LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
liquid guys ECC-EXPO.COM
Meet the 4 guys who personify the American dream realized.
giant vapes
We sit with the east coasts vape giants. ECC-EXPO.COM Tokewell_Splits.indd 1
L A S V E G A S , N E VA D A
SHOW GUIDE
These 2 entrepreneurs find the lost art of success by reinventing themselves.
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lost art liquids
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7 FOREWORD 8 ABOUT VPX/ECC 9 VPX BOARD MEMEBERS 14 VPX SQUAD MEMBERS
FEATURES
44 2016 VPX CONVENTION MAP
20 STAY LIQUID
46 2016 VPX VENDOR DIRECTORY 28 THE LOST ART OF SUCCESS 34 TRUE BLUE COVER PHOTO BY KILLRONIN
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THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
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2016 VPX
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6.2%
Only
of US smokers will quit this year.
(http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/mmwrs/byyear/2011/mm6044a2/intro.htm)
MAY 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada F O R V P X/E CC
Steve Mac CO-OWNER & PARTNER STEVEMAC@ECC-EXPO.COM
Do we tell the other
43 million
to just keep smoking?
CJ Catchillar CO-OWNER & PARTNER CJ@ECC-EXPO.COM
Lino Geaga CO-FOUNDER & CO-OWNER LINO@ECC-EXPO.COM
Grace Geaga CO-FOUNDER & CO-OWNER GRACE@ECC-EXPO.COM
Vinh Nguyen CO-OWNER & PARTNER VINH@ECC-EXPO.COM
Frank Phillips Jr. ECC VPX SALES DIRECTOR FRANK@ECC-EXPO.COM
Published by
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SUPPORT TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION POLICIES
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www.CASAA.org A public service message from the Consumers Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association
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TOKEWELL
F O R T O KE W E L L
Richard Coyle PRESIDENT
Ryan Furuya CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Cindy Galindo SVP OPERATIONS PHOTOGRAPHERS
Richard Coyle, Hector Leyva, Saul Vargas The ECC Show guide is published by fr3shLAb creative group, llc. dba Tokewell Magazine. All content within this magazine is copyright protected and may not be reproduced in part or in whole without explicit written consent from the publisher. Tokewell Magazine is strictly for entertainment purposes only, and is not to be held liable for any misleading or inaccurate material produced herein. Š2016 Fr3shlab Creative Group LLC. All Rights Reserved. fr3shlab creative group, llc po box 444, alhambra, ca 91802
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Vegas,
W H AT H A P P E N S I N
# TogetherWeRise
RICH COYLE PRESIDENT
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2016 marks our 4th year producing vape conventions and we continue to strive to give the best experience for our attendees at our events. As each VPX show passed, our continued growth came with more gratitude to the industry as well as more obstacles we had to face and overcome to bring you an exciting event. As our team evolved and brought in more ideas and ways to cater to both exhibitor and attendee, we want to make sure both parties leave our event with a lasting, and positive impression. Our most recent show, VPX Detroit, which happened in March of this year, became one of the most successful and exciting shows we’ve produced. Business to business days were bustling, days for general attendance was jam packed, and the overall atmosphere and ambiance was cloud-filled with excitement.
CJ “VAPING MONKEY” CATCHILLAR CO-FOUNDER AND PARTNER
FOREWORD
We knew as a team with the changes we made, the ideas we implemented have turned into a successful blueprint for our upcoming shows. So what better location to apply this blueprint and challenge us even more? Vegas baby. We are positive that this will be an unforgettable event that will be fun and productive. So as you’re reading this, first and foremost thank you for attending VPX Vegas. This show guide will help navigate you through our event and show you what some of our world-class exhibitors have to offer. There will be articles to get to know some of our sponsors and a quick bio of our ECC VPX team and how we came to be. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, so vape on and have a great time, you’re in Vegas baby! We hope you enjoy our efforts.
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Once again, we are honored and blessed to be able to work alongside like-minded people in this industry we love so much; such as the VPX/ECC team. This show commemorates VPX’s inaugural installment into the bright lights and excess that only Las Vegas can accommodate. We have again been commissioned to produce this show guide for all you fans and attendees to give you an insight to the partners and brands that made this show possible. Recently, the FDA has dealt the vape industry a blow with the intentions of knocking us out. We need to fight back. I implore each and every one of you to use this opportunity at VPX to unite and fight for what is yours. Your right to heal. Your right to vape.
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VPX/ECC ABOUT
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he Vape Exhibit (VPX) is a vape industry trade show brand owned and operated by ECC. People often ask us if we’re two separate companies that just like to collaborate. Well, the answer is, we used to be! Prior to our merger in January 2015, VPX and ECC were separate companies with two totally different paths and business models. ECC’s model was an annual industry event in Southern California, and VPX’s model was smaller scale events throughout the nation. After a series of meetings between the two companies we decided to merge the two companies together and run both models simultaneously. Sounds crazy? Not really. ECC is still the industry’s premier annual event in Southern California (Pomona,
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STEVE MAC,
CO-FOUNDER & CO-OWNER, ECC; CO-OWNER, VPX
HECTOR LEYVA
November 2016) that features exhibitors and attendees from all around the world, and VPX still travels around the country organizing events in states such as New York (Niagara Falls, April 2015), Louisiana (New Orleans, November 2015), Michigan (Detroit, March 2016), and Nevada (Las Vegas, May 2016). Whether it’s ECC or VPX, there is little to no distinction since we have the same owners, same Board, same staff, and same resources. Our team focuses on providing the highest quality events in our industry and always provides complimentary exhibit space, airfare, and hotels for advocacy groups. We thank you for supporting ECC/VPX and we hope you enjoy your time here at The Vape Exhibit Las Vegas.
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STEVE MAC Steve is Co-Founder & Co-Owner of ECC, and became Co-Owner of VPX in 2015. He is a former smoker of over 20 years that quit smoking traditional combustible tobacco cigarettes on Valentine’s Day, 2012. His passion for this industry is displayed by his ongoing commitment to convert smokers to vaping as a safer alternative, and his 4-year history of supporting industry advocacy organizations. Steve has been a CASAA member since 2012.
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CJ C ATCH ILLAR CJ is one of the originators in the vape industry since 2009 and one of staunchest supporters of vape advocacy since 2011. What started as his passion for vaping through his wildly popular YouTube Vaping Monkey channel; CJ parlayed that success into a co-ownership of ECC/VPX, a nationwide franchise of Vaper Venue retail stores, a science lab and a distribution company to complete his body of work.
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V IN H N G U YE N A native of Southern California and a self-made entrepreneur, Vinh has achieved success in a short period of time. He is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of ECC and is also a Co-Owner of the VPX Show. With his extensive investments in the vape industry from Vapor Bombz to Epic Juice, Vinh has diversified his portfolio beyond that to further his body of work.
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GRAC E GEAGA Grace is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of VPX since 2014 and the Co-Owner of ECC since 2015. In 2013 after her husband Lino quit smoking, they both decided to invest in the vape industry and consequently, opened up their first brick and mortar Stella Vapors in NorCo California and expanded their efforts to Las Vegas as well. Grace brings over 20 years of experience in Operations and Project Management and currently serves as the CFO and Co-Owner of CalTek Communications Inc.
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LINO GEAGA Lino is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of VPX since January 2014 and a Co-Owner of ECC since 2015. In 2013, Lino was trying to find an alternative solution to quit smoking when one of his friends introduced him to vaping. Through vaping he was able to quit smoking for over 20 yrs and resulted in his investments in the vape industry. Being an entrepreneur, he also founded a telecommunications company CalTek Communications Inc. in 2006. He is an owner of multiple businesses and an investor in real estate and commercial properties.
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FREDDIE FEJARANG Freddie Fejarang or better known as Freddie APV has been involved in the vape industry since 2012. By engaging in various online communities online and collaborating with some of the best mod builders, he is one of the most respected in the game today. He now serves as Marketing and Promotional Representative for ECC/VPX and CoDirector of the Road Tour Sponsorship.
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JAMES CHIONG (AKA SUPER JAYMZE) James has been in the vape industry since 2012 and his company, Vinyl by SJ was the first in the west coast to wrap vape products. He is also the Co-Founder of the Vape Foodies brand and has extensive knowledge of streetwear and sneaker culture which has translated to the effective marketing of today’s millennial vapers.
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LIZA FLORIDA A native of Southern California, Liza comes from an extensive real estate and mortgage background and in the recent years, has transitioned her career into the vape Industry. Liza started off as an Account Executive at one of the industry’s premier vape companies, then made her way into the trade show business as the Client Relations Manager for ECC/VPX. She is also a multiple business owner and entrepreneur.
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WORDS SNAPS
TOKEWELL STAFF RICHARD COYLE
MAY 20-22, 2016 | SANDS EXPO CENTER, LAS VEGAS
Liquid
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HOW DID YOU GUYS GET STARTED IN THE VAPE INDUSTRY?
We’ve been friends for over 10 years and all come from a marketing background. 3 years ago, Mo and Ali opened the first vape shop in Redlands called Vape Plus. We decided to start a distribution company to add to our existing businesses. We reached out to Feras and Saad and said, “Quit your jobs fellas, and let’s start Liquid Guys” and that’s exactly what they did. We brought onboard Roll Upz, Moo, and Snap and it just snowballed from there.
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hat started off a dream of 4 immigrants from the opposite side of the globe, Liquid Guys is proof positive of the American dream realized. Friends for over 10 years, Moe, Ali, Saad, and Feras have hustled and grinded their way through corporate America and came to the realization that they needed to go into business from themselves to be successful and that was the catalyst that began the Liquid Guy’s journey. Liquid Guy’s is premium distribution company, based out of Anaheim, California, and their mission is to deliver highest-grade e-liquid to vape stores worldwide. With a roster of some of the most widely sought after brands like Moo, Juice Roll Upz, Snap and ANML to name a few, they offer just about everything to appease the most distinguished palates. As with any product you receive from Liquid Guys, you are guaranteed e-Liquids that are manufactured in the highest quality clean room environments thus ensuring the finest and safest ingredients for the consumer. Couple that to their stringent quality control and genius marketing, you get a 360 product. Therefore, if you’re looking for a turnkey product that has been vetted at the highest level, look no further than the Liquid Guys.
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YOU GUYS GOT BIG SO FAST, WHAT WERE THE KEYS TO YOUR SUCCESS?
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We have by far the number one candy and milk e-Liquid in the market today. We focus on premium e-liquid only and we offer consultations with branding and marketing services as well. We case study all our products with our extensive network of retail locations globally to ensure we get the most positive feedback before we release a product. That’s the difference with a Liquid Guy’s product. Trust. We feel we have a great reputation in the industry as being top tier in the vape game and you know what you’re getting with a Liquid Guy’s product. WHAT DOES THE VAPE INDUSTRY NEED TO DO TO FLOURISH?
We need to work together and be compliant. Remember, it
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is a consumable product and some people are still making their products in their garages and the federal government is looking at us like we’re kids. We need to help each other versus hate on each other. You can’t bundle and categorize us as a “vape” industry. For example, we have a highest level ISO clean room and Joe Schmoe operates out of a totally unregulated facility and the FDA considers us both vape companies as the same. It’s a slap in the face for companies that are compliant. WHAT ARE THE GOALS FOR LIQUID GUYS?
We’re not here just to make money and leave. We really want to be able to help people. We’re all products of our environment and proof positive that vaping works. We are passionate and want to help the industry flourish.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LOOMING REGULATION?
We don’t mind the vape industry being regulated irrespective of where it goes, but companies need to be accountable. Regulation is absolutely needed but it needs to be done within a reasonable threshold. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH VPX AND OTHER TRADE SHOWS?
To us ECC is the originator. They showed us, love, last year and they’re great to work with and we’ve done collabs with them. Plus, ECC is the biggest show worldwide; not just in the US. We trust the show and everybody knows that shows are gambles and I’d rather place my bet on something that’s known. What they do stands out to me the most. The communication is easy as well and they’re organized.
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Lost Art Success THE
OF
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WORDS WORDSTOKEWELL TOKEWELLSTAFF STAFF SNAPS SNAPSSAUL SAULVARGAS VARGAS
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ost Art Liquids; the brainchild of Angelenos Brian Worthy and Ryan Thomas singlehandedly changed the landscape of the vape industry forever. These two young entrepreneurs have experienced major growing pains that usually go with a startup as a positive side effect of success.The good part is that the gentlemen at Lost Art never let
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that speed bump derail them from their goal. Having overcome some missteps and lapses of judgment as a result of achieving success at an astronomical rate, Ryan and Brian took those lumps on the chin and countered all the pundits and naysayers with a knockout blow of success. Now, Lost Art is one of the most successful and lucrative brands in the vape
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Art are avid supporters of vape advocacy and philanthropists as evidenced by their unselfish donations to SFATA and United States Veterans.Having said that, go and support Lost Art, stop by their booth and grab a bottle or 10 of Unicorn Puke or their new line Slotter Pops. You and your taste buds will not be disappointed.
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industry today. With branding that focuses on world acclaimed artists like OG Slick and LA street culture, Lost Art has ventured outside the proverbial box that so many stagnant e-Liquid companies fall prey to in today’s market. Not only has Lost Art paved the way for others to follow, they’ve left the blueprint and continue to lead by example. The team at Lost
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HOW DID LOST ART COME TO FRUITION? B: I had one of the first stores in LA called
the Vapor Mart on Melrose. In fact I actually sold Ryan his first kit. I opened another store in Beverly Hills called Majestic vapes. Stores were popping up everywhere and I realized that I needed to do something proprietary. Anybody could open a store and so Ryan and I had a conversation about making juice and it started on a little 4x4 table in the back of my store and we both each invested $2,000. R: Yeah, I actually was fortunate to get a pair of the Red Octobers for retail and flipped them for $4K and that’s how I came up with the money to invest.
We started off by making a flavor called, “Kaptain Peanut Butter Krunch” and literally the next day, the phones were ringing off the hook. In a matter of 48 hours, we went from 2 stores to 50. Ryan was the guy who was visiting a lot of stores and had a lot of connections with people in the vape industry and influencers. The brand really took off. WITH QUICK SUCCESS OFTEN TIMES COMES TRIAL AND ERROR. DID YOU GUYS EXPERIENCE ANY OF THOSE PITFALLS?
Absolutely. We needed to change our entire branding. All of our flavors are 90’s nostalgic names. We got so big, so fast and we went through trials any startup would go through from a branding and marketing standpoint. We were on a roll then all of a sudden, a year later, the New York Times and the Washington Post wrote an article about us advertising to children. They used us as a case study and we had this huge bullseye on our back. We had to rebrand again. We went from people loving us overnight to people hating us and stores threatening to boycott us.
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BEING ONE OF THE CONTROVERSIAL AND WELL-RESPECTED BRANDS, HOW DID YOUR SUCCESS COME ABOUT SO QUICKLY?
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We had to buckle down, remain focused and vigilant. We were unprepared for any of this. We rebranded Lost Art and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into our ISO clean rooms, liability insurance, batch numbers and facility in which we are expanding. We even released a video showcasing where we make the liquids we do what we can to support the industry. LOST ART IS ALSO KNOWN FOR BEING STAUNCH SUPPORTERS OF VAPING ADVOCACY AND OTHER NONPROFITS AS WELL.
We are. We have donated checks up to $70K to SFATA and gave $100K of e-Liquids to U.S. Veterans to help them quit smoking. We feel like we need to set the standard for people to take our industry seriously. In an industry where there is no regulation, we need to be that positive beacon and lead by example. WHAT DOES THE VAPE INDUSTRY HAVE TO DO TO CONTINUE TO FLOURISH AMIDST THE PROPOSED FDA REGULATION?
It really depends on the proposed
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regulation. Do I think there should be? Absolutely. It also needs to be reasonable. Because they are leaving the door wide open for big tobacco and big pharma to take over because they can afford to. Basically, we would need to fork out $3M a SKU? It would be over $100M we would have to dish out just for our lineup. Most of the companies are going to be out of business or have sell to big tobacco or have to take on additional investors who will want controlling interest or just shut the doors down permanently. We have 18 full time employees with benefits and it just kills small businesses and enterprise. Imagine thousands of companies like us out of work. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECC/VPX AND OTHER SHOW CIRCUITS?
ECC was the first e-Cig convention. It’s huge. Nowadays, it seems like there’re 15 conventions every month. At the end of the day, it’s really about branding and ECC is one of the bigger and better shows and well organized. We made a promise to them to follow and partner with them as the leaders in this space. When you go... go big!
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HOW DID YOU AVOID FAILURE AND CONTINUE YOUR UPWARD TRAJECTORY TO SUCCESS?
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True Blue E
STAFF
stablished in 2012, the Vapour Lounge began life as an upscale retail store offering one of Southern California’s largest selection of e-Liquid, accessories and mods. Being one of the OG’s in the game, they have the extensive knowledge of what vapers are looking for. They even have a “Quitters Wall” which is composed of the last packs of cigarettes that customers came in with when they purchased a setup. As a result of their positive reputation in the vape industry coupled with the data they have accumulated throughout the years, it only made sense that they develop their own line of premium e-Liquid and distribution company. Good thing they did. Enter Blue Label Elixir and Vapour Lounge Distribution. By employing the same customer-focused methodologies that brought
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SNAPS
SAUL VARGAS
them success at the retail level, Vapour Lounge Distribution and Blue Label are now experiencing the same stratospheric growth as evidenced by this VPX sponsorship. Being a premium e-Liquid brand, Blue Label has done their due diligence by preparing for the looming FDA regulations by investing in a state-of-the-art facility and ISO-certified clean rooms to ensure compliance. As a result, you can guarantee that your bottle of “Daddy’s” or “Frisco” is made from the highest quality ingredients and manufacturer standards. With the everything in place for the future, the family at VLD and Blue Label Elixir are well on their way to being one of the company’s standing at the end of the storm. You know what they say, the devil’s in the details and they’ve checked all their boxes.
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WORDS TOKEWELL
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VAPOUR LOUNGE IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND REPUTABLE BRICK AND MORTAR SHOPS IN THE COUNTRY, HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THAT?
Thats easy. Customer service, knowledge and selection. We don’t just sell products, we offer you an alternative lifestyle. We believe in being customer-focused. We even have a quitters wall of the last packs of smokes people give up when they come in.
It’s up in the air. We’re doing as much as we can and it’s tough. Were all standing up and fighting. I think they’re some companies that are hurting us and taking the industry a few steps back but, hopefully we can turn that around soon. We need to be diligent. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE COMPANIES THAT ARE HURTING US?
You hear stories of people making juice in their bathtubs and not really caring about the product. When we first started it was about getting people to quit get off the analogs, but now we lost sight a little. Blowing big clouds are fun and it’s a good time all but we need to focus on why we started this in the first place.
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IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE UNION OF THE VAPE INDUSTRY?
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WHAT DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO DO AS AN INDUSTRY?
We need be more responsible. We need to educate people at the retail level the type of product they have and how to properly use it. Companies with the blatant copyright infringements need to quit. The stores need to be more responsible and stop selling an 18 year old who doesn’t smoke a nicotine e-Liquid. Let them know they don’t need that and guide them to zeros. WITH INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE ON THE NET, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENTS LIKE DIACETYL?
something you’re going to get away from when using custard or cream products. It’s naturally occurring. People that say their products are completely free from diacetyl and companies that propose that make everybody look bad. You just need to be aware about what the percentages are and where’s the line is. Plus there’s nothing on record stating if it’s even harmful vaping. WHAT SETS VPX APART FROM THE OTHER HUNDREDS OF TRADESHOWS?
We love the people that run the VPX/ECC shows. The organization and people are forward-thinking. It is the show to be at.
People need to be aware. Diacetyl is not
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They Might be Giants WORDS TOKEWELL
STAFF
SNAPS
MIKE RUNCHE
We have a chat with Mike Runche who’s seen the East Coast’s vape industry through its infancy and is continuing to watch it grow.
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F
ounded in September 2013, Giant Vapes was founded by two gentlemen with a love and passion for the vaping industry. The company was an idea that took about a year to come to fruition from its early days on the east coast. The gentlemen that started this company have watched the New England vape community grow in just a few short years, and now with the soft launch of Giant Vapes Distribution under their belt, things are only going up for these industry giants. What started as one of the premier eCommerce sites that offered the largest curated selection of e-liquid anywhere, Giant Vapes certainly lives up to its namesake. The premise of Giant Vapes was created by passionate, dedicated members of the vape community in an effort to improve the lives of the movement in an efficient and more cost-effective way. Giant Vapes’ core principles are to save their customers money in as many ways as possible, save their clients invaluable time by offering one shop for all their e-Liquid needs, and lastly, provide the best and most knowledgeable, award-winning customer service in the industry. As a result, every brand carried by Giant Vapes has been thoroughly tested by their in-house e-Liquid testers, and meets the high standards they set for quality, flavor, and consistency.
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IS THERE A BIG VAPING COMMUNITY IN RHODE ISLAND?
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY?
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I had the idea for Giant Vapes almost immediately after I switched over to vaping in 2012. I hadn’t really found an e-liquid I really liked, and I wanted to try some different flavors from some different brands. I ended up ordering bottles and sample packs from all these little boutique web shops. There weren’t really many shops that you could walk into that carried premium e-liquids, not a whole ton of websites that carried a bunch of different brands, just all these small boutique websites. I ended up spending so much just in shipping, just for ordering a sample pack or this one bottle from this one boutique site. I thought, “Why isn’t there one site that just carries all this stuff in one place?”, and I started to look into it, but the market wasn’t really mature enough for it - there weren’t a whole ton of wholesale sites, just everybody operating their little boutique sites. I put that away for a while, and as the industry matured, there still wasn’t anybody doing it even though the opportunity was there, and that’s kinda how my business partner and I got started on Giant Vapes. We just kinda saw there was this big piece missing in the industry: there wasn’t some place where people could get a bunch of different premium juices all in one place, so we built it.
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There wasn’t at the time when we started Giant Vapes, but New England’s been a little bit behind with the vape scene. There was a big convention in Springfield, Massachusetts a couple years ago, and the turnout was terrible. I don’t think it was a marketing issue, there just wasn’t that big a market here at the time. It’s getting big here now, though we just had Vape Northeast in March, and Foxwoods in Eastern Connecticut. I think the 3-day turnout for that was like 18,000? It was great! You can see the growth in the region within just a year and a half between those two shows. It wasn’t a huge event space wise, which is great because you get a better concentration of people, better foot traffic, and you don’t have to walk 10 miles to see all the vendors. With the really big shows, what ends up happening is people go and they don’t even get to see the entire thing - the people in back get missed. WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE UNION ON THE VAPE INDUSTRY, LIKE WHERE IT’S AT AND WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE?
The industry as a whole has really moved away from the idea of helping people quit smoking and the ‘alternative to smoking’ aspect, especially with the pop culture element of the industry. I understand it from a marketing perspective why companies are doing it and why they want to focus on what’s ‘cool’ about it rather than the real heart of what created the industry in the first place, but I don’t think that’s a good thing for the industry. It’s about public perception - we’re not far from getting regulated and there’s public scrutiny at every corner, but here we have all these popular brands out right now that look like they’re marketing to children or infringing on trademarks. It’s not a good image for the industry, and that concerns me. While I’m fighting the good fight at the state house here
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WHERE DO WE NEED TO BE AS AN INDUSTRY OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
What I hope happens is that the direction of the industry, at least the branding, goes back to the mature look we had a couple years back - return the focus to being an alternative to cigarettes. I know it’s kind of an idealistic wish, but hey, our company is doing all we can that’s related to this one way or another to help bring back that image to the industry. Giant Vapes will always be that - heavily involved in advocacy, doing tons behind the scenes, fighting at the statehouse. I’m kind of an OG when it comes to the vape industry, and we continue to operate our company the same way we always have: we focus on helping people quit smoking.
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WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON SHOWS LIKE ECC AND VPX?
I’ve worked with VPX before and we’ve done sponsorships - it’s a well attended series of shows. ECC is obviously the biggest one, out in SoCal. We started doing shows in a larger capacity and having big booth setups at the shows starting back in February. This will actually be our third show where we’re presenting and have a booth. Up until now, there wasn’t really a point in having a booth for Giant Vapes Retail, but rather having our name on stuff as a sponsor and getting exposure. Until we launched distribution, the shows were just about exposure and getting our name out there, sponsoring and introducing people to Giant Vapes so they’re familiar. We couldn’t represent the company very well with a booth prior to that - it’s not like we can stock 150 different juice brands at a show and give people the same selection they’d get on the website. Now that we’re doing distribution, it’s a good opportunity to talk to shop owners, let them try products that we’re distributing and new stuff we’ve got coming out. There’s much better return on the booth investment now.
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and making sure that people in Rhode Island can continue to find an inexpensive alternative to smoking that doesn’t have outrageous taxes, you see these people unintentionally trying to bring the industry down with things like packaging. It’s frustrating: the industry focuses on vaping being ‘cool’ - which it is! I enjoy vaping, I think it’s cool too! - and the focus has really drifted away from helping people. It’s becoming a ‘cool’ thing that ‘cool’ people do.
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2016 VPX Vendor Directory VENDOR
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BOOTH NUMBER
2VAPEDX LLC........................................ 735 3D Vapor/Pinup Vapors/THRST ............ 138 4 Sins Eliquid ......................................... 123 9th Isle Signature Liquid......................738A Adirondack Vapor.................................. 319 Aktion Vapor Co. ................................... 808 Alliance Vapor Intl. ................................ 552 Aloha Vapes .......................................... 418 Apocalypse Mods ................................M11 Apollo Distribution ........................ 835, 734 Art of E Liquids ...................................... 140 Bad Wolf ................................................ 159 Bankcard USA........................................ 703 Beach City Vapors ................................. 840 Best Rate Merchant Service .................. 820 Blaq Vapor ............................................. 247 Blue Label Elixirs ................................... 310 Bluebirds E-Liquid ................................. 143 Brazilian Juice Co. ................................. 158 Brewell MFG.......................................... 430 Bubble Co. ............................................ 133 CASAA .................................................. 137 CDA USA INC ....................................... 825 Celtic Cotton ......................................... 226 Cloud Chasers Inc. (Premier Road Tour Sponsor) ............. 244 Cloud Joose .......................................... 810 Clouds Down Under .............................. 450 Coastal Clouds ...................................... 829 CoilART ................................................. 729 Comp Lyfe ............................................. 131 Council of Vapor.................................... 147 Crumbz Vapor ....................................... 718 Crush Vape ............................................ 826 Cult Classic Liquids ............................... 836 Daily Dose E-Liquid ....................... 713, 612 Damn Good Distributions LLC .............. 230 Detroit Rock Candy ............................... 242 dotmod ................................................. 149
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VENDOR
BOOTH NUMBER
Drip ‘N Drops E-Juice ........................... 816 Drippington Ave .................................... 246 DTD Distribution ................................... 725 DVTCH - Dutch Vapers Amsterdam ...... 258 E-Box Mods ..........................................M10 E-generation / Innovape Tech ............... 338 Ecig Distributors Inc. ............................. 508 Empire Imports LLC............................... 126 Epic Juice .............................................. 414 Essential Artisan Elixirs .......................... 804 Euroflavor .............................................. 426 FEELLife Co. .......................................... 257 Fernweh Mods (Galaxy Mods/Vaporatics) ...................M5 Finnish Modders Coalition .....................M1 Five Star Juice ....................................... 452 Flavors United (Premier Road Tour Sponsor) ............. 809 Gaslight Vapor Supply Co. .................... 121 Giant Vapes (PREMIER SPONSOR) ........................ 108 Got Vape ............................................... 626 Gotham Eliquid ..................................... 709 Graceful Clouds..................................... 225 Group ISO Merchant Services ............... 737 GU’d Juice Vape Co. ............................. 549 Guerilla Straps ....................................... 125 Hardcorevapers / E-Phoenix ................. 134 Haze Away ............................................. 856 High Voltage Vapors ............................. 255 Hit That Juice ........................................ 806 Hohm Tech Inc. ..................................... 446 HomeTownVapor ................................... 618 HS Wholesale ........................................ 152 I Love Vaping......................................... 518 Ink’d Vapor ............................................ 854 JMFD Mods ............................................M2 Juice Supply Co .................................... 730 JusThaTip ...............................................M6
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2016 VPX Vendor Directory BOOTH NUMBER
Kloud Kase .............................................M9 Last Drip ................................................ 135 Lighthouse Liquids ................................ 551 Liquid EFX ............................................. 526 Liquid Guys Distribution & Vape Society Supply Co. ......................................... 458 Lost Art Liquids ..................................... 444 Lotus Vaping Technologies LLC ............ 252 Lucid Distribution .................................. 148 Marbles Handcrafted eJuice ...............738B Mighty Vapors, LLC ............................... 214 Mister E-Liquid (Road Tour Sponsor), Bilo and Red Elephant .............................. 326 Moose Knuckle ...................................... 325 Mystery Mod Co...................................M12 myVapors ............................................... 824 Nicotine River LLC ................................. 245 Nighthawk Eliquid ................................. 448 Nubla Vapors ......................................... 739 Oakwood Vapor .................................... 218 Off the Record Liquids .......................... 442 OFFSET ................................................. 243 ORGNX - LINE LIQUIDS ....................... 311 P&P International, Inc. ........................... 504 Peerless Distriubution ........................... 356 Pegasus Vapor Academy....................... 802 Port City Juice ....................................... 834 Prmyum E Liquids.................................. 129 Professor Ploom’s Vape Potion.............. 714 Propaganda E-Liquids ........................... 330 Psyclone Mods .......................................M4 Pure Atomist .......................................... 309 Remidi eLiquids ..................................... 818 RnR Vapors / Vinyl by SJ ....................... 542 Roundhouse Distribution ...................... 828 Royal (Road Tour Sponsor) .................... 308 Shaman Labs Distribution ..................... 838 Shenzhen Freemax Tech Co.,Ltd........... 731 Shenzhen IJOY Technology Co.,Ltd ..... 815 Simplex Isolation Systems ..................... 803 Simply E-Juice ....................................... 359 SLUSH E-LIQUID by DRACO VAPORS.. 142 Southern Tradition/FFDA E-Liquid ........ 742
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VENDOR
BOOTH NUMBER
SQN....................................................... 342 Squidoode LLC ..................................... 314 Stock My Vape Shop ............................. 726 Strawberry Queen ................................. 632 Sugar E-Liquid LLC ................................ 547 Syntheticloud ........................................ 132 Teardrip Juice Co. ................................. 318 TFC ELIXIR............................................. 858 The Drips ............................................... 315 The Impatient Clothing ......................... 830 The Vape Lounge/Vapor City Plus ........ 130 Top Hat Mods.........................................M8 Transistor E Juice................................... 229 Trinity Glass Tanks ................................. 145 TSL Flavors ............................................ 608 Vape Affliction Osiris Mods-Double Helix Designs ......................................M7 Vape AMP.............................................. 506 Vape Capitol.......................................... 253 Vape Delights ........................................ 239 Vape Fiends ........................................... 408 Vape Genie............................................ 153 Vape Poker (World Vapor Expo) ............ 256 Vape Up ................................................. 237 VAPEPOPULATION ............................... 719 Vapers Union ......................................... 614 VapeShipping.com ................................ 313 VapeSling LLC ....................................... 822 Vapetasia ............................................... 530 Vapin Art................................................ 630 Vaping on the Rocks.............................. 715 Vapor Stockroom........................... 814, 812 Vapor Vandals........................................ 634 Vaporbits Distribution ........................... 832 VaporWorld/Ohmega Mods ................. 514 VaPOUR Distribution ............................. 208 Villain Vapors / Confection ............ 839, 841 VM Distribution ..................................... 438 VPARK INC ............................................ 127 VSE Distribution .................................... 146 Vype Vapor Wholesale .......................... 215 WiFi Vapor Distribution Company (Road Tour Sponsor)..................................... 329
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VENDOR
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