Breaking
new ground
VAPE SCANDINAVIA WILL BE THE
REGION’S FIRST EVER VAPE EXPO
BY GORDON STRIBLING
There isn't a corner of this world we wouldn't travel to for a vape
show, and now we can add Denmark to our events list as the
Nordic country prepares for its first ever vape expo.
Europe’s vaping community is fortunate in many ways. Despite
some headaches, vaping has largely been allowed to flourish.
Meanwhile, the industry and vapers themselves have benefitted
from the free trade and open borders that have encouraged
competition and kept costs down.
The EU is incredibly well-serviced for vaping expos. The UK,
Germany, Spain, Italy … the list goes on and seemingly grows
by the year. Now, the team behind Vape South America are set
to break ground in another untapped area.
The Scandinavian market is both unsaturated and ripe with
opportunities for businesses to capitalise on. It was this gap in
the market that inspired Jason Monti to organise Denmark's
first vape expo in Copenhagen.
“Denmark is a very interesting area,” said Jason. “I heard
people were doing good business here and that there was a
large distribution network. There’s also high income per capita,
which provides opportunities, not only for US and European
companies but for Scandinavian businesses as well.”
One reason the area is yet to be explored is the variation in
policies between neighbouring countries. For years, Norway
prohibited the sale of nicotine e-liquids, with vapers having to
import products or pop over to EU-member Sweden to stock
up on supplies. Thankfully, Norway is now on-board and will
operate what some people are referring to as the ‘TPD Plus’.
“It’s not just Norway,” Jason explained. “Strict controls in
Denmark have only recently been relaxed, meaning short-fill
manufacturers no longer have to jump through hoops to get
their liquids onto the market. We feel that now is the time bring
an expo to the region.”
As well as many of the big US and European companies,
Jason was keen for there to be a strong local presence
of shops, manufacturers and distributors at this debut event.
Leading Danish distributor EFUMA will be in attendance,
along with a cohort of smaller local businesses.
Danish Advocacy group DADAFO will have a significant
platform at the show too, providing them with the opportunity
to put their message across and unite vapers and the nation’s
industry. Alongside the plethora of juice companies, vapers
can expect to find plenty of hardware from the major Chinese
and high-end manufacturers they've come to expect at such
events.
Jason's aim is to emulate the success of Vape South America.
Five thousand companies descended upon Plaza Mayor in
Medellin, Columbia in May – that's double the attendance
compared to their inaugural event just last year.
“For now, the goal is to get the show on the road,” Jason
said. “If things go well, we’ll look to put on an annual show in
Denmark.”
“Now is the time to bring an expo to the region”
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