Today, we wrap up an incredible three days in the Vape Live auditorium.
Friday’s line-up once again features speakers from both sides of the Atlantic, including familiar faces from Vapouround HQ.
So let’s get started!
Look Back at Previous Vapouround Awards Ceremonies and Musical Entertainment
The 2020 virtual Vapouround Awards was a huge success, with thousands of people from all over the world casting their votes.
But those of you new to Vapouround will not have had the pleasure of experiencing the glitz, glamour and madness of a physical Vapouround Awards event.
Be sure to check out this Vapouround Awards highlights video to give you an idea of what to expect next year!
An Introduction to Vaping Devices, Saving Money While Vaping and Battery Safety
Vapouround’s resident reviewer and all-round ‘techspert’ Benedict ‘Ned’ Jones is back, this time taking a deeper look at the fundamentals of vaping.
Along with introducing the various types of vape device and their pros and cons, Ned offered some great tips for new vapers to save money after making the switch. This is hugely important right now as many of us are looking to find savings wherever we can.
Finally, Ned addressed battery safety. This is a hugely important issue for vapers to consider, especially those using high-powered external battery devices.
“It’s really easy to keep yourself safe and stop any kind of accident from happening with a vaping battery.
“As long as you treat them with respect and you look after them properly, you’ll never have an issue with a battery.
“They’ve very safe and they’re very rigorously tested by the manufacturer.”
Benedict ‘Ned’ Jones
What Makes a Premium E-Liquid ‘Premium’?
One of the main benefits of vaping is just how much cheaper it can be than smoking.
Nicotine e-liquids come at a fraction of the cost of cigarettes and are available thousands of different flavours.
But within the spectrum of e-liquids available, prices vary considerably. In this talk, Don Thompson of The Zen Vaper broke down exactly what makes one e-liquid ‘premium’ and another ‘budget.’
Don explained that budget e-liquids tend to come in basic flavours, they tend to be simple formulas, they make it one day, sell it the next. So a blue raspberry slushie flavour is just blue raspberry flavouring.
But premium e-liquids come in more nuanced, layered and complex flavours. Their recipes are more complicated. They also have a longer development cycle, where the manufacturer is tweaking the flavour over time to get it just right.
The Zen Vaper’s Amy Unger asked, why should vapers care about better ingredients?
Don said that e-liquids with no added sweeteners are kind to coils and cotton, which means that both will last much longer.
Also, some budget e-liquid manufacturers will try to cover up unpleasant tastes with sweeteners.
“I believe that a good recipe should stand all by itself. It doesn’t need extra sweeteners. It tastes like just what it’s supposed to taste like.”
Five Years of Vapouround Magazine, Travelling the World and What’s Next for VOXPO
Following a hilarious awards show on Thursday, Vapouround’s Paul Caplin and Patrick Griffin were back.
Paul shared how VOXPO started, from a seed of an idea in 2019 to a massive, international operation just months later.
We also heard about Vapouround’s albeit more steady rise from a giveaway at Vaper Expo to the world’s best known vape publication.
What a ride!
“You go to Colombia and you see our logo on billboards. You go to America, you walk into any expo and everyone knows Vapouround. If you’re wearing the logo, people will approach you.
“It’s humbling, it’s huge and it’s come from a little office in Derby that used to be a local newspaper!”
Our Final Check In with the Florida Smoke Free Association
We were delighted to welcome back the Florida Smoke Free Association once again so discuss the state of vaping in the US and how it compares to Europe.
Zack Goodson explained that there is a middle ground between stopping young people from vaping and allowing adult smokers to access the products.
We also heard about the political battles advocacy and lobbying groups continue to face in this increasingly hostile climate.
Zack also noted that all of the negative studies around vaping are based on flawed methodology.
Vape Live USA – The Finale
After an incredible weekend of speakers, it was great to wrap up the man who kicked it all off, Jeff Connell of Innevape alongside business partner Tom Klingensmith.
Jeff shared his incredible story of how vaping literally saved his life, inspiring him to make his own liquid and, eventually, world-leading e-liquid brand, Innevape.
Tom is also now eight years cigarette-free, and it’s all thanks to vaping.
The duo also gave their view of what the US industry will look like in the years to come now that the PMTA deadline has hit.
Both the guys believe that strict regulation is actually in the best interests of the industry, even if the FDA may have taken a somewhat cynical approach in drawing up the framework.
Asked what their secret to a successful business was, Jeff said:
“It’s all about perseverance. It never fails you.
“To me, the vape industry is the ultimate test of that perseverance.”
