EVENTS
A rare pleasure
By Leo Forfar
Vapouround staff writer Leo Forfar muses
on his first ever Vaper Expo
I was in a unique place going into Vaper
Expo: The Big Weekend. Tremendous
hype had paved the long, winding and
sometimes bumpy road to the event, and
as a contributing writer for both the official
show guide and awards evening brochure,
a large part of that hype was written by me.
It’s fine selling events to others for a living,
but I’d be partaking in this one.
The research and interviews I did for my
features – which traced the origins of this
phenomenon, its launch, and ascension
from 2015 onwards – soon grew into more
than a professional curiosity. I was going
in not just as an exhibitor, but a VIP, an
insider, privy to more information than
most, and still quite unsure of what
to expect.
It would be improper not to mention the
significant change of mood instigated
by the Manchester terror attacks going
into the Expo. With such an atrocity fresh
on everyone’s minds and such a large,
sustained gathering ahead, security
checkpoints were placed at every entrance
and exit.
I entered the NEC on a blazingly bright
Friday morning in a state of nervous
excitement, more aware than usual of my
surroundings but determined not to let
the news dampen my experience.
The procession of other exhibitors coming
in – also dressed in merchandise and
leaving behind streams of scented vapour
like thurible-wielding priests – were in
similar spirits, and our common cause
was assumed. The patrolling police were
a credit to their profession; as concerned
128 ISSUE 11 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
with our ease and comfort over their
presence as they were with our safety.
I noticed immediately, as the team were
setting up the Vapouround bus and
distributing our goodie bags (on the usually
more muted B2B day, no less) that no
exhibitor present, not the longest-tenured
veteran of the vape business, had lost
their passion for it, nor their ability to find
wonder in it. We received as many friendly
approaches and inquiries among fellow
heavy-hitters than we would have parked
out in public.
As the show began, the only sight more
overwhelming than the chasmic size of
the NEC showrooms was the swarm of
sound, colours and clouds that soon filled
them. Think of a fairground, combined
with a circus, mixed with a Woodstock
highlight reel, crammed with concepts and
characters from your favourite sci-fi movie,
all converging at the unveiling ceremony
at a tech conference.
Writing about the mascots, the artistic
embodiments, the esoteric creations of the
vaping subculture has been, and remains,
fascinating. Seeing them in their flower
was even better. The (sometimes almost
literal) fruits of exhaustive labour were
everywhere: liquids infused with exotic
flavours and brewed with industrious
intricacy, costumes bringing brands to life.
I couldn’t turn without spotting an effigy
of a witch or wizard brewing, a superhero
posing, an alien or robot painted to
perfection in neon colours presenting their
liquid of choice.
The inventions, the promises of future
innovation and their means of presentation
were excessive in the best possible way, a
monument to maximalism: all at once sleek,
suave, sexy, clinical, thought-provoking,
outlandish, approachable, avant-garde,
humorous and inexhaustibly imaginative.
The minds behind this flowing patchwork
of creative discipline and untampered
passion were easy to spot, and eager to
share. All around were men and women
coming from every possible background,
the length of their careers far exceeding
the lifespan of this activity. Skills they
had been cultivating for a lifetime in some
cases, were now reattuned and adapted
to fit the purposes of the vape business.
It was a pleasure to connect first-hand
with some of the people I’ve only known
through emails and phone calls. Often,
when we heard the word ‘business’
we collectively share this enduring,
stereotypical view of a disconnected
and coldly compartmentalised corporate
ladder. But many of the people captaining
their businesses and running the stands
were just a few years removed from mixing
liquids for fun in their rooms, or pursuing
a small-scale vape company as a long-
shot or last resort. They had all travelled
far, and lost nothing of their former selves
along the way.
The men and women of this industry
really do put everything into it. It’s a rare
pleasure to be part of something causing
a rarely-equalled level of physical, mental
and economic good, wherever it’s found.
All the good found at the Expo isn’t
confined to its twice-yearly occurrence:
it’s happening everywhere throughout the
year. Sometimes we just need a reminder.