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Discussion: Thoughts on IPCPR, PCA, and CigarCon 2020?

Discussion: Thoughts on IPCPR, PCA, and CigarCon 2020?

Happy Monday, folks! 

This past week saw a lot of attention surrounding IPCPR, now to be renamed to PCA or Premium Cigar Association.  With that news came the 2020 CigarCon in which consumers will be able to visit the annual trade show for the first day of the show.  Here’s the source by halfwheel. 

What are your thoughts regarding CigarCon? 

According to halfwheel, “On the first day of the next year’s show—Saturday, July 11—consumers will be allowed on the trade show floor, a dramatic change for the cigar industry’s most important trade show which has previously been restricted to members of the IPCPR.”.

Personally, I think it can be a great idea if it’s executed the right way.  For consumers, getting there on Day 1 is a solid win.  The brands haven’t been dealing with retailers for 3 days and trying to keep their sanity together after working long hours.  For media and the brands, though, it seems like there’s a lot of debate on Facebook as to whether or not it’ll hurt business. 

I’m super curious as to your thoughts on the whole situation!   

  • Have you felt a need for a world-class cigar event like IPCPR 19 but opened up to the public?  
  • Do you feel like it’ll hurt businesses by reducing their face time with shops? 
  • How much would you pay to attend such an event? 
  • Do you think there should be a limit to attendees, to increase your face time with brands? 
  • Do you think this will drive business to smaller brands that get to show off their personality? 
  • What do you think of the name change to PCA? 
  • Any other thoughts? 

DISCUSSION CONTEST DETAILS

One of the comments below will win a $25 gift card.  The gift card will automatically be sent to the email address that you login to comment with, so please use your regular sign-in.   

I’ll be randomly selecting a comment below this Sunday after sending out the Weekly Newsletter. The winner can expect a comment with his or her name in it, a congratulations email, and an email with the $25 gift card information.  The actual gift card email takes some time to generate from the system and may lag behind by up to 48 hours. 

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Comments

6/24/2019 7:16 AM
I would be interested in attending CigarCon, but I'm curious what the pricepoint is
6/24/2019 7:55 AM
Sounds like it could be a good idea as a way to expand the industry. Though I think it will have to regulated to how many people can attend and on what days. I can already see the droves of "tire kickers" coming in just to walk around and not have any productive/meaningful impact. In other words, sounds like it could get out of control quickly resulting in a failure for the brands and venders.
6/24/2019 8:25 AM
CigarCon is definitely something every cigar smoker would want to attend, but I'm curious what the pricing structure will be.
6/24/2019 8:48 AM
Basically it is no longer a trade show and now some big herf. Horrible idea letting consumers in.
6/24/2019 9:10 AM
I think this is an awesome idea! I know if there was an event near me called CigarCon I would definitely attend. Unfortunately here in Boston I doubt I'd ever see such a thing.
6/24/2019 10:06 AM
As a consumer, I think I'd rather have it be completely separate from PCA and have "CigarCon" be an event entirely of its own.
6/24/2019 10:11 AM
I agree it’s a good idea if it executed the right way. This is a great for consumers and manufacturers to interact and the IPCPR, oops... I mean PCA, is the biggest stage for cigar manufacturers. I do, however, think that doing it opening day is not the best idea on a buying end because day one, from what I’ve heard, is the biggest sales day. I feel like the retailers are geared up to buy and the manufacturers are ready to sell (I mean, that’s what they’re there for anyway). I think bringing in consumers at the end, when the major buying and selling is done and the atmosphere has calmed down would lead to a more relaxed atmosphere. As for attending, I would probably pay a few hundred bucks to go cause I think it would be an unforgettable experience.
6/24/2019 10:40 AM
Regardless of the name, I already know what releases I am going to purchase. Las 6 Provincias MTZ, Numero Uno JDN, Guardian of the farm Nightwatch, Sobremesa Brûlée, and countless others. Very expensive time of the year for me. I will also YouTube the Matt Booth conversation at the event. Always entertaining.
6/24/2019 11:09 AM
1) No I don't really think there is a need for ipcpr to be open to the public. To me its always been a thing where both brands and retailers go and do business and make connections.
2) I think it could potentially hurt businesses and shops. I've heard many people say they aren't big fans of the show already and feel it drags on and can't wait to be done with the weekend. Why add another day to make them even more annoyed?
3) $50
4) Yes, there should be a limit.
5) Yes, most likely and if their product isn't good they will still disappear
6) I liked the ring of ipcpr.
7) Overall, I don't think its the greatest idea. The main goal should be for brands and retailers to do business and then worry about keeping consumers happy with other showe ie big smoke. Don't mix business with pleasure.
6/24/2019 11:10 AM
1) Any time you decide to open a previously restricted event to the public, I think you should expect a heavy turnout by the public...plus, it’s Vegas so.  Is there a NEED for it?  Nah.  Could it be every cigar enthusiasts wet dream?  Maybe.

2) Ummmmm, no.  Case in point...if a shop owner is doing what they SHOULD be doing, they’ll have plenty of contact on a regular basis with manufacturers.  I mean, face time is always nice, but Fortune 500 companies conduct more business that isn’t face to face than is...plus, who’s shopping at all these stores?  Oh yeah, the people you let attend on day 1.  

3) I’d pay....<$300 for a single day event.  I’m trying to keep my trip at $1000.  Airfare ain’t a basement bargain any more and food is damn expensive in Vegas....plus, Vegas+ June/July= 100’s spent on bottled water so I don’t die of heat exhaustion.

4) Not sure I know the right answer.  Do they limit the number of IPCPR members that can attend annually?  If not, I’m wondering what the difference is.  If they just want to measure expected turn out, sell 1000 tickets the first year and see how many pissed off people wish they could’ve attended.  Lol.

5) I think it could.  Here’s the scenario I’ve personally encountered several times:
Me to Tobacconist: Hey, have you ever heard of Brand X?  No (means they’re resting on their laurels and don’t care about bringing any new blends into their shop) Yes, but they’re really small and I don’t want to compete for small orders. (Means they’re comfortable selling the big brands and don’t want to be bothered with working at it)
It seems, not always but often, the consumer is the one researching and wanting to try the new blends and new hype.  Well if the consumer wants this and the B&M owner isn’t bringing it, guess where the consumer is gonna find it?  Not at the B&M.  Maybe more shops should consider paying the IPCPR membership and sending their one hyped up, enthused customer to the show FOR them so they can get some new ideas about what’s hitting homers and who’s striking out.

6) Well, probably gonna be a bunch of offended pipe smokers now.  Lol

My disclaimer: I do reviews for CigarNoise but all of the above drivel is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of yadda yadda yadda....
6/24/2019 11:18 AM
I agree with you that it can be a good thing if done right. I think it could be used to generate buzz and retailers/brands could capatalize from getting immediate feedback.
6/24/2019 11:24 AM
Depends on the price point and the benefits.  I have been going to CI's CigarFest every year and though the cigars you get aren't the greatest, it's still a really fun event to go to and HERF at.  

For this to be worth it, I'd have to factor in the cost of Airfare and hotel as well...
6/24/2019 12:07 PM
The most interesting thing to me is that they don't seem to have talked to a ton of manufacturers about it before just sort of going with it. It'll be interesting to hear the actual announcement and see what they do with the show. I feel like not collaborating with the brands (or only picking a few to represent everyone) is certainly a mistake, and something they'll probably regret.
6/24/2019 9:06 PM
While it sounds like a good idea, it will be interesting how next year turns out? The event has been setup for the retailers & manufacturers as a trade show and not as a consumer event. Some changes will need to be made and I would like to find out what they are before I would consider going. If it sounds like it was successful, I might consider going the following year. Also, the amount to get in and the number of tickets available will be interesting. Last, I would like to know how the retailers & manufacturers feel about one less day to do business?
6/27/2019 9:02 AM
Seems like it could be a good way to expand the industry and introduce consumers to new products, but it would need to be executed properly. I'm curious to see how it goes.
6/30/2019 7:37 PM
Congrats to Kyle and many thanks to everyone else for joining this week's discussion!