EVENTS
BY PAUL CAPLIN
ECC ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA. AUGUST 3-5
Back to where it all began three years ago.
In the three-years of Vapouround Magazine, we have attended at
least six ECC expos, and the August expo in California is always
very important to us as it holds a lot of Vapouround history. It was
in fact our very first show that we attended on our birthday three
years ago.
Vapouround Magazine was launched at Vapefest in Shrewsbury
in early August 2015 and then flew straight out to California that
same week to experience this phenomenon for the first time. We
had no idea what we were about to come across and we were
totally unprepared. We had only been to two shows in the UK
at that point, the very first Vaper Expo which had 83 stands and
Vapefest UK which had 50 vendors at most.
So to turn to this massive American show was somewhat of an
eye opener for me. Five aircraft hangers full of vendors –there
was something like 1,500 vendors at this show. I had never seen
anything like it, and the four of us had no chance of getting around
to see everyone. We did however make lots of new friends
and connections and we were amazed how well received the
magazine was, as well as how welcome we were. Fast forward
to August 2018 and the ECC is a very different animal compared
to what it was. Now it’s a much smaller affair, partly due to the
overcrowded expo roster in the US calendar, and partly because
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popular US brands are all trying to
conquer different countries and different
markets. The show itself has about 150-200
exhibitors nowadays, ranging from some classic
big brands to a lot of new kids on the block trying to make a name
in the vape scene. As always, the ECC is very well organised,
although a little strict on certain things like keeping wristbands
on and security is ridiculous. You can’t take a backpack to the
show unless you’re an exhibitor. Apart from this, there was a
great turnout all three days. The general feeling was that the B2B
day was the best day, which is a massively positive for anyone
wanting to do great business at the show.
My pros were this B2B day, it was so good and well represented.
The layout was easy to navigate and everyone seemed to be
having a good time. Cons would be the over-the-top security rules
plus the stage mic and music were ridiculously loud.
The ECC will always remain a very special show to Vapouround
and we believe that we owe some of the success that we have
had internationally to this prestigious show. We come back year
after year and look forward to the next one. Make sure you save
their dates. This is one show well worth checking out, plus the
weather in Cali is great this time of year too.