12
TOBACCO BUSINESS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
NEWS & TRENDS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
AWMA Overhauls Annual Convention
The American Wholesale Marketers Association unveiled a new format
for its annual convention and exposition to be held in February.
The newly renamed and reformatted
AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo
will be held on February 25 at the Paris
Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. “The conven-
tion will feature a broader array of edu-
cational and networking opportunities
and more show deals,” reports AWMA
President and CEO Scott Ramminger.
“A lot has changed in the past few
years for all business enterprises, and
the convenience distribution business
is certainly no exception,” he explains.
“At AWMA, we are determined to meet
these new challenges, and our new, re-
designed Marketplace & Solutions Expo
is one way we are doing that.”
The culmination of a year working
with and listening to distributors and
manufacturers, the show’s design will
feature:
• New incentives for manufacturers
to offer show deals and better ways of
communicating those deals to distribu-
tors at the AWMA Buyer’s Circle.
• More educational opportunities,
including marketplace show floor semi-
nars in the AWMA Solutions Café &
Theatre.
• A Knowledge Bar, where attend-
ees can talk one-on-one with experts
on topics ranging from business profit-
ability to warehouse security and food
safety planning.
• More peer-to-peer networking
opportunities, including comfortable
space on the marketplace floor, where
attendees can enjoy a beverage while
speaking with other attendees.
The focal point of the AWMA Mar-
ketplace & Solutions Expo will be the
trade show floor, where the industry’s
top suppliers will present their products
and services, where much of the educa-
tion program will take place, and where
an industry reception will be held along
with prize drawings, a networking and
silent auction lounge, and a new prod-
ucts showcase.
More
information
about
the
event can be found at
marketplace.com.
Legislative action to regulate the
use of electronic cigarettes in pub-
lic places is popping up around
the country, with Chicago and New
York City weighing outright bans.
Already, a Chicago City Council
subcommittee is reportedly study-
ing a proposal to prohibit the use
of e-cigarettes anywhere that the
use of cigarettes and other to-
bacco products are already forbid-
den. Supported by Chicago Mayor
Rahm Emanuel and other local of-
ficials, the proposal would amend
an existing ordinance regulating
tobacco use in public spaces and
take effect sometime this month,
Chicago Health Commissioner Dr.
Bechara Choucair said. It would
also make it illegal to sell e-ciga-
rettes to minors within city limits
and would require retailers to ap-
ply for a sales license to sell e-to-
bacco products.
In New York City, the Council
Health Committee recently voted
to extend its ban on smoking in
bars, restaurants and other indoor
public spaces to include e-ciga-
rettes.
At press time, outgoing Mayor
Michael Bloomberg was expected
to sign the measure, which was
sponsored by City Council Speak-
er Christine Quinn and Councilman
James Gennaro, into law.
Major Cities Seek E-Cig Ban
Chicago and New York City may be the first cities
to ban use of e-cigarettes.
Chicago Mayor
Seeks Highest Tax
Proposal will raise the city’s
cigarette tax by 75 cents.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has
proposed a 50 percent increase to the
city’s cigarette tax, which will bring it to
$7.42 per pack. The move will leapfrog
Chicago ahead of New York as the U.S.
metropolis with the steepest cigarette
taxes.
