UKVIA 2023: Riot are two-time award winners!

• When and where was the UKVIA forum
• Which key figures attended the event
• Matt Crann from Riot stars on the debate panel
• UKVIA Awards Evening Winners
• Final words from Riot

The UKVIA Forum took place on the 10th of November in Westminster, London - an event dedicated to giving key industry figures a platform to deliver news on the future of vaping, and for awarding outstanding performance in the industry. This year the theme focused on 'Accelerating Action for a Smoke-Free World.' It addressed urgent measures for the vaping industry to support the government's 2030 smoke-free target, something we should all give a shit about! The conference was followed by the prestigious UKVIA Awards Dinner, attended by 500 industry leaders, MPs, health professionals, and regulators.

Who attended the UKVIA Forum?

This year's event had over 25 different key guest speakers, ranging from researchers to scientists to members of parliament. Here are the names of a few of those who attended…

Adam Afriyie - Vice-chair of All-Party Parliamentary group for Vaping

Lord James Bethell - Member of the House of Lords

Konstantinos Farsalinos - Physician and Research Associate of the University of Patras

Robert Sidebottom - MD of Arcus compliance

Jeannie Cameron - CEO of JCIC International

John Dunne - Chairman of the UKVIA 

Dr Marina Murphy - Senior Director of Scientific and Medical affairs from ANDS

And many more notable figures from our industry and beyond…

What were the most important topics that were discussed?

- With no surprise to anyone, many of the covered topics at the event revolved around the constant fire the industry has received from the media, especially the talk around flavour and packaging restrictions

- Both the UKVIA and the government representatives are calling for licensing as an absolute necessity, it’s absurd that shops need a licence to sell cigarette and alcohol products but not vapes! We are wholeheartedly in favour of this in the fight to combat youth vaping.

- The top level message delivered from MP Adam Afriyie was that the vaping industry needs to play its part in advocating ethical use of vaping products and should also make an active effort to discourage cowboy retailers selling counterfeit products.

- World Renowned researcher Konstantinos Farsalinos gave a presentation on his findings surrounding the use of flavours in vaping and how effective they are in aiding smoking cessation. Konstantinos concluded that over 98% of us use more than one flavour on a regular basis and only 11% of vapers would choose tobacco or menthol over a flavoured vape. Flavours matter for everyone!

Riot’s very own Matt Crann is on the discussion panel

A major draw for the forum were the discussion panels that took place throughout with one featuring none other than Riot’s very own Sales Director and UKVIA board member, Matt Crann. Go on Matt!

Matt took numerous questions from the audience and other key speakers regarding the sustainability issues surrounding disposables, long-term plans on the future of vaping products and how we can navigate the ongoing battle against flavour bans. The panel debate was heated in parts but provided a hugely beneficial experience for everyone in attendance.

How did Riot do at the Awards evening?

We absolutely smashed it, taking home two prestigious awards.

Best Product Launch in the Industry 
Best Marketing Campaign in the Industry

The best product launch in the Industry was awarded for our Bar EDTN Eliquid (link here) campaigns, which have included bungee jumps, drag queens and all kinds of other crazy shit. Our Best Marketing Campaign award was given to us for our King Charles sausage finger vapes, which made headlines up and down the country and also featured in Forbes magazine! 

Stick that in your device and vape it! 

We are extremely proud of our team and for the amazing year we’ve had together. These awards are the gold standard in our industry and it means the world to us to receive recognition from our peers for all the hard work we put in.

Author: Kane Mayston-Barlow

Role: Brand Manager