MORE EXHIBITORS, MORE DEALS
A part of TPE that got more focus this year was on the fact that it is not only a buying show but one of the earliest buying shows of the year for many in the tobacco space in particular. This year’s show floor sold out earlier, causing the exhibit space to have to be expanded to accommodate all of the interested companies. Those companies that came not only brought with them some of the most popular premium cigar, pipe tobacco, vapor, and alternative products but also brought exclusive deals that were available only to those who attended the show.
Hoping to offer attendees more bang for their buck, this year’s TPE show featured a new Product Spotlight area at the front of the exhibit hall made to look like a storefront. Attendees were treated to a view of some of the most popular, profitable products they could buy on the show floor were able to walk away with a deals booklet packed with deals and offers from many of the show’s exhibitors, amounting to over $3,800 in savings, which far exceeded the cost of attending the show this year.
In addition to a busy vapor and alternative section packed with new exhibitors and products was an expanded presence of premium cigar manufacturers with larger booths this year including Davidoff of Geneva, Altadis U.S.A., Drew Estate, Royal Agio Cigars U.S.A., Nat Sherman and Miami Cigar Co., to name just a few. Anchoring each half of the show was a busy and fun lounge area, one sponsored by premium cigar manufacturer Drew Estate featuring its ACID cigar container and DJ and the other sponsored by Isodiol featuring a slackline-themed lounge area.
SERIOUS BUSINESS
This year’s show brought together many of the industry’s big figures and decision makers, bringing to the show a sense of business and importance. Several large stories broke during the show–the Scandinavian Tobacco Group acquisition of Thompson Cigar and the Quality Importer acquisition of Xikar–with people involved in both stories present and speaking about each news stories to media and other attendees. In addition, there was a greater sense of “who’s who” at play on the show floor, with big figures across all of the product categories seen on the show floor, some taking in the show for the first time while others casually observed and took in the educational sessions or exhibits with curiosity and interest.
“You can feel the energy and you can feel what’s happening at TPE,” said Jonathan Drew after the first day of the show. “There’s a ground swell and it’s ranging everywhere from the mass market all the way up to the super-premium category. All sales channels, all market segments, all sales categories, all packaging departments, all manufacturing disciplines–all of the disciplines have come together at this TPE Show. So it brings me great pride and a lot of reflection on our successes on doing something like this and I salute you guys for doing something so important at this time in the world and in the industry that we work in and love. Cheers to TPE.”
Other companies used TPE as a platform to launch new products, like Royal Agio Cigars U.S.A. with its Panter Premium Filter Cigarillo or Oliva Cigar Co. teasing the upcoming release of a new website set to go live days after the show.
Tobacco Plus Expo 2019 will be held Feb. 12-13, 2019. For more in-depth coverage of this year’s TPE Show including Jonathan Drew’s keynote speech and individual educational sessions, click here.
 2018 offered attendees valuable educational, networking, buying and selling opportunities in Las Vegas on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2018.){kind=link}