Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) is the venue for an exceptional brand-new event on 10 and 11 March 2023 dedicated exclusively to next-generation products (NGPs). The EVO NXT Business Festival will open to the trade public, enabling an international audience to discover more on the latest products, trends and innovations in the industry, and gather inspiration from an exciting mix of ideas, keynote talks, panel discussions and master-classes. The event has attracted a line-up of world-famous businesses, exciting newcomers and highly respected experts who will be dispensing must-have knowledge and insight as speakers and debaters across a variety of on-stage settings. And because this is in Spain, entertainment will never be far away.

Dortmund, 10 March 2023 – This is just what the NGP industry has been waiting for: a kick-off that covers all relevant topics and trends, yet exceeds the boundaries of a conventional industry trade show. No great surprise, really, as the majority of next-generation products are aimed at a young, hip, fashion and health-conscious target groups – and the sector is correspondingly 'leading-edge' in the way it does things. As a result, expectations are high for an event that is all about e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn and cannabidiol (CBD) products, pouches and other smokeless alternatives. To meet these expectations, Messe Dortmund has launched the new EVO NXT industry festival which is making its début on 10 and 11 March at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) in Málaga, Spain. This is an event where first movers encounter innovative new products and are treated to an extensive supporting and entertainment programme featuring top international speakers. This mix of information, next-level networking and entertainment ensures a real festival feeling on the sun-kissed shores of southern Spain.

A brave new world across four zones! Deep insights into the world of NGPs

The festival comprises the E-ZONE for e-cigarettes, the HEAT ZONE for heat-not-burn products, the GREEN ZONE for hemp products and the LIKE X ZONE for products such as pouches and other alternative products. “The favourable response from the industry shows that our business festival is being perceived as exactly the modern platform we've planned it to be. So it’s with great anticipation that we're heading to the début in Spain. The NGP industry is set to continue down an exciting path with lots of innovation in the years ahead. The EVO NXT festival will be latching onto these ideas and continuing to evolve,” explained Messe Dortmund's Exhibition Director, Angelika Bauer.

Presenting highly respected international companies and first movers

In the E-ZONE, which is all about e-cigarettes, exhibitors will include Curt Georgi, Dvtch Amsterdam and Vitalnic. Curt Georgi has been active on the market for 145 years and offers a line-up including liquids and flavourings for vaping products. Vitalnic focuses on the very highest-quality smokeless nicotine products, and The Crystal Pro will be bringing along the first disposable e-cigarette with a built-in mesh coil.

The Green Zone brings together producers and traders of hemp products. These include Euphoria Trade from Amsterdam which offers conventional hemp products as well as cannabis drops and cannabis-enhanced alcoholic beverages. HerbalTech from Korea and Hortitec Horticultura from Spain will also be in attendance. The GREEN ZONE is supported by a capable partner from Switzerland in the form of the Cannabis Business Network Company (CB Company, for short). Switzerland has established itself as a major CBD producer and as a key trading hub for CBD products. CB Company has played a major part in this and brings this expertise to EVO NXT and the supporting programme.

The Heat Zone is all about heat-not-burn products from all over the world. Among others, UK company Neafs will be in attendance here with its specially developed heating technology for smoking without creating bad odours, and Hong Kong businesses Broad Far and Nioo Technology will be presenting top-quality products to their visitors.

The fourth zone, the Like X Zone, offers trade visitors a wide range of information opportunities on smokeless alternatives and nicotine pouches from exhibitors such as Sweden's Sting Free Snus and Nikotabako and Den Norske snusfabrikken from Norway. Other companies such as Tröber are all-rounders with offerings spanning all the zones. Tröber itself is known throughout Europe as an expert for all smokers' needs.

Supporting programme featuring top speakers

Above all, EVO NXT is characterised by a first-rate supporting programme with keynote talks, speed fire presentations, panel discussions and master-classes. This mix of information and entertainment is designed to provide a deep dive into the world of NGPs, with top international speakers, sought-after experts and highly respected figures in the sector providing a whole range of useful inspiration for this young industry.

Taking the stage at EVO NXT will be, for example, Dr Derek Yach who has built a reputation as one of the foremost experts in global public health through years working for the WHO, leading companies such as PepsiCo and Vitality, investment funds, non-profit organisations such as the Rockefeller and Smoke Free Foundations, and as Professor of Global Health at Yale. Also in attendance is Ciprian Boboi, founder and board member at the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA), speaking on “Ongoing vaping regulation in the European Union”.

John Dunne, Director General of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and vaping industry consultant, is on stage in Málaga for a keynote talk and panel discussion, reporting on current developments in the industry with the benefit of his long and extensive experience in the European vaping industry. Two personalities very much on home turf are Alberto Gomez Hernandez from the World Vapers Alliance and vaping influencer Julio Ruades – better known as YouTuber 'El Mono Vapeador' – who regularly provides his 500,000+ subscribers with vaping-related news, tests and entertainment and is definitely very much a vaping VIP at EVO NXT. Prof Dr Riccardo Polosa, Director of the Institute of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology at the University of Catania in Italy, is also taking part. He is lead scientist at the Centre for Tobacco Research at the University of Catania and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Southampton, and has conducted a long-term study on the health effects of e-cigarettes.

Other speakers and opinion leaders are from the German Association of the Tobacco Industry and Next-Generation Products (BVTE), the World Vapers' Alliance, American Vapor Manufacturers TobaccoIntelligence and Euromonitor. Special focus on cannabis, the latest legalisation developments and the associated challenges for society, policy-makers and the economy will be provided by people such as scientist Sung-Mi Pyo, journalist Laura Ramos, novel food expert Joscha Krauß, investment expert Nik Faes and laboratory testing expert Kimberly Hesse.

Relaxing and networking to top-class music acts and at the get-together evening

Anyone who fancies relaxing after so much technical input can enjoy entertainment from some first-rate music acts such as Street Percussion who transform everyday objects into out-of-the-ordinary percussion instruments. Also using conventional instruments such as saxophone and drums, this is actually not a stage act, but has the musicians performing right in the middle of the audience, with all the enthusiasm that this – literally – drums up. One visual highlight in the truest sense of the word is Mirror Dance who merge light, sound and dance to create a very novel, one-of-a-kind experience. In the midst of all this entertainment, the Business Festival also offers adequate retreat spaces for extending one's network of personal contacts.

“Putting all these great ingredients together, the result is a wonderfully diverse, high-variety industry festival that's truly deserving of the name – highlighting trends, showing new products and providing a wealth of industry-specific expertise accompanied by all the entertainment you'd normally associate with a festival. I can't wait to see how the participants use their time at the event in Málaga. I'm confident that with EVO NXT we'll succeed in establishing an innovative business forum that's off the beaten track and offers people every opportunity to drive industry change together in an atmosphere that's modern and fresh,” concluded Angelika Bauer from Messe Dortmund.

More details of the programme and exhibitors and further information on EVO NXT can be found on our LinkedIn and Instagram social media channels, on the event website and via newsletter.