Vapouround magazine ISSUE 20 | Page 138

EVENTS BY PAUL CAPLIN VAPEVENT MIAMI, SOHO STUDIOS. NOVEMBER 8-9 This was the latest instalment from the VapEvent team. They started in France a couple of years ago and then moved their B2B based expo to New York. After two very successful shows in New York the team announced that their fourth instalment was going to take place in Miami. This was a location that I was excited to return to because I have been to shows in Miami before and I love them as well as the place itself. So we came knowing that it wasn’t going to be like a normal expo. No loud music, no maddens from exhibitors, no loud presenters screaming down a microphone. This was going to be a dedicated B2B event where vendors could settle down and do some serious business. Day one - we set off to the show and were ready to set up our booth. We arrived and it seemed to be located in a bit of a strange neighbourhood in Miami away from the normal glitz and glam that people may associate with the location. We got into the hall and it was a decent size with some great vendors. It was great to catch up with old friends like Keith and his team from Diamond Vapor and also great to see, after a long time, the Captain Obvious team, and there were many new faces that we didn’t recognise. Although the show wasn’t overrun with visitors, I am told that the visitors that did attend were very well qualified and very professional and were there to do good business. I also put down to the lack of people that there were also two more major shows on at the same time across the US. Day two carried on much in the same vein as day one. We are always impressed with the professionalism that the VapEvent 138 | VM20 team show. Their organisational skills are very good, they take pride in what they do and it’s the little extras that they do that really makes this show stand out, such as the boxes of mints and pens and note pads they put on everyone’s table, giving a real sense of a business environment. Do I think this format would work elsewhere? Absolutely yes and I personally can’t wait for the next VapEvent chapter in New York in March.