Last weekend, the Vape Jam UK 2016 was held in the London ExCeL. This large meeting for the English vape hosted for three days more than 300 exhibitors, thousands of vapers and a few conferences. Among the guests, the American reviewer and expert, Phil Busardo, Dimitris Agrafiotis, operations manager for the specialty stores Mountain Oak Vapors, and the reviewer Nick Green, founder of Grimmgreen.com.

The three specialists moved to the Vape Jam UK to discuss around the EU TPD, the defense of the electronic cigarette and the general future of the industry.

Apparently, the organizers felt that their intervention dragged on and thanked the speakers Busardo, Agrafiotis and Green by asking them to get off the stage to make way for the next events: a cloud contest, a vape model contest and a throw out of t-shirts and free e-liquids.

[Update April 5, 2016 : Phil Busardo let us know that the speakers even didn’t do their speech. Their talk had simply been cancelled before.]

Phil Busardo expressed his deepest disappointment on his blog, yesterday, and a more virulent rant on his Facebook page, today. The Vaper from Rochester apologizes to the attendees who waited impatiently the intervention of the three specialists on the legal aspects and the future of the market.

Busardo pulls no punches. He denounces the excesses of this type of meetings that leave the festive party (half naked girls, sub-ohm clouds contests, etc.) take precedence over the roots of the electronic cigarette and its committed community dimension.

He recalled that the vape is not a contest, the personal vaporizer is endangered by regulations and that its original purpose is to divert smokers from cigarettes, thus saving lives.

Phil Busardo has more than 130,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel. No doubt his mood message will echo in forthcoming videos.

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dansus
dansus
7 years ago

Sad state of affairs.

Jason Haney
Jason Haney
7 years ago

I applaud Busardo for pointing out the fact it seems the vape game has changed and many ways, and in many ways not for the better. As a store owner I see the direct effect of these changes largely in the type of new customer that comes through the doors inquiring about vaping. I also have seen the change in the average return customer type. I find myself trapped in a loop of catering to newby’s that want “big clouds bro”, some of them aren’t even smokers they just want to look cool with the cloud bro’s. Then there are the actual smokers who have been convinced by some cloud bro that they should just jump right into dripping, “im gonna spend the money on it anyway so might as well be now”. The sad thing is these are the first vapers I regularly see selling all their gear, I usually run into them at a store or a bar puffing away on analogs soon after.
Is there a place for cloud comps and tattooed sex objects in vaping? Sure there is, as with any industry which becomes a hobby for nerds. We see this in the auto industry for example where words like headers, NOS and brembo are recognized by the mainstream and glorified in big budget hollywood movies. But if you look around online, in the magazines etc. as a newby, all you see is sex kittens chucking clouds, blatant trademark infringements and no one over the age of 25. The average age of my customers is nearing 22!
I’m 43 now and If I were to just get into vaping today, it would be a much more daunting experience than it was 2.5 years ago. I wouldn’t know if vaping is about offering an alternative to smoking more than just a really cool thing to get into, but i sure would know its the next big thing in pop culture. Isn’t this exactly what our governments are afraid of?
Don’t get me wrong, I chuck clouds nowadays, but for drip flavor testing mainly and the odd cloud comp. Some of my best customers are cloud bros, I mean they go through juice like mad so whats not to like about that? But when a new customer comes in to the shop I pull out my vapor flask lite with my Triton 2 to cut down on my showy cloud production in store, I show off the amazing Innokin Endura T18 kit and I let newby’s hit that while explaining how that is all they need to transition out of smoking and if they really enjoy it down the road they might want to upgrade to a kit like my subtank setup. I make it clear that dripping is hobby level vaping and absolutely unnecessary but enjoyable.
I think consumerism is 100% responsible for Busardo’s need to rant and it was inevitable. The industry is selling butt loads of ever more expensive products these days but has it perhaps lost sight of what we are really supposed to be fighting for? What is he fighting for as an advocate when the people we advocate for are far more interested in getting free shit thrown at them and staring at sexy models. Get off the stage Phil, waifs, clouds and freebies are behind schedule…jeez.
How can we possibly win a fight against the government anti-vaping machine if the average vaper seems to have the attention span of a jack russel terrier on crack? They’ll surely bitch up a storm when they finally can’t vape anywhere anymore though won’t they? They stand in line for hours for a free tshirt and some eye candy, too bad they won’t join the protests and sign the petitions designed to defend those rights instead.

Lisabelle
Lisabelle
7 years ago

After 43 yrs., of smoking I was almost diagnosed with COPD & Emphysema, every year my health failed worse than the previous. I was ready to vape for a possible, life and money saver. I am disturbed by the influx of those, who probably didn’t even have a smoking habit, gobbling up all the media attention and making the idiot liars sound right, that vaping is attracting youth. We need to kick some butt on this, lives are truly at stake and these attention seeking clowns are a danger to all that vaping could, and should be! Completely agree with Phil and everyone else here.

VapeSling
VapeSling
7 years ago

Mr Busardo is absolutely correct! Vaping is in trouble. T&A is great but it can wait! Cloud comps tops, but needs to stop for advocacy speeches. Advocacy should be the first and foremost event at all trade shows. There is too much complacency in the world vaping community. We need to fight and Mr Busardo is a fucking bad ass warrior in the fight. Thank you Mr Busardo for sticking to your guns about advocacy. #VapersArmy salute to you. vapersarmy@vapesling.com

Andy
Andy
Reply to  VapeSling
7 years ago

I actually sent Phil an apology for the way he, Nick & Demetri were treated. (NOT THAT IT WAS MY DUTY TO DO SO )
I was not at the event due to circumstances beyond my control however, I was disgusted in the way that they were treated. Imagine travelling 3000 miles and going to significant trouble in preparing what was to be presented only to find that there is no time in the programme for these genourous guys to talk to their U Tube viewers.

– To me, as a Brit this is a disgusting way to treat people and there is not justification that I will accept to placate matters.

I thought that we in this country still had respect and integrity – Obviously I am sadly mistaken !!!

JG
JG
Reply to  Andy
7 years ago

Andy, thank you for sending a message to Mr. Busardo. The global vaping community viewed this unfortunate incident. Although, the event was held in England, this was not a British issue, nor is the blame on any Brits. This, unfortunately, is happening all over the world. Vape Shows of all kinds, except @vape.fest have little, if any Vape Advocacy scheduled during the show hours. As mentioned, all @vape.Fest events, include Advocacy seminars. This year, VapeFest took the seminar right to the show floor. It was what had to be done to allow all vapers, exhibitors and guests to hear the condition of vaping and each and every vapers responsibility to Advocate. We need all Trade Shows for vaping to include, if not all about advocacy.