From eye-opening debates to game-changing keynotes, discover the sessions for this year’s Forum
The UK vaping sector is entering one of the most important periods in its history. Over the coming months, decisions will be made that could define the future of vaping in this country – not just for businesses, but for the millions of adult smokers who still need credible, accessible alternatives to cigarettes.
That is why the UKVIA Industry Forum 2026 is coming earlier this year.
With the Vape Product Duty on the horizon, ongoing uncertainty around flavours, packaging and in-store displays on the back of the the Tobacco and Vapes Act, and further consultations on waste compliance and advertising, the industry is facing regulatory and policy pressures in all directions.
At the same time, vaping continues to be vilified in parts of the media, often through misleading stories that fail to distinguish between rogue retailers and criminal gangs and the responsible, legitimate businesses that are committed to compliance, age-gating, enforcement and harm reduction. The result is a damaging public narrative that risks undermining confidence in vaping at precisely the moment it should be central to the UK’s smokefree ambitions.
This year’s theme reflects the urgency of the moment. This is not a time for industry to retreat and apologise for its existence. It is a time to collectively project a powerful case for vaping as a vital public health tool, helping adult smokers quit.
This one-day forum is designed to bring together industry leaders, government agencies, parliamentarians, consumer groups, public health professionals, enforcement agencies and regulators to ensure vaping is properly understood and gets a fair hearing. There are millions of lives at stake and it’s critical that the responsible vaping players play a leading role in delivering a smokefree future.
Full agenda to be announced.
09:00
Board meeting registration (UKVIA members only)
09:30
Board meeting commences
10:30
Forum registration and networking
10:45
Board meeting closes
11:00
Forum opening address from UKVIA Director General John Dunne
11:10
UK Vape Regulation – Cutting through the Noise: This is what you need to comply with the new UK Vaping Track & Trace requirement
A keynote presentation from UKVIA Forum Headline Sponsor osapiens.
11:25
Adding up the true cost of the Vaping Products Duty
Whilst the Tobacco & Vapes Act has been the centre of attention in the vape industry, the Vaping Products Duty is expected to be the single biggest challenge faced by the sector and the UK’s smoke-free ambitions – and it is now just months away.
This session brings together a panel of experts to share their thoughts on newly released research into its impact on consumer behaviour, smoking cessation, the illicit market and the delivery of vital stop smoking services.
12:10
Preparing for the Vaping Products Duty: A one-to-one session with HMRC
With the Vaping Products Duty now just around the corner, HMRC will take to the stage for a special one-to-one session with our Director General John Dunne.
The session will focus on the key information businesses need to be aware of as they prepare for the upcoming Duty, with HMRC sharing guidance and answering pre-submitted questions from the sector.
Do you have a question you would like to put forward for consideration? Submit it here: https://forms.monday.com/forms/e3add35fc53ce6beb00657e5bb3f73e6?r=euc1
12:45
Lunch break
13:30
Vape licensing 2.0: Defining what a fit-for-purpose scheme looks like
The inclusion of retail licensing within the Tobacco and Vapes Act marks a major victory for the legitimate vape sector. The focus now? Ensuring any future system is fit for purpose.
In this interactive session, led by Dan Marchant the brainchild of the vape licensing scheme that the UKVIA put to the last two governments, we will build on the existing industry framework to explore what an effective scheme must look like if it is to truly help tackle unscrupulous sellers and protect the responsible sector.
14:00
Making the five million vapers’ vote count
With more than five million adult vapers in the UK and counting, this session explores the growing electoral weight of the community, and why parliamentarians cannot afford to ignore it in an increasingly volatile political climate.
It also provides practical guidance on how the industry can engage effectively with local MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates on the need for balanced, evidence-led policy – and how retailers and manufacturers can help mobilise consumers to do the same.
14:30
An update from the Responsible Vaping APPG
This session provides an update from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Responsible Vaping, set against one of the most consequential periods in the sector’s history and a period of significant regulatory and policy change.
It will explore the APPG’s recent activity, key areas of focus and what these mean for the next phase of engagement around the sector.
14:50
The co-regulatory approach: What vaping can learn from the Portman Group model
With the vaping sector under increasing political, regulatory and public scrutiny, this session will present the Nicotine Standards Authority initiative and explain why a Portman Group-style co-regulatory model is now needed to raise standards, strengthen accountability and protect the industry’s long-term credibility.
15:00
15:20
Vaping Products Duty: From new cost to new operating model
15:30
Coffee break
15:50
A taste of the truth: Building on the evidence base for vape flavours
Flavours play an undeniable role in helping adults make the switch to vaping and stay smoke-free – but don’t just take the industry’s word for it.
This session unpacks the growing evidence base highlighting the importance of flavours, including findings from a newly released consumer survey which received more than 3,500 responses, alongside fresh Freedom of Information data on flavour use within local authority stop smoking services across the country.
16:00
Our story, told our way: tackling misinformation and shaping the narrative on vaping
Drawing on their collective newsroom experience across titles including The Sun, New Scientist, BBC Health and Science Business, Patrick Griffin and Dr Marina Murphy explore how misleading and non-evidence-based narratives around vaping take hold – and what the sector can do to challenge them.
From tackling clickbait anti-vaping storylines to communicating the success story of vaping, this session focuses on strategies to ensure vaping is not treated as a ‘dirty word’ in public debate.
16:25
Closing remarks
16:30 – 17:30
Post-Forum networking
