EVENTS
EVENTS
BY TIM PRITCHETT
VAPITALY , VERONA . MAY 19-21
It came around a lot faster than I thought it would , but it was finally time to go to my first expo abroad .
I didn ’ t know what to expect but when I stood outside waiting to enter the Veronafiere Expo Centre and saw a swarm of people waiting at the gates to be let in , I knew it would be a good event . When the doors opened there were immediate shouts of excitement and I saw hundreds of people running to their favourite stands , all trying to be the first ones there . It was incredible to think such a young industry has made this much of an impact already and it was great to witness such excitement from the local vaping community . After the initial groups were in I decided to walk around the expo for myself . It was great to see so many clients and companies I recognised but it was also a chance for me to see some wellknown companies that I hadn ’ t had the chance to meet yet . There was so much to do and so many people to see that in what seemed like just five minutes , it was already lunch time . We went outside and it was like a food festival . There were eight food trucks each selling different things with a bar in the middle . We opted for calamari and chips and I decided that I ’ d be eating that for the rest of the weekend – it was unbelievable . The rest of the afternoon flew by and it was soon time to go back to the apartment and prepare for the next day . The next two days were just as busy as the first . It was great
130 | VM18 speaking to the consumers there and seeing what they liked about the different stands . I also had the pleasure of speaking to a lot of people from Canada and the US who were beyond happy that they made the trip over . For some of them it was their first time in Europe and I got the impression that they ’ ll be attending a lot more of the expos over here . The final day was B2B day . One thing I loved about Vapitaly was that between the two halls they had meeting rooms for businesses . These meeting rooms were top class , they smelled of jasmine and offered coffee and snacks . It was nice to have a coffee in a quiet room and talk with clients – I wish more vape events had this facility . After my final calamari and chips of the event it was time for a few final meetings and then to pack up and head home . It was an absolute pleasure going to Vapitaly and I would 100 percent go again .