Wicked Pictures contract star Asa Akira has been selected to deliver the keynote speech at the premier adult industry trade event, the 2015 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. A recognition reserved for industry leaders, Akira, now entering her seventh year in the business, plans to speak in-depth about her life and career. Akira joins industry luminaries including Larry Flynt, Steve Hirsch and Sasha Grey to take the podium for the AEE keynote.

Akira’s keynote takes place at Vinyl in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 22.

“It’s a big honor to deliver this keynote address,” Akira told AVN. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s exciting because I’m the newest Wicked Girl. I’m flattered to know that AVN thinks I’m worthy of this. I’ve never done public speaking and being on a stage is scary but I know there’s a lot to talk about and there’s many things the fans are curious about, so I really want them to come away with something.”

During her time in adult, Akira has carved out an illustrious career. After meeting porn star Gina Lynn on the Bubba the Love Sponge show, Akira’s first adult shoots were for Lynn’s company, before moving on to shoot for virtually every big studio. Since then, and prior to her being named a Wicked Girl in 2013, Akira has shot hundreds of adult films and garnered scads of awards nominations and wins.

From 2010 to 2013 Akira won 16 AVN Awards. including Female Performer of the Year in 2013. This year Akira is nominated for eight AVN Awards, including Best Actress, Best Anal Sex Scene and Best Group Sex Scene all for Wicked Pictures’ Holly…Would. She co-hosted the awards ceremony in 2013 for its 30th anniversary.

In addition to her work on the screen, which also included a stint as a director for Elegant Angel, Akira has made major inroads into the mainstream consciousness. She’s been featured in the pages of Complex, Cosmopolitan and LA Weekly among other magazines, and has been named to CNBC’s “Dirty Dozen” list, which ranks the industry’s most popular and successful stars, three consecutive years in a row from 2012-2014.

With so much to talk about, attendees also will be able to ask questions of Akira during the session.

“I really enjoy talking about the business,” Akira said. “Whenever someone wants to talk about it, that’s always a conversation I’m down to have. I think even in 2015, there’s so much people don’t really know and are curious about, so I plan to address pretty much anything. Porn is still portrayed negatively in the media, so I’d like to be a level-headed sane voice with a lot of experience in the business to add to the discussion.”

Up next, Akira stars as the Great Tyrant in Barbarella XXX for Wicked Pictures, directed by Axel Braun, and appears in her first sex scene with Riley Steele, who plays the title character. Also coming soon from Wicked is the Stormy Daniels-directed Pretty Dangerous, an action-adventure in which Akira performs her own stunts.

On the mainstream side, Akira is eagerly anticipating the release next month of the paperback version of her book Insatiable: Porn A Love Story, which includes a bonus chapter. And she reveals to AVN that she’s working on a second book, which she intends to be a followup to Insatiable.

“I’m really happy with the way the book was received, she said. “The thing about it is when I set out to write it I wanted people to see that normal people are in porn too, happy people are in porn too. And it definitely put me out there, and it’s weird because it put me in a more important position than I was expecting. I didn’t think it would be so serious.”

Akira also can be heard twice-weekly on her popular podcast, DVDASA, along with the artist David Choe.

Follow Akira on Twitter @AsaAkira and visit her AVN Award winning website at AsaAkira.com.

Tickets for the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo are available here.

All fan, trade and press attendees may go to AVNShow.com for information on the 2015 AVN Show events. Once again, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas will become ground central for this annual gathering of industry leaders, outstanding talent and dedicated fans. The festivities open on Wednesday, January 21 and run through Saturday, January 24, 2015.

The ‘70s-themed AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) will host over 500 of the biggest names and the hottest stars in XXX, an informative industry seminar program, stage shows, musical performances, and a first look at adult technology before it hits store shelves in the future. AEE trade hours are here and Fan hours are here.

AEE Trade Registration includes entry to both AEE and ANE (AVN Novelty Expo), adult’s leading pleasure products expo. Attendees may choose the Expo Plus Pass, which includes access to all AEE and ANE exhibits, seminars and keynote presentation, or the All Access Pass, which provides all of the Expo Plus benefits, plus admittance to all of the Expo’s official parties. Trade badges are available here.

AEE will be presenting over 12 official parties held throughout Las Vegas, where attendees of the expo have the opportunity to upgrade their tickets to attend these events.

The 2015 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo sets the stage for the 32nd annual AVN Awards Show, which will be held Saturday, January 24, 2015 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The annual AVN Awards Show is the premier gala of adult video and recognizes titles, individuals, and companies for contributions to and excellence in the industry. Please note that a separate ticket is required for admission to the AVN Awards Show.