I was there Sunday and from my perspective it couldn't have been much better, but I am a consumer. Crowded enough to feel you were part of something fun, but not so crowded you couldn't talk to someone in any booth within 1-2 minutes. You could even find a seat if you tried. No doubt all the Saturday bad publicity kept people away. No over the top booth babes or pole dancers, and the car sat in the middle by it's lonely self.
By 4:30 many vendors were starting to pack it up, especially the wholesale guys. B2B would be over at that point at any convention. Most of the consumer attendees were either watching the cloud contests or had been there so long they were done shopping. I asked many vendors and Saturday attendees what went down and you'd be surprised how many didn't see the "raid". It seems the further you were away from the main door the less you knew about it.
It is virtually impossible to prevent vaping with that many people in such a large space. You'd have to empty the place or hire 200 enforcers. The club aspect make it so every single person in the room was vaping, so one huge vape cloud. I can see health inspectors freaking out by the visual.
Vendors would be disappointed with the diminished crowd. The fined ones should be livid. How many fines were given out? A handful? dozens? hundreds? It seems the Saturday bad publicity did the real damage by keeping the crowds away. The organizers should pay the fines of vendors if they can. If it is more than a dozen, it probably isn't going to happen.
If the organizers got the proper permits and just got broad-sided by a grandstanding politician, I really feel for them. I saw one of them speak on stage and he seemed like a decent person. This cost them big time. If they didn't do their homework, then sadly they and the vaping industry just learned a hard lesson.
Has anyone ever put on an outdoor vape festival? At the right time of year with some covered pavilions, it would make for a more pleasant atmosphere. That much vape in one place is too much of a good thing. My eyes and nostrils were drying out a little bit, but at least breathing wasn't a problem.