Vapouround magazine ISSUE 17 | Page 65

a store ’ s basic information as standard , such as the store name , address , and phone number . Each listing also has a live map of the store with functionality to get directions to it , and store owners can add additional elements such as a bio , product information , photos , and videos .
As well as listings what else is Vapetrotter about ?
D : We actually have four different sites on the Vapetrotter network . Along with the directory , we also have Vapetrotter Laws , Vapetrotter News , and Vapetrotter Wiki .
Vapetrotter Laws lists a simplified breakdown of the laws in each country , state , or province , and we also have a bunch of Quick View icons such as “ No Indoor Vaping ” because people don ’ t really like reading these days . For the avid reader , we also list the long-form laws , along with links to legal documents from official sources . Our global legal information is now the official resource for the first report on the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction being presented in Poland this June by the Global Forum on Nicotine . day-to-day running is actually just us three Aussie guys working full-time at the moment . Angus is our technical guy and comes from a long career in building systems and security protocols for a bunch of really big companies . Ryan is our communications / partnerships guy and has spent most of his career in event management , launching many Australian brands into the USA . I ’ m David , and I come from over 10 years in advertising , marketing , and brand development for companies like Dominos Pizza and Mastercard . So , we have a pretty good spread at the moment , but we ’ re looking to build out the team pretty soon with some skilled individuals .
Poland because we provided all of their legal information for vaping . Later this year in December we ’ re also the partner for the very first major vape event in Oceania – International Vape Expo Oceania ( IVEO ) – which is organised by CECMOL who do shows in Japan and China . The market there is growing rapidly , it ’ s like how the US or UK was 5-6 years ago , so that should be a really great event too .
What are your plans for Vapetrotter ?
D : Right now we ’ re focused on constantly improving the platform and the user experience . We really want to
Vapetrotter News covers global vaping news along with exclusive interviews , product reviews , and how-to write-ups . This is actually getting around 600,000 visits a month now , so it ’ s picking up .
Vapetrotter Wiki lists over 200 detailed definitions to help newcomers understand the lingo and the technical aspects behind vaping . Vapers can tend to forget how big of a learning curve there is with getting started .
Is there a Vapetrotter app for smartphones and tablets ?
D : We currently have an app under development , and this should hopefully be finished in the next few months . It ’ ll incorporate mainly our directory and laws and mesh them together to make it as useful as possible for each area of the world .
Who are the people behind Vapetrotter and what are your main roles ?
D : We often have people assuming we ’ re a big team , and while we do have some writers and outsourced staff , the
Where are you based ?
D : We ’ re all over the world usually . Last year while we were building the website we were living in Manhattan before we moved down to New Orleans . This year we ’ ve been back in our home city of Sydney in Australia . Later this year – or maybe early next year – we ’ ll be moving back over to the USA to set up a base and build out the team .
Travelling to vape events around the world is obviously a key part of the Vapetrotter business . Tell us a bit more about that .
D : For the last few months we ’ ve helped out with the marketing for a bunch of events , but our first was actually IECIE in Shenzhen , which was an amazing time . In June we ’ re presenting onstage at the Global Forum on Nicotine in
“ We often have people assuming we ’ re a big team , and while we do have some writers and outsourced staff , the day-to-day running is actually just us three Aussie guys working fulltime at the moment ”
build out the community-aspect a lot more and make it somewhere people can go for everything they need when they ’ re travelling ; a place where people can share experiences , tips , and feel welcomed and safe when they travel somewhere new . In the next few months we have some exciting new ventures and partnerships coming out , so keep an eye on us .
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