I noticed lots of glamorous promotions girls at the show - not that
I was especially looking out for them - but they did a great job in
directing attention to the stands they were promoting.
This was a big show which filled a large hall and a smaller one
connected by a small walkway and I even saw one vendor who
had set up his stall under a marquee outside the venue’s main
entrance, to take advantage of the mild weather.
The approach to the venue itself was interesting. VapExpo was
held at Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre which is inside
Sokolniki Park which was created by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the
father of Peter the Great.
The park has been open to the public since 1878, and is home
to pines, spruces, birches, oaks, limes and maples and wildlife
including 76 types of bird as well as hares, squirrels and weasels.
All vehicles were subject to a military check upon entering the
park and we had to pass through airport-style security checks at
the venue itself. I mentioned before that people were very friendly
and a lot of people there had heard of Vapouround Magazine and
were told us they loved it.
One vape fan at the show even told me he had cut out the
Vapouround logo from the magazine and had made stickers from
it for the rear windscreen of his car.
This was my first time in Russia and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I felt very safe walking around at night and I had stunning views
of the park from my 20th floor hotel room.
The only negative thing for me was encountering the rush hour
traffic on my way from the airport to my hotel on the day I arrived.
The 18 mile trip, which might reasonably have been completed in
around half an hour, took more than two hours in the slow moving
traffic. Then rush hour is bad no matter what part of the world
you are in and I didn’t let it detract from this trip. In fact there was
such a good vibe about the place that I would happily come
back as a tourist.
VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE ISSUE 12 109