“The highlight of the expo is to be
amongst the thriving vape community
and seeing young faces, new faces,
old faces turning up, new vapers; just
people enjoying something.”
Ashley Hansen
Director of Marketing and
Development at B & B LA and
Daddy’s Vapor Distro
Flying in from California’s sunnier climes is Johnnie’s partner-in-
crime and self-described “high octane human,” Ashley Hansen;
bringing her spirited vivacity back to the stage for the third year.
As the director of marketing for Daddy’s Vapor, Ashley is no stranger
to the hard work and dedication that is needed to succeed in this
competitive industry. Though it’s her love for this business that keeps
her in the game.
“I love that vape wasn’t founded by big tobacco. The culture behind
vape is passion and purpose and I know that it changes people’s
lives; people find freedom in that and everyone deserves to feel
that freedom.”
Having the opportunity to bring her own passion and knowledge to
each Vaper Expo has instilled in Ashley a sense of loyalty for our
Birmingham offering – it’s the expo her year is planned around.
She says: “I’ve consistently attended the Vaper Expo more than
other trade shows in the entire world. Recently, there have been
multiple shows running at the same time and I always choose to
keep the home team at the Vaper Expo.
“It’s been my premier go-to; I love hosting the show because I feel like
I’m able to bring a lot of the influence from vapers in other countries
and bring that energy and passion back to the NEC, with my friends
and family in the UK.”
What Ashley loves so much about the Vaper Expo, compared to other
shows, is the people. She believes that the companies always bring
their best, and the consumers always bring their voice.
“There’s just something super chill, but also electric in the room.
And there’s a lot of value coming to the show because UK vapers
are honest, they have opinions, and they share them.”
She adds: “The consumers come ready to ask questions, to try
new flavours, to learn about new hardware, to share with us what
they have been into over the last six months – which is great.”
And, of course, hosting alongside Johnnie is yet another perk of the
gig for Ashley, who values sharing the stage with someone equally as
invested in the industry as she is; and someone whom she respects,
not just as a colleague, but as a friend.
“Johnnie and I have been hosting together for what feels like the
start of time. He’s my partner in crime, I love it. His energy, I vibe
off it. He’s an inspiring man, and his whole crew is fantastic.
“I’m very lucky to have Johnnie, he’s an unforgettable human. I
totally respect him as a businessman, stage partner, as a friend,
and as my UK family.”
Off the stage, Ashley can often be spotted sharing her enthusiasm
with attendees and fans of the brands she represents, and she loves
hearing about the flavours and hardware that consumers have been
getting into since the last Expo.
This weekend, she’s especially looking forward to meeting with her
Premier E-Cigs family, hitting up the casino and going dancing. So
she can even add ‘dancing queen’ to her résumé!
VAPER EXPO SHOWGUIDE | 91