Key Activities
The UKVIA’s activities are guided by a number of key strategic objectives, namely to:
- Campaign for regulation which is in the health and safety interests of consumers and is fair to the vaping industry.
- Raise awareness of vaping amongst smokers and educate them about the products on the market through our VApril campaign.
- Set the highest levels of quality standards in the industry and demonstrate that the industry is a responsible one.
- Promote the growth of the sector and its contribution to the UK economy.
- Address the misinformation that has plagued the industry and has driven four in ten smokers to wrongfully believe vaping is as or more harmful than smoking.
- Gain acceptance, recognition and support from the public health community that vaping represents one of the best ways to quit smoking and a major public health prize that should be seized upon.
Policy & Regulations
The UKVIA represents the industry’s interests in Westminster, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, as well as monitoring developments in the European Parliament.
It advocates for proportionate and fair regulation and demonstrating the vaping industry as highly responsible and professional, monitors the effectiveness of current regulations and holds Governments to account with respect to their commitment to promoting the positive benefits of vape products.
We engage with:
- Relevant Government Departments
- Special advisers to Ministers
- The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Vaping
- MPs around the country, particularly those representing smoking hotspots
- Peers
- Regulators such as the MHRA and ASA
Stakeholder Engagement
The UKVIA proactively engages with a wide range of stakeholders covering the public health community, including health trusts, doctors, vape advocates, academics, industry commentators, public health organisations and stop smoking services.
The Media Agenda
The UKVIA has established itself as the first port of call for the media and, on the majority of occasions, journalists will approach the UKVIA for commentary on articles they are preparing. A proactive media relations programme is key to addressing the significant misinformation that finds its way into the media and the UKVIA plays a critical role in promoting the reduced harm and immense smoking cessation power of vaping. In addition to responding to the media, the UKVIA generates positive stories on the industry around its initiatives, campaigns and events.
UKVIA Events
The UKVIA organises an annual Vaping Industry Forum and Industry Recognition Awards Dinner come together to create the largest business-to-business event in the sector. The event attracts 500 delegates including vaping businesses, parliamentarians, regulators, public health professionals, c-suite executives, academia, media representatives, suppliers and industry service providers.
The leading trade body also attends major vaping events across the UK and the globe and arranges webinars on key industry topics such as preventing underage sales, illicit products and environmental impact.
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VApril Campaign
The UKVIA runs VApril, the vaping sector’s only and largest smoker education and awareness campaign. The campaign, which now runs in other countries, is designed to help smokers switch to vaping.
As part of the initiative which takes place in April, there is a special VApril hub where smokers can:
- download our Switch on to Vaping Plan, developed by vapers for smokers.
- access wide-ranging advice from industry experts.
- hear from ex-smokers who haven’t looked back since they took up vaping.
- get the most up-to-date evidence-based facts about vaping.
- find out where they can access expert vaping advice from specialist retail stores across the country during the campaign month.
