by Patrick Griffin
OK so I have a confession to make…
and some may find this to be a big,
big confession indeed.
I don’t vape.
There I have said it and I feel so much
better now.
So when I was asked to cover The Vaper
Expo UK event at Birmingham’s NEC, I
really didn’t know what to expect.
I have covered events at the NEC before
during my career as a journalist, the first
being a cat show many years ago but this
event was very different to that.
My first surprise was how absolutely
dedicated the vaping community is. By
the time the doors opened at 10am there
were more than 1,000 people waiting in
line to get in and those at the front had
been there since 7am.
The second surprise was how friendly
everyone was. Not that I was expecting
an unfriendly crowd but the point being
that everyone seemed to be in a really
good mood and very chatty.
The third surprise was the amount of
vapour in the air. When I have seen
people using e-cigarettes while out and
about there seems to be a little bit of
vapour released each time they vape.
Here was different. One moment I would
be talking to someone right in front of
me and the next moment that person’s
face was completely obscured behind
an aerosol cloud of flavoured vegetable
38 AUGUST 2015 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
This was very different and I really enjoyed
watching everyone vape away to their
heart’s content.
glycerin and propylene glycol.
It was fascinating to watch, which is just
as well because for the next six of hours
or so I saw a lot of people disappearing
behind clouds of VG/PG.
Then, like any community, I soon learned
that it had a language all of its own.
People were talking about the voltages
they were using on their devices, talking
about the advantages of dual over single
coils and about the custom mods they
had on their devices.
I am sure I even heard someone talking
about ‘ass juice’ whatever that means. I
know there are lots of unusual flavours
out there, some with really amazing
names, but I think that is one I would
never want to try.
I learned later that this term refers to an
e-liquid that tastes rather foul…so that’s
that mystery solved then.
When the show started I could see from
one end of the hall to the other. If I had a
spotted a friend at the other side of the
venue I could have waved and caught
their attention.
Now if you have been to a vaping show
before you will know that this was not
going to last very long at all.
Soon the hall was engulfed in smoke,
well vapour not smoke. It was exactly like
someone had turned on a dozen dry ice
machines and left them running all day.
This, combined with the rather sweet and
pleasant smell of the vape juice, made for
a unique atmosphere to the event (if you
forgive the appalling pun.)
I was instantly reminded of the old days
before the smoking ban. They were days
when you went into a crowded pub and the
air was thick with smoke.
However there was one major difference.
Cigarette smoke is laden with toxins, it
smells foul and it gets into every fibre of
your clothes. I hated those days with a
passion. Smelling like an ash tray is not my
idea of fun.
This was very different and I really enjoyed
watching everyone vape away to their
heart’s content.
Also everyone I spoke to was amazingly
polite, informative and happy to talk about
their hobby. It sure beats covering a cat
show any day of the w eek.
And despite my day at The Vaper Expo
UK…I still don’t vape. Well not yet anyway.