Hosts & Sponsors

Hosts

ADVENTURES IN SEXUALITY (AIS)

AIS is a growing Pansexual, Polyamorous BDSM/Kink Fun Group in Central Ohio. Within the banner of AIS, there are many sub-groups where people can find their niche. We are comprised of diverse members of the Ohio and National Kink Community. We are focused on Education, Outreach, Safer Play, Fun and toward building greater Kink Awareness and Acceptance within the Central Ohio area.

ARIZONA POWER EXCHANGE (APEX)

The Arizona Power Exchange (APEX) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides education, social opportunities, and support for adults who are interested in Bondage and Discipline; Dominance and Submission; and Sadomasochism (BDSM) who value individual responsibility, integrity, confidentiality, and respect for self and others. APEX provides on-going forums for education and practice of BDSM and opportunities for like-minded individuals to socialize, explore and learn in a respectful and dignified environment. APEX welcomes all sexual orientations, consensual relationships, and risk-aware BDSM and sexual practices.

BEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS (BMSL)

Beat Me in St. Louis (BMSL) is a 3-Day BDSM event, educational seminar and play party. BMSL is open to singles, couples, and groups of all skill levels. Whether you are interested in impact play, bondage, medical, or any one of the other countless fetish activities, this event will have something for you. Learn new play techniques from well known educators or hone your existing craft in the 10,000 sq foot play space.

CLAW

CLAW, a national leather charity, holds that adult interest in leather, fetish, and BDSM is natural and healthy. We learn that from one another in person. CLAW is a 501c3 charity dedicated to fundraising, education, volunteerism and other charitable needs of the leather community. CLAW produces a large annual conference for gay men in Cleveland, Ohio.

BEGUILED

Beguiled sets out to be the most fun hypnosis conference you've ever attended. Each year since 2014, the midwest hypnosis scene just keeps growing and growing. With workshops by day and safe play places in the evenings, you're sure to find friends and merriment in abundance!

ELDRITCH BROTHERS TATTOO & PIERCING

High quality Tattooing and Piercing in Madison, Wisconsin. Eldritch Brothers Tattoo & Piercing specialize in clean, traditional, solid and honest tattooing and high quality, sterile piercing. Each of their artists have worked to handcraft their specific style and technique to give you the best, lifelong investment possible.

EDGEWALKERS

Edgewalkers is a passionate group of ritual practitioners. Their mission is to facilitate body based rites for mindful seekers of powerful and uplifting experiences. They strive to carry out these rituals in a manner that befits their power to unify everyone and transform our perceptions and ways of being. At present, they practice flesh hook pulls, flesh hook suspensions, firewalks, sweat lodges, drumming, and kavadi. They hold major gatherings in 8 cities across Canada and the USA, and smaller skill sharing workshops and rituals throughout the year. Those who facilitate their rituals have performed the rituals themselves, and have learned by apprenticeship from teachers and leaders from relevant traditions and spiritual disciplines. They are always seeking to improve our practices by inviting their members to share their skills and their stories.

GALLERIA DOMAIN 2 (GD2)

Galleria Domain 2 (GD2) is a non-profit membership club located in Chicago, Illinois. GD2 boasts a 4000+ square foot play space with three rooms of unique, high quality BDSM furniture, two social areas, and a library. GD2 is the place to meet people with similar interests, find fellowship, and learn about kink, leather, fetish and BDSM.

GREAT LAKES LEATHER ALLIANCE (GLLA)

The mission of the Great Lakes Leather Alliance is to build bridges between the Leather, BDSM, D/s, M/s, fetish and alternative and sexual lifestyle communities. The Great Lakes Leather Alliance hopes to promote education and enhance communication between each of these groups, and it seeks to promote the success and welfare of the individuals and organizations within our combined community. GLLA especially wants to protect against threats to everyone's freedom of expression.

IMAS BEAT MY VALENTINE (BMV)

IMAS (Indiana Masters and slaves/submissives/switches) is a private organization of individuals who are actively interested in BDSM activities. Upholding honor, integrity, trust and honesty above all else, they have founded this organization upon the principles of tolerance and acceptance of diverse lifestyles and practices. They continuously strive to provide a safe, supportive, social and educational environment for people interested in alternative lifestyle practices, while differentiating between abusive behavior and the many different expressions of total power exchange within a consensual relationship.

KINKY KOLLEGE (KK)

Established in 2001, Leather SINS (Social Interaction of the North Shore) is a kink friendly Social Dinner Club made up of like-minded individuals. The organization was founded by Master Z (Chicago) and Master Michael, in order to meet the social needs of residents of the North Shore of Chicago. Since then, their membership has grown (over 400 members from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Metropolitan Chicago Area). Leather SINS holds two national events a year that are open to the entire community in an effort to bring all disciplines of the Kink/Leather Lifestyle together. So far over 2,500 event members from around the world have attended a Leather SINS Event! These events include both Kinky Kollege Spring Break and Kinky Kollege Homecoming. In addition to the events, Leather SINS also operates the SINS Center, a BDSM Social Club, play space, and fetish art gallery in the Chicago area, open to all interested in the lifestyle.

LEATHER LEVI WEEKEND (LLW)

Leather Levi Weekend offers attendees the opportunity to learn more about themselves, their sexuality and the Leather-Levi community in a relaxed setting.

Master/slave CONFERENCE (MsC)

The Master/slave Conference (MsC) is the largest, longest and most comprehensive educational event solely dedicated to Master/slave relationships. Owned and produced by MTTA, Inc. - an educational non-profit organization - MsC takes place every year over Labor Day Weekend becoming a five day-four night event with more educational and network opportunities than other events of this nature.

MsDs Conference (MsDs)

MsDsCon was 3 days of online presentations, workshops and discussions relating to consensual power dynamic relationships. Topics varied and were delivered or facilitated by a variety of people from all over the world. The focus was on the relationship. The ethos behind the conference is to build connections and communities. To bring together these disparate groups and individuals around the world that have an interest in the power dynamic relationship beyond what is (or isn't) available for them locally in the broader kink and BDSM scenes.

POWER eXchange SUMMIT (pXs)

PXS is all things Power Exchange. Classes and workshops; social spaces and fun. They are creating a space that allows for people who are interested in all kinds of power exchange relationships to come and explore the lifestyle. More than just an event, this is a celebration of all Power Exchange relationships. Master/slave? Dom/sub? Owner/property? Gorean or Taken in Hand? Or something you have defined yourself? The focus of PXS is power exchange relationships of any form. No matter what your style of Power Exchange, you belong!

SOUTH EAST CONSENT SUMMIT

The SouthEast Consent Summit was a meeting of dedicated individuals from different disciplines discussing best practices based on their area of the consent conversation. We discussed topics such as: management and defining consent; understanding consent as a legal defense & other aspects of law; learning about consent negotiations; mitigating consent related risks as an individual or entity…& more!

SOUTHEAST LEATHERFEST (SELF)

SELF is an adult educational, fundraising, and social convention that supports lifestyles of consenting adults. We are four days of exploration, invigoration, and conversation. We are a domestic non-profit. SELF is a four-day event where many differing communities attend and generate something more than our individual selves or communities. Explore yourself and find others who may be radically different and alike. We are interested in who we are as individuals and exploring alternative respectful relationships. SELF provides a space to explore and strengthen your sense of many communities. We engage in alternative relationships, are LGBTQIA+, allies, advocates, and people pursuing free expression of our identities as individuals and within our relationships.

SOUTHWEST LEATHER CONFERENCE (SWLC)

Immerse your body, mind and soul with innovative workshops, panels, and discussion groups. Make waves with the community at the Southwest Master/slave and Southwest Bootblack contests. Float into Our Place for rituals and meditation. Quench your desires in our exclusive nightly dungeons, community sponsored hospitality suite and the rollicking Bootblack Lounge. Dive deep into your heart and soul at the powerful Dance of Souls. Take the Plunge at Southwest Leather Conference.

THUNDER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Thunder in the Mountains is the Rocky Mountain Region’s premier fetish event... Their classes range from rope bondage, to whipping, to sexual kink play, to Master/slave dynamics and Dominance/submission, to the psychological aspects of BDSM and anything else you can think of. Classes stress not only the “how to’s” of BDSM and kink, but also stress all safety aspects that must be considered before engaging in such play... Their programs range from leather contests, to drag shows, to talent shows, to comedy shows by professional comedians. This is an event for all types of people into all types of sexual kink and catering to all experience levels. They have classes for newbies as well as long time players. They welcome everyone who feels he or she has something to learn or is curious about.

WINTER WICKEDNESS

Winter Wickedness is a 2 day educational, play, and experiential event offering a full day of classes & two full nights of play parties in over 10,000 sq feet of playspaces - a Main playspace; a day playroom, where you can play the day away; a Warm & Wet room for fireplayers; and an entire space dedicated to Rope! All filled with different types of music, and the amazing AIS (Adventures in Sexuality) Kink Labs Furniture. AIS is one of the largest and fastest growing Pansexual, Polyamorous BDSM/Kink/Creative Sexuality Fun Groups in Central Ohio. Within the banner of AIS, there are many sub-groups where people can find their niche. AIS is comprised of diverse members of the Ohio and National Kink Community. They are focused on Fun, Education, Outreach, Safer Play and toward building greater Awareness and Acceptance within the Central Ohio area.

Sponsors

BUTCHMANNS, INC.

Butchmanns, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to self-actualization and the ending of suffering. Butchmanns facilitates and fosters spiritual growth and transformation by providing grants and educational opportunities to those often wrongfully stigmatized for their sexual expression, non-traditional relationships and/or unconventional spiritual practices. Butchmanns promotes the use of physical practices and the conscious exchange of personal power for spiritual awareness. Butchmanns recognize all life-affirming spiritual paths as valid, affirm all mutually beneficial relationships as inherently sacred, and embrace adults of every age, race, body type, physical ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Butchmanns, Inc. is the umbrella organization that currently offers structure and support for the Southwest Leather Conference, MAsT, Butchmanns Experience and the Leather Quilt project. The Butchmanns Experience continues the spirit and tradition of the nationally known Butchmanns Academy.

THE COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC CONSORTIUM FOR RESEARCH ON ALTERNATIVE SEXUALITIES (CARAS)

Founded in 2005, the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS) is a national-level, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports research addressing understudied sexual communities, with a current focus on BDSM/leather/kink/fetish sexualities and consensual non-monogamous relationships such as polyamory. Employing a community-based research model, CARAS has assembled a network of academics, clinicians and respected members of these communities who work directly with researchers to promote scientific and other forms of scholarly research. CARAS is dedicated to the support and promotion of excellence in the study of alternative sexualities, and the dissemination of research results to the alternative sexuality communities, the public, and the research community.

CLAW ... A NATIONAL LEATHER CHARITY

CLAW Corp. is a certified 501(c)(3) Non-profit Corporation dedicated to fundraising, education, volunteerism and all other charitable needs of the adult leather community. CLAW is dedicated to the principle that people into leather are normal, happy and healthy, upholds that principle in its teachings. They produce a large annual convention (the Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend) in Cleveland, Ohio every year, and several smaller CLAW Nation events around the country throughout the year.

MTTA

MTTA is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to consensual Master/slave relationships. MTTA Inc's mission is “to provide education and support through a variety of methods concerning the Master/slave lifestyle.” MTTA Inc hopes “to be a world class organization in providing educational, training, social and networking opportunities for adults interested in alternative relationships.” It was founded by Master Taíno in 2004 and is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of leaders in our Master/slave community. MTTA Inc is comprised of the following programs: Master/slave Conference, MTTA Academy, Master/slave Development Center, and Master/slave History Program.

THE SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF SEXUALITY (SSSS)

The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality. It is the oldest organization of professionals interested in the study of sexuality in the United States. SSSS brings together an interdisciplinary group of professionals who believe in the importance of both the production of quality research and the clinical, educational, and social applications of research related to all aspects of sexuality.

TROUBLE TAVERN & LOUNGE

Trouble Tavern is a BDSM club and residential community in the virtual world of Second Life. Frequented by people from all over the world, it has earned the tag line of “Cheers for kinky people.” In August 2018, Trouble Tavern held their second silent auction of Dominants and submissives as a fundraiser to support the Science of BDSM Research Team. Auctionees offered everything from an hour or two of flirty dancing, to an afternoon play session, to a week of full-on service. Participants and bidders represented more than 10 countries around the globe.