Kelowna News

It was billed as a trade fair with an adult style.

Now it appears that the erotic adult orientated event won't be taking place at all and vendors who signed up for the event feel they have been taken advantage of.

The Xtream Fantasy Sex Show was set to take place in Kelowna from April 30 to May 2.

Several months ago the event's organizer, Natasha Lacourses with Calgary based Xtream Events, had booked ad space with local media and was in talks with a local event venue.

However, the talks with the venue never got past the discussion phase and a new venue was not booked. Now vendors, both local and from out of province, want their money back.

Vendors say no one has been able to reach Lacourses for the last couple of weeks.

Vernon-based tattoo artist Rob Forest was planning to have a booth at the show. He's out $1,000.

“I don't think that Natasha is doing this maliciously, but maybe she just got in over her head and is now hiding from people. But I want my money back. I put in a lot time and effort to make sure I could be set up to do tattoos at this show, to make sure the booth was exactly right,” says Forest.

He says he knew he had to withdraw from the show after hearing that the Okanagan Erotic Art Show was parting ways from the XFSS.

“That was the main reason I was going to be in the XFSS, was because I have pieces submitted to the Erotic Art Show and I am trying to get more into the art aspect of tattooing. I'm going to do everything I can to get in touch with her (Lacourses). I haven't heard from her for more than two weeks. $1,000 is a lot of money for a small business."

"I've never been ripped off before and I don't like it.”

Julia Trops is the organizer of the Okanagan Erotic Art Show, which has run independently for the last few years.

“The Erotic Art show was a separate event to begin with, I was contacted by Natasha out of the blue via Facebook in January, she said she was organizing this event and would like to have some art involved. I thought it was a good fit for our show, so I said OK,” says Trops.

She says she heard from Lacourses in early April saying she had lost the contract to hold the event at the Kelowna Curling Club.

“I contacted some people at some other venues and gave the info to Natasha to help her find a new venue. She followed up, made some calls, but told me that none of them worked out for various reasons. At this point, I sent out a note to the artists letting them know what was happening with the venue because I figured they had a right to know. Natasha got angry that I had told people, she said she wanted to keep it quiet until a new venue was confirmed.”

Trops says she decided to part ways with the XFSS after she found out from the Kelowna Curling Club that there had never been a contract to host the show.

Jock Tyre, manager of the KCC, says the plan to host the XFSS at the KCC never progressed beyond the discussion stage.

“There was never a contact, nothing was ever signed. We were in negotiations after the organizer expressed an interest in booking the venue, but nothing came of it,” says Tyre.

Trops says that was the last straw for her and she is now searching for a new venue to hold the Erotic Art Show later this summer.

“I have given my artists the choice to remain in the show or pull out and get their money back. I haven't cashed any of their cheques yet and I won't until the show is actually hung. I think Natasha was very sincere about wanting to put on this show, I just don't understand what went wrong.”

She says the Facebook page created for the XFSS has been taken down.

“It is really too bad, it sounded like it would have been a good event. This experience hasn't soured me on doing a collaborative event in the future if something like this comes along again. I still think it would be a good fit, but next time I will insist on seeing the venue contract.”

Other local vendors trying to get there money back include Barabra Harvey, owner of Vernon's Libra Video and Love Boutique who is out $975.

Local vendors and groups aren't the only ones impacted by this incident.

Beth Weisman-Lovatt is the president of B.A.R.E Restaurants Corp., an Toronto-based business which manufactures fetish wear.

She was planning to set up a booth at the XFSS and had paid Lacourses a $1,300 booth fee last month.

“We heard the venue it was going to be held in fell through and that she was looking for another one. I was expecting an announcement of a new venue a couple of weeks ago and haven't heard anything from her,” says Weisman-Lovatt.

She says she started to worry that no new venue had been announced, but was still willing to take part in the show.

“I had a logistical question about the show about a week later. I couldn't get in touch with her. At that point I wanted my money back. Now none of my calls are being returned and her Blackberry is full, it won't take any new messages.”

“Maybe she has all the intention of still putting the show together, but her silence is damning. If she was having problems getting a venue, she should have just held her head up high and admitted that. We could have worked something out. Now I am considering getting a lawyer.”

During an interview with Castanet earlier this year, Lacourses said the XFSS would feature live entertainment on a main stage, vendors, and educational workshops.

She said she was expecting there to be about 130 vendors such as health practitioners, yoga instructors, lingerie, alternative life styles, tattoo and body piercing, photography and adult novelty retailers.

“It's a very positive show, it's about opening people's minds to this aspect of life. It's not pornography, it's an adult trade fair,” said Lacourses at the time.

Several calls and emails from Castanet to Lacourses and to Xtreme Events were not returned.

Link: The Okanagan Erotic Art Show will still take place