Vapouround magazine VM18 | Page 144

EVENTS BY ANNABELLE TURNER INTERSTEAM BERLIN, GERMANY. JUNE 22-24, 2018 It was a little unusual, at least on first glance, to discover that the Friday business to business day began at 3pm and went on until 10pm. And while this may seem strange it was actually very well thought out. The idea was that by starting and finishing late, smaller businesses attending the event would not have to close for the entire day. So unusual for sure but certainly very clever. The people of Berlin were very welcoming indeed and the weather was very pleasant throughout the duration of the show. Friday was perhaps a little quieter than might have been expected but the World Cup may have had something to do with that. However, in keeping up with the German stereotype of efficiency, Friday, although quiet, was smooth and successful. Moving forward to the Saturday. The numbers of people attending the show picked up and giveaways were a prominent source of entertainment and excitement throughout the day. Vapers, the world over, do love the opportunity of getting their hands on some cool freebies. Another notable feature of the expo was the outdoor area overseeing the River Spree. Intersteam took full advantage of the sunny climate with its outdoor entertainment on stage, featuring the one and only Ashley from Strawberry Queen. It was lovely to see such a familiar face at the expo. The outdoor space was also put to good use to entertain visitors as they waited in line for the doors to open and as the Arena Halle venue overlooked the river, it was great to take advantage of this feature. 144 | VM18 In comparison to Saturday, Sunday was noticeably quieter, and the combination of great weather plus the distraction of the World Cup contributed to this. Intersteam Berlin is a quality vape expo and those who attended certainly enjoyed the experience. The layout of the expo was clear and easy to follow making it effortless finding the exhibitors you needed to see. Just as always, it was lovely to see some of the UK brands situated around the arena such as Vampire Vape, Vape Duty Free and Eco Vape, as well as some of the well-known German based brands like Twisted and Bozz. On top of this, we met some newer German brands which we had not dealt with before. It was also great to see so many Vapouround Award trophies being displayed with a sense of pride by exhibitors. I know plans are already well underway to make the next Intersteam Berlin even bigger and better than before and without the World Cup taking place even more people will have the opportunity to attend.