March 24, 2026 | (Denver, CO) — STIMULATE, the premier business-to-business trade show, conference and community for sexual wellness, is proud to announce the first wave of confirmed speakers for its highly anticipated 2026 event. Returning to Nashville in August 2026, STIMULATE continues to elevate the conversation around sexual wellness and intimate care through innovative education, meaningful connections, vendor discovery and industry-forward programming.
Building on its commitment to professional development, STIMULATE 2026 will feature more than 30 educational sessions designed to support retailers, brands, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders. Many of these sessions will offer continuing education (CE) credits through a strategic partnership with the Sexual Health Alliance (SHA), a globally recognized leader in sexuality education and professional certification.
Among the first confirmed speakers is Author and renowned intimacy expert Susan Bratton, a respected educator who will mark her second year speaking at STIMULATE, and is known as the “Intimacy Expert to Millions” of followers from around the world. Bratton is the pioneering voice behind a movement that treats passionate intimacy as the fourth health factor, as vital to your longevity as sleep, nutrition, and exercise is. Now is her sixties, Bratton is a the perfect example of STIMULATE’s definition of sexual wellness, which is “head to toe, young to mature, purpose to pleasure” – truly reinforcing that this category of health and retail alike crosses many generations. Among the sessions Bratton will deliver at STIMULATE will include a highlighted keynote that features 10+ products that sexual wellness leaders need to know about – all of which will be available at STIMULATE for attendees to further discuss and connect with. Bratton brings decades of experience to STIMULATE, with her participation reflecting STIMULATE’s commitment to delivering expert-led, impactful education that resonates across both retail and health professional audiences.
Additionally, Dr. Christopher N. Smith, PhD, will make their first time appearance at STIMULATE with a session titled “From Margins to Markets: Decolonizing Pleasure and Relationships as Business Innovation in Sexual Wellness”. Dr. Smith is a is a sex, sexuality, gender and relationship liberation advocate and speaker who earned their Doctor of Philosophy in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program at Howard University, focusing their studies on intragroup discrimination and Non-Monogamy among African Americans. Their featured keynote at STIMULATE will explore how “decolonizing pleasure” can function as a powerful business innovation lens, moving beyond Western‑centric, heteronormative models of sexual wellness to uncover underserved markets and build more culturally grounded products, services, and experiences. Using real-world case studies, participants will examine how centering Black, Indigenous, queer, trans, disabled, and consensually non‑monogamous communities creates both social impact and competitive advantage in a vast and growing billion dollar sexual wellness industry. Participants will leave with practical frameworks for assessing their current business practices, templates for engaging marginalized communities as co‑creators rather than “niche” consumers, and a clearer roadmap for translating justice‑oriented values into sustainable revenue and brand differentiation.
Ashley Cobb, Author of the recently released book “Pleasure Please”, will also be among the speakers this upcoming August 3+4, 2026, in Nashville, TN, at STIMULATE. Cobb will share a presentation titled “Pleasure + Protection: How Adult Stores Can Increase Trust, and Build Repeat Customers While Normalizing Testing + PrEP”. This session gives adult retail professionals a practical framework for making sexual wellness conversations feel easier, more natural, and more customer-centered. Attendees will learn how to use trust-based language on the sales floor, pair pleasure products with protection essentials, and introduce shame-free PrEP and testing resources in a way that feels helpful—not clinical or pushy.
Finally, STIMULATE is thrilled to have Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, known as “Dr. Tara,” return to the STIMULATE stage for a featured keynote that will be interactive, engaging and valuable to all attendees in a session soon-to-be-revealed. A prominent sexologist, researcher, and professor of sexual communication at California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Tara founded Luvbites to provide evidence-based, stigma-free education on sex, intimacy, and relationships through her popular social media channels, coaching, and the Luvbites by Dr. Tara podcast. She is also a TV Host and Author, with millions of followers leaning into her for trusted, expert-led sexual health and wellness insight.
The collective 2026 program will continue to emphasize actionable insights, inclusive dialogue, and cross-industry collaboration. Attendees can expect dynamic sessions that address today’s most pressing opportunities in sexual wellness retail and health alike, including customer connection, education-driven selling, evolving consumer and patient expectations, and the integration of health and lifestyle products,” shares Nicole Leinbach Hoffman, STIMULATE’s Founder. Expanding on this, Hoffman shares that “STIMULATE has always been about more than just a show—it’s about creating a platform for education, growth, and meaningful connection.”
With the addition of CE-accredited sessions through the Sexual Health Alliance and an exceptional lineup of speakers, STIMULATE further strengthens their commitment to supporting professionals shaping the future of sexual wellness and intimate care. The partnership with Sexual Health Alliance enhances the value of attending STIMULATE by providing access to evidence-based education and recognized continuing education opportunities, reinforcing a shared mission to elevate standards across the sexual wellness industry. You can explore more about this partnership here.
In addition to its robust conference programming, STIMULATE 2026 will feature an expansive exhibitor floor showcasing leading and emerging brands across categories such as pleasure products, men’s health, feminine care, and lifestyle innovation. Among the confirmed exhibitors include Joylux, Diva, Wicked Sensual Care, Aneros, Promescent, le Wand, Foria and many others, which can be explored here. Additionally, Holiday Products and Eldorado Trading will be the two distributors represented at STIMULATE 2026.
The event will also include curated networking experiences, immersive activations, and dedicated spaces for education and discovery. Two workshops will anchor the official trade show days, which offer even more learning opportunities for attendees to consider. Explore the two workshops here.
More speaker announcements and session details will be released in the coming months. For more information and to stay updated, visit StimulateTheShow.com. Limited spots remain for companies looking to exhibit. For more information, please email stimuate@retailminded.com.
Attendee registration can be viewed here.
About STIMULATE
STIMULATE was founded in 2023 and will host it’s fourth annual trade show + conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 3+4, 2026. Founded in an effort to bring connectivity of products to retailers, medical leaders and more together in combination with education supporting these same professionals, STIMULATE has been recognized by Trade Show Network News as one of the best community focused trade shows (2023) and continues to gain further reach of medical leaders, brands and retailers alike as each year passes. Explore more at StimulateTheShow.com.
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