(Note: This Publisher’s Note appears in the March 2026 issue of ED Magazine.)
Some of my Publisher’s Note readers (I assume there are at least a handful of you out there) will remember back in May 2022, when I revealed (by way of a photo of me with a shaved head and a nasty scar) that I had brain surgery to remove a meningioma, a non-cancerous brain tumor. I had some health issues leading up to the discovery of the tumor, and surgery happened four days after I found out that it was, in fact, a tumor that was causing those health issues.
The bummer for me was that the surgeon was not able to safely remove the entire tumor during that surgery. The plan of action at that point was to monitor the remaining portion of the tumor by having an MRI of my brain twice each year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before my surgeon could see that a second brain surgery wasn’t an “if” but a “when,” as the tumor was growing and would likely cause me more health issues.
Well, that “if” became a “when” this past October, when my surgeon scheduled my second surgery for January 30, 2026. On that date, at Tampa General Hospital, I had my second craniotomy to remove the “new” tumor that had grown over the past three years. And yes, I’m bald again, but this time at least the scar isn’t quite so gnarly. I’m writing this Publisher’s Note on February 17, exactly 18 days after the surgery, and I can say that my recovery period this time seems to have gone as well as I could have expected.
I was very grateful for surviving the surgery. Having known about it for almost four months, I had WAY TOO MUCH time to think about it. Not to be overly dramatic, but I did have thoughts that I might not make it this time. After all, surviving one brain surgery is a lot to ask … but to make it through two? But thanks to a fantastic surgeon and his team, I did make it through, and I’m doing well (though, once again, not all of the tumor could be safely removed — a story for another day).
Of course, I was flooded with a feeling of gratitude. Not just for surviving, but for all of the friends and family that were pulling for me, sending me their thoughts and prayers, making me feel truly loved and appreciated. It’s been humbling to say the least.
I won’t use a cliché like “I have a new lease on life,” but not long after I got home from the hospital, I started thinking about what I might do differently going forward, both personally and professionally. Soon, my thoughts turned to my job and the industry I’ve called home for 28 years now. And as those thoughts came in a flood, I made a decision: It’s time for me to stand up and tell you all how I feel — how I really feel — about where our industry is today and where it’s headed. As Maximus Decimus Meridius says in the movie Gladiator, “The time for half-measures and talk is over.”
At this year’s EXPO, I will be providing the “Publisher’s Presentation” as the kick-off for our slate of seminars on Monday, August 24, at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Over the past few years, I’ve spoken to many of our industry’s leading figures, and many have the same questions: Why does the industry seem to be trending downward? Why are clubs making less money? Why are younger people (Gen Z) shying away from clubs altogether? Why is it harder to keep quality entertainers? Where are the innovations when it comes to new ideas that will propel the industry into the next 20-30 years? Does anyone have the answers?
To be blunt, yes, I believe I do have many of those answers, and I’m going to share them during this “Publisher’s Presentation” at EXPO. I’m going to be honest, I’m going to be direct, I will not pull any punches and I am most certainly going to piss some people off.
What I’m not going to do is make any of this personal. I have no desire to embarrass anyone, and I won’t need to do that to make all of the points I need to make. What I’m also not going to do is pretend that “everything is fine” and that “boobs and beer” are the magic pill to cure everything that ails you. Because everything is most definitely not fine, and lazily holding onto strategies from 30 years ago won’t bring new customers through your doors. NOW is the time to get real with each other.
One word to describe EXPO 2026
In the coming weeks, we’ll be revealing our EXPO 2026 lineup, including the full agenda of seminars, evening parties and our Annual ED “Honors” Awards Show. While we at ED Publications take nothing more seriously than we do the production of our Annual EXPO, the overarching theme of this year’s show is one very simple, three-letter word: FUN. The seminars are going to be fun, the parties and special events are going to be fun, every aspect of the convention this year is going to reflect the theme that the industry itself should be embracing. After all, strip clubs are supposed to be fun, are they not?! Isn’t that why most of you got involved in this business in the first place — because it’s fun?!
Over the past several years, it seems as if the “fun” has been beaten or litigated out of this business, and/or simply abandoned and forgotten. But this year’s EXPO is going to help us all hit the “reset” button and refocus on what it means to provide a great — and truly fun — guest experience. Your club should be a place that staff and entertainers gravitate toward, and guests of all ages can’t help but tell their friends about.
We’re gonna have some fun in Las Vegas — hope you’re there to enjoy it with us.
Dave Manack
Publisher
