On December 10th, the Vape Club Show, the largest electronic cigarette exhibition in Russia for 2022, officially opened. According to the organizer, all exhibition booths were fully booked within one minute of the online opening for sale, and 5,300 tickets for attendees were sold out the day before the opening. This reflects the positive trend of the electronic cigarette market in Russia and the successful management and resource integration by the exhibition organizers. As the official partner of the exhibition, 2FIRSTS conducted an exclusive interview with Asia, the organizer, to discuss the sales situation and the electronic cigarette market in Russia.
We will now translate the interview content and organize the full text as follows.
2FIRSTS is currently conducting an exclusive interview with Asia. (Image source: 2FIRSTS)
Why did you decide to hold an e-cigarette exhibition in Russia?
Asia: The current growth rate of the electronic cigarette market in Russia is close to 400% per month, indicating a high demand for this product. It is apparent that both manufacturers and consumers require this type of exhibition. In principle, such exhibitions promote the development of the electronic cigarette industry and are greatly needed in Russia.
How many exhibitors are at the current trade show and what is the visitor count?
The exhibition in Asia had a total of 65 exhibitors. Unfortunately, due to limited space in the exhibition hall, only a small proportion of companies who wanted to participate were able to attend, with 72 companies unable to exhibit. Many tickets were sold, and official ticket sales ended yesterday, with a total of 5,300 visitors attending. The ticket booth is still open for sales.
The current attendance in the 5,500 square meter exhibition hall can be considered quite sizable. We have utilized two primary promotional channels, with advertisements for our ticket giveaway contest posted in over 1,500 specialty community and chain stores.
What are your expectations for this exhibition?
From what we observed on-site, the exhibition has been a resounding success. It is primarily business-oriented, where orders, contracts, and partnerships are directly signed. Additionally, the event features lively and diverse activities that are ideal for showcasing e-cigarettes and appealing to consumers. Yesterday, we toured the exhibition hall and were impressed by the beautiful and whimsical fairy-tale city that had been constructed. Each booth was unique and resembled a work of art.
2FIRSTS: Why did you choose purple as the primary theme for your exhibition design?
Asia: This is because purple is a youthful color. We interviewed several top Russian bloggers and conducted several surveys on social media, which revealed that purple is considered the most modern, fashionable, and interesting color.
How did you come up with the idea of creating a network platform and where will the sales channels and brand merge?
Asia, who has worked in the food and business fields, recognized the popularity of online platforms. Realizing that there were significant partnership negotiations to be had, she made the decision to hold a B2B session on the first day. The aim was to allow retail chains and distributors to sit down with exhibitors and discuss business, rather than walking around the exhibition looking for suitable people and products.
First of all, how do you evaluate Chinese brands? And secondly, how do you plan to establish more connections with Chinese companies?
Yesterday, we hired a Chinese translator as we realized there are a large number of Chinese companies trying to reach out to us. Chinese companies are showing great interest in the Russian market, and after establishing communication channels, we received many contacts from these companies. In the near future, we will be holding an exhibition in Kazan, with a large hall that can accommodate up to 10,000 people, allowing for more companies to participate. We are looking forward to having many Chinese companies there.
Journalistic English: 2FIRSTS: What are your future exhibition plans?
Asia: Apart from the central exhibition held in Kazan, we also plan to hold exhibitions in three other regions. The exhibition in Yekaterinburg has already been confirmed for September 2023. The next exhibitions are planned for December and March. Previously, our main exhibitions were held in St. Petersburg, but now we have moved to Kazan because it is the region with the highest number of smokers in Russia, with a large number of shisha and e-cigarette shops, making it the center of Russia. For many companies, it is more convenient to go there than to St. Petersburg.
Photo credit: 2FIRSTS.
2FIRSTS will continue to cover this Russian exhibition, with further updates available on the "2FIRSTSAPP". Scan the QR code below to download the app.
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