Largest Gathering of E-Cigarette Consumers to Convene in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday and Saturday, March 25th and 26th, people who quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes will meet at "Philly Vapefest" at the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport in Pennsylvania. e-cigarette users, who refer to themselves as "vapers," are coming from all over the world to attend.

Hosting the event is the National Vapers Club, a consumer-based, volunteer organization that has local chapters throughout the country. The group was formed to educate smokers, the public, legislators, and public health organizations about e-cigarettes.

"The response to 'Philly Vapefest' has been overwhelming," said Spike Babaian, of National Vapers Club. "Vapers believe, as do many health experts, that e-cigarettes are saving their lives and they want to come together to celebrate that. With the number of vapers growing exponentially, I believe the event will be a great success."

Bill Godshall of Smokefree Pennsylvania said, "You would never see a bunch of people who quit smoking using a nicotine patch getting together to express their enthusiasm and excitement about the patch. People are amazed at how easy this device makes it to transition from smoking to vaping."

Philly Vapefest is sponsored by more than a dozen e-cigarette vendors who will demonstrate and sell products at the event. There will be prizes throughout the day.

Mike Mullins of DigitalCiggz, an e-cigarette vendor in California, said, "I'm really excited to be able to attend this event. I look forward to mingling with our customers, who feel our products have made a tremendous difference in their lives."

Public health professionals will speak about e-cigarettes at Vapefest.

Carl V. Phillips MPP PhD, Director of TobaccoHarmReduction.org, says, "I think there's absolutely no doubt that it is a safer alternative to regular cigarettes.  Our estimate is that it is probably in the order of 99 percent less harmful than smoking."

"Electronic cigarettes show tremendous promise in the fight against tobacco-related morbidity and mortality," said Dr. Michael Seigel of Boston University's School of Public Health.

Philly Vapefest is the third national gathering of e-cigarette users in the United States and occurs twice annually. Details can be found at www.Vapefest.com. Proceeds from the event are used to further e-cigarette research and activism.

SOURCE National Vapers Club