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ECC ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA
AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 1,
ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER
Words: Pom Kaila
Over the past three years I have attended many vape conventions
within the UK but I had never been to one abroad. So when I found
out I was attending the ECC I was very excited as this was to be
uncharted territory for me.
I was intrigued to see the approach taken by vape expos on the
other side of the Atlantic and especially whether they followed a
similar format to home shows or whether I could expect to see
something completely different.
The fi rst major difference was the travel time as this was no
45-minute car journey up the A38 to the NEC in Birmingham.
For home shows a trip to London would see me at the destination
but this time round it was the starting point for a three hour flight to
Pisa, followed by a short transit at the airport and a long and tiring
11-hour flight to Los Angeles.
The convention itself was, in many ways, very similar to the UK
ones I was used to and I immediately felt at home within the ‘vape
expo’ environment as soon as I walked through the doors.
There was one massive difference though and I found something
which I really did not expect to see at a vape event.
142 VM25
The expo boasted a 20ft bar which was offering vodka, whisky and
even Champagne. For a moment I felt it was a great shame that I
am not a daytime drinker but I had a job to do and hitting the bar at
11am was certainly not on my to-do list.
It was great to see the usual faces at this show doing what they do
best as the likes of Nasty Juice, Charlie’s and Jwei were all instantly
recognisable, as well as many other regulars from the vape show
circuit.
While it is always great to meet old friends, for me, it is making new
contacts and seeing new brands which is always really exciting
and I was surprisingly impressed to see how many new companies
were showcasing their brands out here. A few companies that really
caught my eye were Pod Juice, Hitt, Take Off E-liquid and Hybrid.
Take Off, in particular, stood out to me the most. I love the name,
love the stand and most of all, I love their Apple Strudel vape juice, it
was a defi nitely a winner for me.
Overall the show was well laid out, well organised and I’m glad I
managed to get the chance to visit. Thank you ECC, thank you to the
kind people of Ontario. I hope to see you all again soon.