EVENTS
BY ABIDA RAZAQUE
Vape Expo Paris. September 24 - 26.
The French are known for many things, but notably, good food,
good wine, and now vape!
Known as Europe’s chimney, it is fair to say that France has
shifted away from the usual stereotype as tobacco haven. An
unprecedented 47 billion cigarettes are set alight each year, a
dramatic fall from the 84 billion smoked in 2001.
With tobacco cigarette sales declining since the increase in price,
many experts believe the rise of e-cigarettes has become a
secondary factor in reducing smoking in France. Today, around
one million French people use e-cigarettes daily, so setting foot
on French soil for business was an easy decision.
The two-day event was held at the Grande Halle de La Villette
where the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes was evident
as we made our way to the B2C opening day. We could see long
queues formed in a straight line from afar - always a great sign
of a promising show. As members of press, I recall thinking how
fortunate we were to avoid standing in a queue for such a duration
as most shows we attend give us direct access indoors. Alas, how
wrong was I?
Proudly walking towards the front of the queue, we were told we
had to stand in line with the public. Admittedly, the smugness
turned quickly into frustration, the queue was ridiculously long and
only expanded since we last saw it. So, it wasn’t the best start to
the day with the morning sun blinding us in the eye. Nevertheless,
we got it in, ultimately it wasn’t too bad.
134 | VM14
As we entered the hall, we could see how big the show was,
inundated with stands displayed over two levels. From a bird’s-
eye view it probably looked great, however walking in between
stands was a little trickier as there wasn’t enough room to
manoeuvre in between the narrow space. It was filled to capacity.
It was noticeable that the show was a tad overbooked.
Immediately you could see that the show had attracted companies
nationally and internationally. We met some exhibitors who
attended the show but without a stand, saying they had tried, but
failed to secure a booth as the show had sold-out within two hours
of being announced, a clear indication of how popular VAPEXPO
Paris is for exhibitors globally.
Both B2C and B2B days was incredibly busy, however the former
was undoubtedly a lot busier.
The location of the venue was pretty decent, offering a variety of
cuisines nearb