reshape the wider adult and creator economy. The ETO Show was always a products-and-retail trade event rather than an OnlyFans-style content conference, but the technology, regulatory and business shifts behind its sector mirror the forces that affect creators and the agencies supporting them. Below are the trends most worth watching, with practical context for creators and management teams.

How is AI changing operations in the ETO Show's sector and creator work?

AI is moving from marketing buzzword to shipping feature across the pleasure-products and adult-wellness sector, and the same wave is reshaping creator operations behind the scenes. The rise of sex-tech as a programming theme is visible on ETO's 2026 events calendar, which lists Berlin's Sex Fest and Sex Tech conference, reflecting growing interest in app-connected toys, AI and creator-monetisation tooling. For the creator side of the same industry, Bunny Agency, which manages 400+ creators, uses AI-assisted but human-supervised chatting systems and a proprietary CRM to handle high message volume while keeping a real person responsible for tone, consent and authenticity.

The distinction between AI-assisted and fully automated is the practical lesson here. App-connected and AI-driven products still depend on human design and oversight to feel authentic, and creator messaging benefits the same way: automation that drafts and accelerates while a person makes the judgment calls. Creators or agencies that lean entirely on unsupervised automation risk losing the authenticity that earns repeat fans.

What does creator independence versus agency support look like in 2026?

The ETO Show's exhibitor base of brands, wholesalers and retailers underlined a structural truth that also applies to creators: scaling a business usually means choosing between doing everything yourself and partnering with specialists. Many creators eventually weigh full self-management against working with an agency, and the honest answer depends on goals, bandwidth and revenue. Before signing with anyone, creators should understand standard agency commission rates and read every clause in an OnlyFans agency contract. For those who prefer the independent route, Bunny Agency runs Creator Education to help creators move toward confident self-management.

Why does a multi-platform strategy matter in the ETO Show's sector?

The ETO Show deliberately straddled adult and mainstream retail, with around 60% of its exhibitors aiming products at lingerie stores, pharmacies and supermarkets, per the Coventry City Council overview. That convergence of 'adult' with 'sexual wellness' and mainstream channels is the same diversification logic that benefits creators: widen your audiences and distribution rather than relying on a single market. Agencies that manage creators across multiple platforms and regions, as Bunny Agency does across the DACH region, LATAM, the US, Spain, France and Hungary, treat multi-platform presence as risk management, not just growth, hedging against any single platform's policy shifts.

How do age verification and regulation affect the ETO Show's audience?

Regulation has always been a backdrop for the adult and sexual-wellness space, and the ETO Show's trade-only, age-restricted model was itself a form of compliance: the show admitted verified trade professionals only, ran age and trade-status checks at the door, and excluded the general public, according to the Coventry City Council overview. For creators and agencies, the tightening of age-verification and content rules across jurisdictions makes compliance a core operational competency rather than an afterthought. This pressure also raises the stakes on choosing partners carefully: creators should learn to spot the warning signs in scam OnlyFans agencies and follow a structured process for choosing the right agency.

What does the ETO Show 2026 status mean for creators?

• ✓The ETO Show is dormant, not a 2026 destination. No ETO Show 2026 edition is confirmed, and the last live show ran in March 2019, so do not plan travel around an ETO Show this year; verify any news on the official ETO site first.
• ✓It was a trade event, not a creator event. The ETO Show was always closed to the public and built for product buyers and sellers, so individual content creators were never the target audience; the value is in the trends it surfaced, not in attending.
• ✓Look international for live events. If you want a 2026 industry show, the active options are abroad, such as eroFame, VENUS Berlin and the ANME Founders Show.
• ✓'Sexual wellness' positioning widens your audience. The ETO Show's mainstream-retail tilt reflects an industry shift toward wellness framing, giving creators more legitimate, brand-safe ways to position their work across platforms.
• ✓Know the economics before partnering. If you are considering management, understand typical commission rates and prefer learning self-management through Creator Education if independence is your goal.

What does the ETO Show 2026 status mean for agencies?

• ✓A dormant UK show signals a market gap. With no dedicated UK erotic trade show in 2026, agencies and retailers must look to EU and US events for face-to-face industry contact, changing how the UK market discovers partners.
• ✓Trade media has pivoted online. ETO's survival as an online publication and newsletter after its 2023 sale to All Purpose Media mirrors a wider digital pivot in legacy B2B titles, so agencies should track newsletters and digital calendars rather than waiting for print or annual expos.
• ✓AI-assisted, human-supervised operations are the standard. As sex-tech and AI products spread across the sector, agencies should pair automation with human oversight; Bunny Agency's full-service management uses AI-assisted chatting kept under human supervision for exactly this reason.
• ✓International reach is a competitive edge. With the live action now centered on Amsterdam, Berlin and US cities, agencies operating across multiple regions, as Bunny Agency does across six international studios, are better placed to serve global creators.
• ✓Compliance and reputation matter most. As regulation tightens, agencies that operate transparently stand apart from the scam operators that damage trust across the industry.
• ✓Compare events to plan your year. Pair this guide with our eroFame 2026 guide, VENUS Berlin 2026 guide and ANME Founders Show 2026 guide, or browse the full events hub.

About Bunny Agency

Bunny Agency, founded in 2019, is an international creator-management company with 112+ team members across six studios, managing 400+ creators who average $55,000 per month. Bunny Agency operates across the DACH region, LATAM, the US, Spain, France and Hungary, and builds proprietary CRM and AI-assisted (human-supervised) chatting systems to support its full-service management. For creators who want to take the independent route, Bunny Agency also runs creatoreducation.com, a learning resource for those moving toward confident self-management. To weigh your options, see our guide to the best OnlyFans agency criteria.