48
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
The smoker Friendly
Festival’s sweet 16
Highlights from the company’s conference
in Boulder, Colorado.
H
undreds of retailers and
manufacturers attended the
16
th annual Conference and
Tobacco Festival sponsored by Smoker
Friendly International, which operates
its own stores and licenses its name
and product lines to a community of
authorized dealers.
Author Eric Chester served as the
event’s keynote speaker, engaging
attendees with tips on recruiting,
training, managing and motivating
Generation Y employees. The
conference also presented two lively
panel discussions. An industry panel
featured Jim Bursch of
CSP Magazine,
Larry Wexler of National Tobacco, and
Tom Robinson of Robinson Oil &
Rotten Robbies. R.J. Reynolds’ Steve
Kottak, Republic Tobacco’s Carl Ioos,
IPCPR’s Chris McCalla and Flue-
Cured Tobacco Growers’ Stephen
Daniels served on the legislative panel
that followed, which was moderated by
NATO’s Tom Briant.
In addition to participating
in a lively exchange of ideas and
opinions, attendees also had plenty
of opportunities to network with
peers and browse products offered by
exhibitors.The pictures on the pages to
follow offer some highlights from the
four-day event.
ToB
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