The UK’s vaping industry comes together in London next Monday for a major event focused on helping responsible businesses navigate one of the most consequential periods of regulatory change within the sector.
The UK Vaping Industry Association Forum 2026 takes place at the National Liberal Club on Monday 13 July, bringing together senior industry figures, government agencies, parliamentarians, regulators, public health specialists, retailers and consumer experts.
Themed “Making vaping policy work best”, it comes as businesses prepare for the upcoming Vaping Products Duty and the prospect of new regulations covering flavours, packaging, advertising and in-store displays via the Tobacco and Vapes Act.
Vaping Products Duty will be a central focus of the event, with a number of sessions examining its likely consequences on businesses and consumers and preparations businesses must make ahead of October.
The opening panel, “Adding up the true cost of the Vaping Products Duty”, will explore new research into the potential effects of the tax on consumer behaviour, smoking cessation, stop smoking services and the illicit market.
This will be followed by a special one-to-one session with UKVIA Director General John Dunne and HMRC, providing businesses with guidance on the operation of VPD which takes effect from October 1.
John Dunne said: “The vaping sector is approaching a defining moment where Vaping Products Duty combined with extensive new regulation, will fundamentally change the environment in which responsible manufacturers, distributors and retailers operate.
“This is such a critical time for the industry that we moved the Forum forward from November so we could have meaningful discussions ahead of VPD implementation.
“The UKVIA has always supported proportionate regulation and the Forum will allow us to debate how we can work together to help ensure that emerging policies can best support the key objective of helping adult smokers move away from cigarettes.
“Good regulation must protect young people, tackle illegal sellers and maintain high standards without making vaping less accessible or affordable for adults who rely on it as an alternative to smoking. This event is an important opportunity for the legitimate industry to help make sure policy works in practice.”
At the UKVIA Forum, we will be unveiling:
- New research into the impact of the Vaping Products Duty on consumer behaviour, smoking cessation, the illicit market and the delivery of vital stop smoking services.
- The findings of a new consumer survey, which received more than 3,500 responses, spotlighting the importance of flavours.
- Fresh Freedom of Information data on flavour use within local authority stop smoking services across the country.
We are delighted to welcome osapiens as headline sponsor, Phoenix 2 Retail and Chemmovatic as platinum sponsors and ELFBAR, Descartes and ERP as support sponsors.
Vape Club co-owner Dan Marchant, who developed the industry’s proposed Vape Retail and Distributor Licensing framework in conjunction with the UKVIA, will head the panel discussing how licensing can best be integrated into the sector to fund for Trading Standards enforcement teams clamp down on rogue retailers who flout the law.
The Forum will also explore how we can make the most of the electoral weight of the UK’s five million strong vape community at a time of political volatility and will also include guidance on engaging with MPs.
Environmental responsibilities will be addressed by Bubbly Sandhu, Senior Regulatory Compliance Lead for WEEE and batteries at the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
John Dunne added: “Responsible businesses are being asked to implement extensive changes while competing against an illicit market that has absolutely no regard for tax, product rules or age restrictions.
“This is why it is vital that the industry is informed, prepared and united in making the case for proportionate, evidence-led regulation. The UKVIA Forum will bring together key voices at precisely the time that this dialogue is needed most.”
The UKVIA Forum 2026 will be held from 11am on Monday 13 July at the National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, London. Registration and networking begin at 10.30am. Full details and a link to obtain tickets can be found here: https://ukvia-forumfeed.co.uk/