On the afternoon of September 19, 2025, the 2Firsts Connect @ InterTabac forum took place in Dortmund, Germany. As one of the flagship side events of InterTabac 2025, the forum—titled “From Change to Opportunity”—brought together global experts, industry leaders, and investors in the novel-nicotine space to explore how the sector can uncover opportunities as harm-reduction trends accelerate and regulatory policies tighten.
A Multi-Dimensional Agenda for a Panoramic Industry View
Kicking off the event, 2Firsts International Editor-in-Chief Taco Tuinstra delivered an opening keynote, “The Global THR Landscape: Challenges and What Comes Next,” offering an in-depth analysis of the global tobacco harm-reduction (THR) landscape. He noted that while policies differ widely across countries, the long-term dynamic is a negotiation between scientific evidence and public-health goals—requiring the industry to balance challenges and opportunities.
Next, 2Firsts Chief Advisor Willian Wu gave a talk titled “Investment Opportunities in the Smoke-Free Tobacco Industry,” examining investor sentiment and future directions for novel nicotine from a capital-markets perspective. He emphasized that amid policy and market uncertainty, capital increasingly values long-term fundamentals and technological moats.
2Firsts co-founder & COO Echo Guo and senior compliance expert Kurt Yang joined remotely for a joint session, “The U.S. Market in Transition.” They unpacked rapid changes across U.S. regulation, product structure, and retail, and discussed the broader implications for the global vaping supply chain.
2Firsts co-founder & CEO Alan Zhao then delivered “Vaping Product Trends 2025,” systematically outlining nine development trends driven by three core forces. From industrial design and feature evolution to cross-category convergence, Zhao mapped out likely directions for future innovation.
n his presentation, Zhao analyzed tens of thousands of vaping SKUs registered with the UK MHRA between June and August, using concrete data to illuminate the latest patterns in product iteration and market preferences.
Finally, Zhao shared “China Supply-Chain Dynamics,” focusing on the newest configurations on the manufacturing side—from raw materials to OEM models. He argued that China’s supply chain has demonstrated strong resilience and agility in the face of global compliance challenges, showcasing the enduring competitiveness of “Made in China” on the Dortmund stage. Drawing on China customs data since January 2025, Zhao highlighted recent shifts in export scale, destination markets, and product mix, offering attendees clear, data-driven insights.
Ideas Spark Dialogue and Drive the Conversation Forward
Beyond delivering cutting-edge insights, the forum provided a platform for cross-market exchange. Attendees widely agreed that in today’s volatile international environment, information symmetry and cross-regional dialogue are more critical than ever.
2Firsts co-founder & CEO Alan Zhao noted that the successful staging of 2Firsts Connect @ InterTabac underscores 2Firsts’ role as a bridge for the global novel-nicotine ecosystem. Looking ahead, 2Firsts will continue to advance information flows and industry understanding through trade-show events, forum dialogues, and in-depth reporting—helping stakeholders across the value chain discover opportunities and create value amid profound change.
For more on-the-ground coverage, visit the 2Firsts InterTabac Special Section.
