Some of you reading this Publisher’s Note won’t remember a time when there wasn’t an ED Magazine. Others will remember when it was called the “Bulletin” or the “Club Bulletin.” If you’ve been around long enough, you will remember the days when there was no convention for this industry, when there was no magazine, when there was nothing that tied clubs together in any meaningful way.
By now, you know the story: Don Waitt, then the Publisher of a business-to-business magazine for the concert touring industry called “Performance,” was often on the road traveling across the country to this concert or that. As a connoisseur of strip clubs, our late founder would sometimes decide he wanted to visit a club while in that city. Unfortunately, as he soon realized, there was no way to “find” a strip club. The internet didn’t yet exist (I realize that’s hard for people like my 14-year-old son to fathom), and the Yellow Pages (do they even still exist?) rarely listed strip clubs.
That’s when the light bulb went off: There should be a national listing — a Directory — of clubs (gentlemen’s clubs, strip clubs, adult clubs, whichever term you prefer). And thus, Don introduced and trademarked the “EXOTIC DANCER Directory” in 1991: The first-ever national (and international) listing of adult clubs, which also included hundreds of entertainer photos (it was called EXOTIC DANCER, after all).
That, of course, wasn’t the only light bulb that went off for Don. As the producer of Performance Magazine’s annual convention, the Summit Conference, he saw another opportunity in this industry. As he got to know more of the major players in the adult nightclub business, including people like Michael J. Peter and Harry Mohney, he saw an opportunity to introduce a convention for clubs. It was originally dubbed the Gentlemen’s Club Owner’s Expo, and in 1993, it debuted at the now-defunct Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The first Expo featured a small tradeshow and some seminars, all of which were held in the same small ballroom.
But the Expo grew very quickly. Attendance doubled in 1994, and doubled again in 1995. The success of the Expo — particularly, the seminars — led to a demand from the industry at large. Specifically, “We can’t wait an entire year to get the news, legal advice and marketing strategies we hear at the Expo — it’s too important to our industry and to our clubs!”
The industry’s clarion call was heard loud and clear. And in the Spring of 1996 — exactly 30 years ago — the “Exotic Dancer Bulletin” was born. Initially, the magazine that you’re reading now began as a quarterly publication, with seasons rather than specific dates listed at the top of the front cover (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). As we entered the new millennium, however, we heard that same clarion call: Four times a year is not enough — we want more! Hence, the magazine would then become bimonthly (six times per year).
That wasn’t the only change to the magazine that occurred in 2000. That year’s January issue showcased a new name (Club Bulletin), a total redesign and rebranding (which was a collaboration between me and our Art Director, Kevin Pennington), and the decision to remove nudity from the magazine. Believe it or not, that was actually a major turning point for us; though we never showed full nudity, T&A made frequent appearances in the magazine.
But as ED Publications turned the corner into the 21st century, we were turning our own corner as we sought to rebrand the industry itself. We realized that it was unlikely, if not impossible, to garner support for the Expo or the magazine from major liquor vendors or other mainstream businesses if we were looked at as a “porn” magazine or something aligned with “sex” or “adult entertainment.” Our message was clear: The adult nightclub industry is part of the “hospitality industry,” not the sex industry. And our magazine reflected this message in the articles we wrote and the way in which the magazine was presented.
Over the past 30 years, the issues facing the industry have changed and evolved. While many of the industry’s “major players” remain, new faces have emerged. But one thing remains constant: Whether you call it Bulletin, Club Bulletin, ED Magazine, EXOTIC DANCER or ED30, we remain the industry’s source for news and key information related to this billion-dollar business. When club operators have new, exciting and successful ideas for our industry, we’ll be here to highlight them. When new businesses enter our arena and want to work with clubs on a national level, we’re here to introduce them to you. When attorneys have critical issues or court decisions to dissect, they’ll be welcome to share that information in our pages. We are the voice of the industry, for the industry, and we will never take that responsibility lightly.
This year, 2026, marks 30 years of this magazine. Our new masthead, ED30, reflects this milestone, and it’s one that we’re proud of. Our upcoming September “Expo” issue will be fully dedicated to the magazine’s three-decade history, and this will coincide with the unveiling of the “Exotic Dancer Archive” at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas during the 2026 ED Expo (read more about this on page 28). We salute the efforts of Devyn Waitt, Don Waitt’s daughter, who is the archive’s curator and the person most responsible for establishing this archive. We hope that you’re there to celebrate the history of this magazine and convention — YOUR magazine and convention — at Expo 2026!
