What is IPCPR 2015?

It’s back.

That time of the year when every other post you read on halfwheel mentions something about the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. It’s the biggest week of the year for the cigar industry, our busiest week of traffic and something we spend months planning out. That being said, we still get a ton of questions from readers regarding the show, our approach to it and everything in between.

What is the show?

It’s both a convention and trade show. The convention part begins today with a variety of seminars centered around legislative issues, retail strategy and other concepts for retailers. The four-day trade show part begins tomorrow.

What’s this IPCPR thing though?

That’s an organization called the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. As the name implies, it’s an organization that its most made up of retailers that deals with legislative issues surrounding premium tobacco, as well as this trade show.

Where is it?

This year, New Orleans, La. But the trade show has largely been in Las Vegas for the last few years and it will be there from at least 2016-2018.

And people are upset it’s in New Orleans?

I am not, but there’s a lot of concern from manufacturers that the retailer attendance is not as strong in New Orleans.

And the city just banned smoking everywhere?

In a lot of ways, yes. Smoking is still allowed in the few cigar stores that are in the city, as well as on outdoor patios, but no longer at bars and on casino floors. We’ve been here for a couple days and are finding more places to smoke than what was originally being described.

Okay, so who goes to this thing?

It’s a show that’s restricted to people employed in the industry. It’s very likely more people at the show on exhibitor passes than there are attendees, but the show is largely designed for retailers. Other suppliers and media are permitted as well, but consumers are not.

So you’re there?

Yep. Brooks Whittington, Patrick Lagreid, Brian Burt and I are all in New Orleans.

What’s your coverage going to be like?

Rather similar to how it was last year, but with a few improvements.

1. We have an off-site text editor that should be helping to deal with the inevitable typos that come from live-reporting on a lack of sleep.
2. We are attempting a small video component.
3. We are trying to do a bit more in regards to explaining how we cover the show in a sort of behind-the-scenes manner.

But I don’t want to look at last year’s coverage. What does that mean?

We have spent the last month or so reporting about a lot of the products that will be there—this is the 180th post we have written about the show—we cover booths during the show and do it live from the trade show floor. We take pictures, video and write about the new products and other development system.

Are there really 50 new brands at the show?

Nope.