20 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MARCH / APRIL | 22 reach new retailers that they normally would not encounter and open new accounts. It also offered an early opportunity to show “what’s new” as opposed to having to wait until the summer to debut new products. Retailers also had the opportunity to obtain early access to many new releases. Drew Estate chose TPE22 to debut the new Acid 20 Connecticut Toro. This cigar is presented as a 6 x 54 Toro and features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, an Indonesian binder and filler tobacco grown in Nicaragua. Ferio Tego, a brand that made its debut last year, chose TPE22 to showcase the Metropolitan Host collection, which consists of cigars made in Honduras at the Camacho factory. Aganorsa Leaf’s newest Guardian of the Farm cigar, named Cerberus, made its debut at TPE22, where retailers were able to place orders for an anticipated February ship date. Altadis U.S.A. also had several new products on display at its booth, including the luxurious Romeo y Julieta Bed of Roses humidor, VegaFina Year of the Tiger and the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage. Retailers also had the opportunity to use Altadis U.S.A.’s new Vibe360, an interactive tool developed as a resource for retailers that not only provides them with information on Altadis U.S.A.’s vast portfolio of products but also helps facilitate the ordering of products. These were just a few of the many new releases that made their debut at TPE22, with others having been covered in depth at tobaccobusiness.com. Networking and Education Those attending a trade show often come in with two expectations: They expect new releases and want to network with other professionals. Knowing this, TMG set out to make sure there were plenty of opportunities for attendees and exhibitors to come together. The Industry Night party, which was held at the Sahara Las Vegas’ Azilo Ultra Pool, showed the industry what a good time really looks like. Headlined by Drew Estate and Phillips & King, this party took the party to the pool with three hours of an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and high-energy music. TPE didn’t forget about its annual education initiative, TPE Ignite. For a second year, TPE Ignite took place virtually ahead of the show and touched on a number of timely topics, including legislation, regulations and best business practices for retailers and manufacturers. Thomas Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO), presented an update on the current tobacco regulations and legislation that are impacting U.S. retailers. This session was followed by “Best Practices in Tobacco Retail,” a virtual panel consisting of several brick-and-mortar tobacconists, including Kathleen Kelly of Queensbury Cigar & Pipe, Brandon Frakes of Industrial Cigar Co., and Cory Talanca of Boss Cigars. Jason Carignan, president of Phillips & King and Tobacco Media Group, gets attendees hyped on the first night of the TPE22 trade show.
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