October provided us with the best business-to-
business day of any Vaper Expo I have ever attended…
and I should know because I’ve been to them all.
This time around the organisers tried something new. They pulled
the plug on the loud music and asked all the exhibitors to cut out the
music from their stands. I have been waiting for something like this
for years and I became genuinely excited when expo co-founder Jay
Cox explained this plan to me in the run-up to October’s event.
I remember thinking that this was the best single change ever
implemented in the history of Vaper Expo and, having experienced it
in action, I hope this now becomes a permanent feature of the show.
However, at the end of the day, my view is not what counts, so on
Music Free Friday I set out to fi nd the views from people at the show
and this is what they told me:
Marc Curtis - MD, Zeus Juice
“Today is the most important day for so many exhibitors at the Expo.
It is vital that we can do business deals so anything which can help
facilitate this is a welcome move.
“Everyone I have spoken to prefers the peace and quiet as it is now
possible to talk without having to raise your voice to be heard. Two
days with music and one which is music-free is exactly the right
balance. This worked for me.”
Wes Brown - Owner, Barista Brew Company
“When I heard about this change before the show opened, it was
music to my ears because this is exactly what exhibitors wanted
to happen. The business-to-business day is such an important part
of the Expo because we are here to meet new partners, expand our
brands and do business throughout the day.
“To be able to do all this without having to compete with pounding
music all day long is something we all very much appreciate.”
Rhett Morrissey - Social Media Manager, IVG.
“Friday is always about talking to people and it is much easier to do
business with people when you can actually hear what they are saying.
“You don’t need loud music to create an atmosphere on the business-
to-business day so I very much welcome this move. It was a good
decision and I hope this will be a permanent fi xture at Vaper Expo.”
Kenny Smith - Retail Director, Red Box Vape
“It is a lot better without the music because you can hear people
without having to shout at the top of your voice.
“When the music is playing non-stop you leave the expo with your
throat dry from all the shouting you had to do to get your point
across. This change has made things more relaxed and we got a lot
of business done, so saving the music for the consumer days works
well as far as I am concerned.”
Greg Cox - MD, QCIG
“Quite simply, this worked. We have had the best trade day at this
show than at any of the previous four shows we have done.
“We always like to be near the stage as this is a good spot for us
but it can get very loud in this part of the hall. Having no music at
all allowed everyone to talk in our normal conversational voices and
this is always much better than having to shout at your customers
in order to be heard.
“I am very much in favour of this change. It’s a winner for sure.”
Victor Mullin - Vaping with Vic
“This is an awesome move. I loved it and the vendors loved it.
People could sit down and have a damn good chat with no intrusive,
thumping noise getting in the way.
“I do not want to scream in people’s faces in order to communicate
with them and exhibitors who paid good money to do business deals
at the expo certainly don’t want to do so either.
“Maybe splitting the halls into quiet and loud sections like they do at
Hall of Vape is a good idea but I am not sure this would work with the
Vaper Expo layout so cutting out the music on the Friday probably is
the best solution. Long may it continue.”
Johnnie Lovell - Vaper Expo Host/BHVape Owner
“I am the loudest voice at Vaper Expo although I am not sure that my
co-host Ashley would agree with that.
“Music plays a key part in creating an atmosphere and setting the
overall tone at events like this so I am not a big fan of music free
days. When exhibitors come to the expo they know it is different
to meeting clients at their offi ce so I don’t think a bit of music is a
problem. As long as the overall volume does not overpower things
then it should always be part of the expo experience.”
Music Free Friday was a big success and everyone wins when
organisers of events like this work with exhibitors to facilitate
successful trade days. Hopefully this is a trend which will be
replicated at more live vape events around the world.
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