International Cigar Expo Chengdu Taking Place Nov. 8-10

The International Cigar Expo 2021 will take place Nov. 8-10 in Chengdu, China.

It’s the second version of the International Cigar Expo, the first was held in Shenzen in late 2019. The event is co-hosted by China Cigarette Sales Corporation and China Tobacco International Group Limited; a variety of other companies are listed as co-organizers. It will be hosted inside of the Tianfu International Convention Center and a press release says it will cover over 10,000-square-meters of show floor space.

That press release says that more than 150 companies and 10,000 people will be invited to the event. It lists companies such as Habanos S.A., Oettinger Davidoff AG and Scandinavian Tobacco Group as confirmed exhibitors. The expo says that the 2019 event had more than 80 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors.

Perhaps more importantly, it says that there were “a total of 18 famous Chinese and overseas companies (that) signed 12 agreements on site.” Because the state-owned China National Tobacco has a virtual monopoly over the domestic tobacco industry in China, it remains a challenging market for non-Chinese companies to enter. That being said, it’s a large and growing market. Last week, Habanos S.A. said that China became its largest market for Cuban cigars in 2020, the first time the country has achieved that status.

Events include a “cigar industry development forum,” “cigar international academic forum,” and a welcome party amongst others.

Unlike most other trade shows, the International Cigar Expo has a specific aim at growing the domestic Chinese market for cigars, including the production of cigars in China. A brochure describes its purpose as dual circulation:

The Expo adheres to accelerating the establishment of a “dual circulation” development pattern in which domestic economic cycle plays a leading role while international economic cycle remains its extension and supplement. The Expo takes the guiding principle of opening up to the outside world to promote international cooperation.

The actual trade show is scheduled for Nov. 9-10, while Nov. 8 will serve as the opening “cigar night.”