You are obviously aware that a few days ago a special edition of Vapexpo took place in Lyon. The editorial staff of Vapoteurs.net was on hand to cover the event and present it to you from the inside. It is now time to do a great debriefing on this second regional show after the one in Bordeaux. How was the organization ? Was there a big attendance? ? What was the atmosphere of this Lyonnais salon ? We give you our feelings on what we experienced during these two days of exhibition.
THE CHOICE OF THE CITY, THE PLACE AND THE SERVICES OFFERED IN THE SURROUNDINGS
The organizers of Vapexpo had therefore chosen the city of Lyon to host this last show, but was it a good idea? Ideally placed on the map of France, the city of Lyon is very well served by public transport (Train, plane, bus, tram, metro) and it was therefore not complicated for visitors to get there. The convention center where this new edition of the Vapexpo took place was finally quite close to the city center (15 min) while remaining far from the urban overcrowding which even allowed some visitors to come by vélib. The congress center being located in the "international city" of Lyon, we found ourselves in a fairly large space including hotels, restaurants, snack bars and even a casino.
Small downside, however, with the surrounding restaurants which were all “full” for lunch on the first day, so many people ended up buying sandwiches in the “Snack” area in the lounge. But for the more curious, Lyon is also a cultural city, everyone will have been able to take the time to go for a walk to the famous Parc de la Tete d'Or or to go shopping. On the gastronomic side, this getaway was also an opportunity to have a good Lyon cork with friends.
FEEDBACK ON THE ORGANIZATION OF VAPEXPO LYON
In this kind of show, we always worry about the queue that there may be at the opening, but for this edition there was nothing insurmountable. The writing of Vapoteurs.net and Vapelier.com arrived early and we had to wait 10 minutes to enter the lounge. A small regret that we had already noted in previous editions: The lack of a queue reserved for the press.
Once in the convention center, we were greeted by smiling hostesses with bags containing advertising, small samples and a guide to the show. Immediately, we were able to appreciate the presence of a cloakroom allowing to put down our big jackets and not to succumb to the heat of a foggy lounge. We will specify that in recovering our things, the hostesses of the cloakroom were not really pleasant but let's move on ...
Regarding the places if all the amenities were there, we must admit that the toilets were not clean (no hand soap and black tea towels to wipe off). Besides that, the Vapexpo offered a Snack / Bar to eat which was greatly appreciated by visitors. As a visitor, the Vapexpo was well organized with space to circulate and many stands to visit. Entering the living room, we had direct access to a bright hallway with many doors which opened up throughout the day to let out the abundant steam.
And as in the previous edition, it was possible to have your hair or beard cut in a dedicated stand, why not a mini massage parlor for the next edition? This could offer professionals and exhibitors a little moment of relaxation.
For a visitor although being smaller than that of Paris, the Vapexpo Lyon was pleasant and important thing, it was possible to circulate without ending up crashing even during the peak hours. Concerning the exhibitors, the experience is more mixed, having spoken with them some were satisfied and others less criticizing in particular the lack of presence of the staff or the fact that no bottles of water are offered to them.
TWO DAYS OF LIVING ROOM, TWO DIFFERENT AMBIANCES
As Vapexpo director Patrick Bédué says so well, this show is a unique opportunity for vapers to meet and interact with professionals. And the whole intrigue of this Lyon edition was there! Would the atmosphere be the same after the application of the European directive on tobacco and the last obligations on e-liquids at the start of the year? We can definitely say yes! Admittedly, we did not have the excitement that we usually find at the Vapexpo in September in Paris, but we felt that most of the exhibitors were happy to participate in this regional edition.
And yet, most of them confided to be tired, worn out by the work done since the beginning of 2017 in order to respect the new standards but nothing could have prevented them from being at this meeting. Indeed, the Vapexpo is an opportunity for them to show with pride the result of all this work invested.
Steam that gradually settles in the convention center, music (sometimes too loud at some exhibitors), bright and decorated stands, visitors who share their passions, we are at Vapexpo. If this edition was a little less “crazy” than those in Paris, we will still have met people disguised for the occasion, vapers with extraordinary gear as well as specialists in tricks and power-vaping.
As with each edition, we were able to take advantage of the aesthetics of a good part of the exhibition stands even if there were no major novelties, most of the exhibitors probably preferring to keep surprises for the Vapexpo in September. In the end, we will remember the Bordo2 stand, which is still so colorful, the Fluid Mechanics stand with its retro side, the Diners lady stand with its hostesses dressed as waitresses from the 80s… And a stand that particularly attracted the male clientele, that of the Dutch e-liquid brand "Dvtch" with its two hostesses. Some exhibitors such as Joshnoa, Dinner Lady and ADNS offered visitors small treats and drinks which were obviously appreciated at certain times of the day.
The first day being open as much to professionals as to "project leaders", the atmosphere was rather dissipated with a cloud of ambient vapor which gradually settled. The exhibitors seemed happy to show their novelties and to have the new e-liquids tested. This day was also that of groups of vapers who were able to meet all over the show to share and discuss with the professionals present. We were able to meet many reviewers and personalities of the vape present for the occasion. Note that this edition is the first where we do not see any distribution of e-liquids and gifts.
The second day was very different and more conducive to work as only professionals were allowed. For our part, we took the time to discuss with the many exhibitors present who all day negotiated and presented their products to professionals visiting the show.
MANY E-LIQUIDS AND LITTLE EQUIPMENT
To the dismay of some visitors, the recipe for vaping salons does not really change. Among exhibitors, there are around 70% e-liquids for 30% material. The biggest French e-liquid brands were obviously present (Vincent dans les vapes, Alfaliquid, Flavor Power, Green Vapes, Fuu…) as were some foreign market leaders (Twelve Monkeys, Baril Oil…). On the material side, if it wasn't madness, we could appreciate the presence of Asmodus, Vaporesso, Vgod or even some modders who had a dedicated stand.
But what were the good surprises of this Vapexpo?
Listed e-liquid we hold :
- The new e-liquids from Titanide whose " Diamond Strawberry " which is a real donut with strawberry jam.
- The new kid from home Fuu, The " Vape Trix »Which is a cereal porridge with blue berries and mead
- The new delicacy of The cloud workshop, a calisson e-liquid that thrills the taste buds.
- The new kid from home Ambrosia Paris, who are " The beautiful plum »
- The Resuscator III du French liquid which will not fail to surprise you.
Obviously this list is not exhaustive and many other creations were surprising like the famous “Space Cake” from “Dvtch”. Note that some manufacturers like Flavor Power offered visitors to taste their new nuggets for testing and then to rate them, a very good idea to repeat!
Hardware side we hold :
- The cigalike " My Von Earl »Which really amazed us and which we will hear about shortly!
- The many “High-end” mods and atomizers offered by the “Phileas Cloud” stand
- Boxes from Asmodus
- The magnificent mods and boxes of Titanide
WHAT AFFLUENCE FOR THIS VAPEXPO LYON AND WHAT CONSEQUENCES?
If the official figures have not yet been released, we know that 1870 visitors presented themselves at Vapexpo Lyon on the first day 3080 visitors does it seem in total. A result which partially confirms what we were able to observe on site, that is to say that the show welcomed many people but much less than the previous edition in Paris (11 274 in September 2016) but more than the last edition of Innovaping Days (2463 in March 2016 for Innovaping Days).
If overall the exhibitors seemed satisfied with this edition, some told us that they did not know if they would do the experience again. To see if the Vapexpo effect will continue to prosper over time despite the many obstacles as well as the application of the European directive on tobacco.
OUR PHOTO GALLERY SOUVENIR VAPEXPO LYON
During the Vapexpo Lyon, the Vapoteurs.net team was accompanied by an amateur photographer (FH Photography) who took care of covering the event. All photos belonging to Vapelier OLFplease do not use them without permission.
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CONCLUSION ON THIS EDITION OF VAPEXPO LYON
In our opinion, this Lyonnaise edition of Vapexpo was a success. We were able to enjoy a real vaping lounge where the air remained breathable during the two days. If fewer exhibitors were present compared to a Vapexpo in September, there was a lot to see and a lot of e-liquids to taste. Many visitors who did not know Vapexpo were also able to discover this show thanks to this location in Lyon. A priori, we will all meet in September for a new edition and maybe next year for a regional edition. Strasbourg, Marseille, Lille, Rennes? What will be the next step of Vapexpo?
