Dortmund/Málaga, 3 April 2024 – Following the first EVO NXT business festival in 2023 – which proved extremely popular, showing that the industry had been crying out for this kind of event in the NGP segment – the second EVO NXT festival will now be opening its doors on 5 and 6 April 2024 at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) in Málaga, Spain. As well as big-name exhibitors and a superb atmosphere, visitors can look forward to a comprehensive supporting programme addressing all the topics of the day. By focusing on the future of the industry, the event is designed to give trade visitors a solid head start over everyone else in the industry.

Focus on international collaboration

Senior experts in the e-cigarette industry will offer an outlook on coming developments in a panel entitled 'Power of Cooperation and the ongoing challenges in the vape industry'. In particular, they will discuss the importance of international collaboration in meeting the challenges posed by differing regulations and bans, and talk about ways of communicating with the (trade) public. The panel will follow on from the merger of the Global Vape Alliance (GVA) announced at InterTabac 2023 in Dortmund in September and the panel 'Ongoing challenges in the vaping industry – the need for cooperation' held at the inaugural EVO NXT. It will include Ciprian Boboi, director and co-founder of the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) and Lee Bryan, CEO of Arcus Compliance Limited and author of the book 'How safe is your vape?'.

Trends and challenges in NGP retailing

The presentation entitled 'The NNPA Manifesto for nicotine pouches' on Day 1 of the festival promises more exciting inspiration. Jonas Lundqvist, CEO of the Nordic Nicotine Pouches Alliance (NNPA), and Robert Casinge, editor-in-chief of pouchforum.eu, will present the NNPA's vision for nicotine pouches establishing themselves on the market and developing from there.

Salvador Vera Acosta, Vice President of the Unión de Asociaciones de Estanqueros de Espana, and Pádraig Ó hAnnracháin, Head of Purchasing and Marketing at Logista Retail Espana, will be looking at prospects for the retail trade in the “Future of Retail” session, discussing the latest trends and challenges in NGP retailing. The focus will be on innovative concepts and best practice that are actively shaping change in the industry. Philippe Coy, President of the Confédération des buralistes de France, will provide an example of successful transformation in tobacco retailing in his presentation entitled 'Transformation movement in speciality retail using the best practice example of the French Tobacconists'. He will show how a diversified product range and adaptations to societal changes such as increased health awareness can also produce success.

In her master class by Unión de Asociaciones de Estanqueros de Espana, Inés Cancio Pastor, retail designer for Oh La Vache Studio and owner of a tobacco shop, will talk about how this transformation can be put into practice: 'Visual Merchandising or How to Expose NGP'.

Note on taking part in the master classes: Due to the expected high level of interest and limited capacity, registration is required for the master classes. Interested parties are welcome to register via the EVO NXT website.

Focus on science and health

Other speakers at EVO NXT will focus on scientific and health perspectives and their impact on the NGP industry – in particular on Day 2. Prominent experts will present the latest research findings and discuss the most important topics relating to risk reduction and the role of nicotine.

The session 'Transforming Tobacco: Navigating Harm Reduction with Behavioural Science Insights', for example, will highlight a pioneering approach to minimising negative health consequences. This keynote will see Dr Jessica Zdinak, owner of and research director at ARAC Science, present the latest findings in behavioural research and show how NGPs can contribute to sustainable consumer protection.

The talks 'Is it time to rehabilitate the role of nicotine from foe to friend?' by world-renowned health consultant Dr Derek Yach and 'The Vaping Misinfodemic: myths vs. facts' by Prof Dr Riccardo Polosa will address how to deal correctly with misinformation. Among other things, Polosa has led the ECLAT study, the first randomised controlled trial on e-cigarettes, and is one of the leading authors in this field.

A full overview of the contributions to the supporting programme and the times of the individual presentations can be found here.

All the latest key information, updates and developments are available 24/7 on the trade show website, LinkedIn, Instagram or via  Newsletter.