(CLEARWATER, FL) -- All along you thought it was the beautiful exotic dancers who kept the party going at your local gentlemen's club, when in fact much of the credit goes to the seldom seen club general manager, according to Exotic Dancer Magazine, the industry's national trade magazine.

In fact the theme for this year's 2008 Gentlemen's Club Owners Expo -- the industry's national convention and tradeshow for the owners and operators of adult nightclubs from coast to coast -- is ''Year of the GM.'' Show sponsor Exotic Dancer Magazine, part of the media division of Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: Rick), has dedicated the event to the general managers.

The 2008 Expo will be held August 24-27 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and is expected to draw more than 4,000 adult club performers, executives and business partners. (for more details on the show go to www.theEDexpo.com or www.ExoticDancer.com.)

''We've produced the Annual Gentlemen's Club Owners Expo for 16 years and this is the first time we're saluting the men and women who spend more time in adult nightclubs than anyone else and who are responsible for getting the party started every night,'' says ED Associate Publisher Dave Manack. ''These are the people who eat, sleep and breathe the clubs they run. They audition and bring in new entertainers and, more importantly, keep them there. And they handle all the other chores, from managing the club's inventory to training and supervising the bartenders and waitresses and security personnel. They create and run club advertising and promotions. They handle critical incidents and situations that may occur in the club. They do it all.''

''I believe general managers set a club up for success or failure,'' says David Benham, owner of the Night Trips clubs in Oklahoma. ''There is no in-between with this position. Accepting mediocrity with your GM is kind of like giving your club a disease that will slowly eat away at your bottom line.''

In a cover story in the pre-convention issue, Exotic Dancer says without exception that the general managers they interviewed, ''absolutely love their job. They love the interaction with club employees, entertainers and customers. They love the high-energy vibe of a crowded club on a Saturday night. They love it when a promotion they planned hits a home run. They love being a GM in an adult nightclub.''

''We're in the hospitality industry, and it's our job to serve the people and make them happy,'' says ''Big'' Mike Whitlow, GM of the Bare Assets club in Holiday, FL. ''and what makes me happy is when I walk in and I see a full club of people and they're partying and having a good time. That's the best part of my job right there.''

In addition to the panel sessions and workshops at Expo 2008 geared toward general managers — including ''GM on the Hot Seat'' and ''GM, Club Owner or DJ: Who's the Real Big Dog?'' — the convention will honor industry GMs with regional and national awards for the first time ever. Club patrons can vote for their favorite GM online at www.ExoticDancer.com or www.theEDexpo.com.

As a reward to general managers convention organizers are offering half-price Expo registrations ($145) to all industry general managers, as their way of saying thanks for all that they do each and every day to make their club, and the industry itself, better.

For more info, call (727) 726-3592 or log on to www.theEDexpo.com or www.ExoticDancer.com.

About Rick’s Cabaret: Ed Publications, Inc. Is the media division of Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: Rick), which operates upscale adult nightclubs serving primarily businessmen and professionals that offer live adult entertainment, restaurant and bar operations. ED Publications is the publisher of Exotic Dancer,Teeze and Adult Store Buyer (ASB) magazines and owner of tradeshows including the annual Gentlemen's Club Owners Expo and StorErotica for the retail lingerie and adult store industry. The company owns, operates or licenses adult nightclubs in New York City, Miami, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and other cities under the names ''Rick's Cabaret,'' ''XTC,'' ''Club Onyx'' and ''Tootsie’s Cabaret''. Sexual contact is not permitted at these locations. Rick’s Cabaret also owns the adult Internet membership site www.couplestouch.com and a network of online adult auction sites under the flagship URL www.naughtybids.com. Rick’s Cabaret common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol Rick. For further information contact ir@ricks.com.

Forward-looking Statements:

This document contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in this document, including the risks and uncertainties associated with operating and managing an adult business, the business climates in New York City and elsewhere, the success or lack thereof in launching and building the company’s businesses in New York City and elsewhere, risks and uncertainties related to the operational and financial results of our Web sites, conditions relevant to real estate transactions, and numerous other factors such as laws governing the operation of adult entertainment businesses, competition and dependence on key personnel. Rick's has no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of future events or circumstances. For further information visit www.ricks.com.

Investor Relations Contact: Allan Priaulx, 212-338-0050, ir@ricks.com Media Contact: Dave Manack, 727-726-3592, dave@edpublications.com